Shloka 4
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
तदन्तरं च सम्प्रेक्ष्य त्वरमाणो महारथ: । प्रसंदधे शितं बाणं गिरीणामपि दारणम्,फिर उसीको उपयुक्त अवसर समझकर महारथी दुर्योधनने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ एक तीखे बाणका संधान किया, जो पर्वतोंको भी विदीर्ण करनेवाला था
tadantaraṃ ca samprekṣya tvaramāṇo mahārathaḥ | prasaṃdadhe śitaṃ bāṇaṃ girīṇām api dāraṇam ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing that interval and judging it the fitting moment, the great chariot-warrior hastened to set a keen arrow to his bow—an arrow said to be capable of rending even mountains. The verse underscores the war-mindset of seizing a fleeting opening and answering it with overwhelming force, where urgency and destructive capacity eclipse restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the heat of battle, a warrior’s attention fixes on timing—spotting a brief opening (antara) and responding instantly with maximum force. Ethically, it reflects the tension between strategic necessity in war and the peril of letting haste and destructive intent dominate one’s judgment.
Sañjaya describes a great warrior noticing a momentary gap and quickly readying a very sharp arrow, poetically described as powerful enough to split even mountains—signaling an imminent, forceful attack.