Shloka 34
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
ततः संधाय विमलान् भल्लान् कर्मारमार्जितान्,तत्पश्चात् उसने लोहारके माँजे हुए सात चमकीले भल्लोंको धनुषपर रखकर चलाया। उनमेंसे चारके द्वारा उसने नीलके चारों घोड़ोंको और पाँचवेंसे सारथिको मार डाला। छठेसे ध्वजको काट गिराया और सातवें भल्लसे नीलकी छातीमें प्रहार किया
tataḥ saṃdhāya vimalān bhallān karmāramārjitān, tatpaścāt sa lohārake māñje huye sapta camakīle bhallōṃko dhanuṣpar rakhkar calāyā; teṣāṃ madhye catvārbhiḥ sa nīlasya catvāro ’śvān, pañcamena sārathim ajaghāna; ṣaṣṭhena dhvajam acchinat, saptamena bhallena nīlasya vakṣasi prāharat.
Sanjaya said: Then, fitting to his bow spotless, razor-edged bhalla arrows—polished by the smith—he released seven gleaming shafts. With four of them he struck down Nila’s four horses; with the fifth he killed the charioteer. With the sixth he cut down the banner, and with the seventh bhalla he pierced Nila in the chest. The passage underscores the grim precision of war: prowess is displayed through targeted blows that dismantle an opponent’s mobility and morale, yet the ethical weight of such lethal skill remains implicit in the battlefield setting.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the disciplined, technical nature of warfare—how skill can systematically disable an opponent (horses, charioteer, banner) before delivering a decisive strike. Ethically, it points to the heavy reality that martial excellence, when exercised in war, carries lethal consequences even when performed as a warrior’s duty.
A warrior releases seven polished bhalla arrows in sequence: four kill Nila’s four horses, the fifth kills the charioteer, the sixth cuts down the banner, and the seventh strikes Nila in the chest—effectively crippling the chariot and then wounding the principal fighter.