Shloka 17

अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa

with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma

Devanagari script

भूयश्वैनं महाबाहु: शरै: शीघ्रमवाकिरत्‌ । पर्वतं वारिधाराभि: प्रावषीव बलाहक:ः,साथ ही उन महाबाहुने उनके ऊपर शीघ्रतापूर्वक बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी, मानो वर्षाऋतुमें मेघ पर्वत-शिखरपर जलकी धारा गिरा रहा हो

Transliteration

bhūyaś cainaṃ mahābāhuḥ śaraiḥ śīghram avākirat | parvataṃ vāridhārābhiḥ prāvṛṣīva balāhakaḥ ||

Translation

แล้วมหาบาหูผู้นั้นก็ยังระดมยิงศรใส่เขาอีกอย่างรวดเร็ว ดุจเมฆในฤดูฝนเทกระแสน้ำลงบนยอดเขา

Word by Word

भूयःagain, further

चand

एनम्him

महाबाहुःthe mighty-armed (warrior)

शरैःwith arrows

शीघ्रम्quickly

अवाकिरत्showered, scattered down

पर्वतम्a mountain

वारिधाराभिःwith streams of water

प्रावृषाin the rainy season / by the rains

इवas if, like

बलाहकःa cloud

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

mahābāhuḥ (a mighty-armed warrior)

arrows (śara)

rain-cloud (balāhaka)

mountain (parvata)

monsoon/rainy season (prāvṛṣ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights controlled, skillful exertion in a righteous contest: power is portrayed as disciplined capability (swift, sustained archery) rather than uncontrolled fury, using a natural simile to frame martial action as orderly and overwhelming.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior repeatedly and rapidly showering his opponent with arrows, comparing the arrow-storm to monsoon clouds pouring water on a mountain—an image of continuous, heavy assault in the battlefield.