Shloka 46
Śalya–Bhīma Gadāyuddham (मद्रराज-भीमसेन गदायुद्धम्)
राक्षसौ रौद्रकर्माणौ हैडिम्बालम्बुषावुभौ । चक्राते>त्यद्भुतं युद्धं परस्परजयैषिणौ,भयंकर कर्म करनेवाले राक्षस घटोत्कव और अलम्बुष--ये दोनों एक-दूसरेको जीतनेकी इच्छासे अत्यन्त अद्भुत युद्ध करने लगे
rākṣasau raudrakarmāṇau haiḍimbālambuṣāv ubhau | cakrāte 'tyadbhutaṃ yuddhaṃ parasparajayaiṣiṇau ||
Sañjaya said: The two rākṣasas, fierce in their deeds—Haiḍimba (Ghaṭotkaca) and Alambuṣa—each intent on overcoming the other, engaged in a most astonishing battle. In this clash of terrifying prowess, the will to conquer drove them into ever more dreadful acts of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the thirst for victory (jaya-eṣaṇā) can intensify violence: when conquest becomes the sole aim, even extraordinary prowess turns into frightening action. It implicitly cautions that martial excellence without restraint easily becomes ethically perilous.
Sañjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca (called Haiḍimba) and the rākṣasa Alambuṣa meet in single combat. Both are ferocious fighters, and their mutual desire to defeat one another produces an astonishing, fearsome duel within the larger Kurukṣetra war.