द्वन्द्वयुद्धप्रवृत्तिः
Dvandva-Yuddha: The Onset of Single Combats
पुनश्शरशतेनाथक्षिप्रहस्तोनिशाचरः ।बिभेदसमरेनीलंनिकुम्भःप्रजहासच ।।6.43.29।।
punaḥ śaraśatenātha kṣiprahasto niśācaraḥ |
bibheda samare nīlaṃ nikumbhaḥ prajahāsa ca || 6.43.29 ||
Lại nữa, dạ-xoa dạ hành Nikumbha, tay ra tên mau lẹ, trong chiến địa đã bắn Nīla bằng một trăm mũi tên, rồi cất tiếng cười vang.
Nikumbha, the night ranger who was endowed with speed in shooting arrows again shot with a thousand arrows and laughed heartily.
By contrasting violence with mocking laughter, the verse hints at adharma—cruelty and arrogance in victory—implicitly valorizing the Ramayana’s ideal of disciplined, duty-bound combat.
Nikumbha renews his attack on Nīla with another heavy volley and displays contempt by laughing.
Negatively, Nikumbha’s arrogance; by implication, the virtue expected in dharmic war is restraint and respect for the gravity of life-and-death combat.