Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 43, Shloka 29
द्वन्द्वयुद्धप्रवृत्तिः
Dvandva-Yuddha: The Onset of Single Combats
पुनश्शरशतेनाथक्षिप्रहस्तोनिशाचरः ।बिभेदसमरेनीलंनिकुम्भःप्रजहासच ।।6.43.29।।
punaḥ śaraśatenātha kṣiprahasto niśācaraḥ |
bibheda samare nīlaṃ nikumbhaḥ prajahāsa ca || 6.43.29 ||
Sekali lagi, Nikumbha sang raksasa pengembara malam yang bertangan cekatan, menghujani Nīla dengan seratus anak panah di medan perang, lalu tertawa nyaring.
Nikumbha, the night ranger who was endowed with speed in shooting arrows again shot with a thousand arrows and laughed heartily.
FAQs
By contrasting violence with mocking laughter, the verse hints at adharma—cruelty and arrogance in victory—implicitly valorizing the Ramayana’s ideal of disciplined, duty-bound combat.
Nikumbha renews his attack on Nīla with another heavy volley and displays contempt by laughing.
Negatively, Nikumbha’s arrogance; by implication, the virtue expected in dharmic war is restraint and respect for the gravity of life-and-death combat.