Shloka 193
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
अभ्यस्तो बहुभिर्बाणर्दशधर्मगतेन वै । “मैंने पुत्रशोकसे संतप्त, बाणोंद्वारा पीड़ित तथा भारी दुरवस्थाको प्राप्त होकर बहुसंख्यक बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें अनेक बार चोट पहुँचायी है
abhyasto bahubhir bāṇair daśa-dharma-gatena vai |
Sañjaya berkata: “Dia diserang berulang kali oleh banyak anak panah, dan setelah didorong ke dalam keadaan yang amat gawat dan berbahaya, dia pula membalas, berkali-kali, dengan hujan panah yang tidak terhitung. Fikirannya menyala oleh pedih kehilangan seorang putera, dan tindakannya kini dibentuk oleh paksaan keras peperangan, bukan oleh ketenangan menahan diri.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief and battlefield pressure can push a warrior into relentless retaliation; it implicitly raises the ethical tension between inner restraint and the demands of kṣatriya-duty amid war’s cruelty.
Sañjaya describes a combatant being heavily struck by many arrows and, having fallen into a dire condition, responding by repeatedly wounding the opponent with numerous arrows—an escalation driven by pain and bereavement.