Shloka 613
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
अन्योन्यं संततक्षाते रणेडनुपमविक्रमौ । वेगशाली व्याप्रोंक समान परस्पर भिड़े हुए वे दोनों पुरुषसिंह युद्धमें अनुपम पराक्रम दिखाते हुए एक-दूसरेको क्षत-विक्षत कर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | anyonyaṃ saṃtatakṣāte raṇe ’nupamavikramau | vegāśālī vyāghrau iva samānau parasparaṃ bhiḍe huve te dvau puruṣasiṃhau yuddhe ’nupamaṃ parākramaṃ darśayantaḥ anyonyam kṣata-vikṣataṃ kurvanti sma |
Sanjaya said: In that battle, those two lion-like heroes—matched in strength and swift as tigers—closed upon one another and, displaying incomparable valor, kept wounding and tearing each other in relentless combat. The scene underscores the tragic symmetry of war: equal prowess meeting equal resolve, where courage shines even as destruction deepens.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of righteous-war ethos: valor and steadfastness can be admirable, yet when equally matched heroes collide, the outcome is mutual injury—revealing war’s inherent tragedy even amid celebrated courage.
Sanjaya describes two evenly matched, swift and powerful heroes who engage at close quarters and repeatedly wound one another, each displaying extraordinary prowess on the battlefield.