अलम्बुसस् तु समरे अभिमन्युं महारथम् ॥
विनद्य सुमहानादं तर्जयित्वा मुहुर् मुहुः ॥
अभिदुद्राव वेगेन तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति चाब्रवीत् ॥
सौभद्रो ऽपि रणे राजन् सिंहवद् विनदन् मुहुः ॥
आर्श्यशृङ्गिं महेष्वासं पितुर् अत्यन्तवैरिणम् ॥
ततः समेयतुः संख्ये त्वरितौ नरराक्षसौ ॥
रथाभ्यां रथिनां श्रेष्ठौ यथा वै देवदानवौ ॥
मायावी राक्षसश्रेष्ठो दिव्यास्त्रज्ञश् च फाल्गुनिः ॥
ततः कार्ष्णिर् महाराज निशितैः सायकैस् त्रिभिः ॥
आर्श्यशृङ्गिं रणे विद्ध्वा पुनर् विव्याध पञ्चभिः ॥
अलम्बुसो ऽपि संक्रुद्धः कार्ष्णिं नवभिर् आशुगैः ॥
हृदि विव्याध वेगेन तोत्त्रैर् इव महाद्विपम् ॥
ततः शरसहस्रेण क्षिप्रकारी निशाचरः ॥
अर्जुनस्य सुतं संख्ये पीडयाम् आस भारत ॥
अभिमन्युस् ततः क्रुद्धो नवतिं नतपर्वणाम् ॥
चिक्षेप निशितान् बाणान् राक्षसस्य महोरसि ॥
ते तस्य विविशुस् तूर्णं कायं निर्भिद्य मर्मणि ॥
स तैर् विभिन्नसर्वाङ्गः शुशुभे राक्षसोत्तमः ॥
पुष्पितैः किंशुकै राजन् संस्तीर्ण इव पर्वतः ॥
स धारयञ् शरान् हेमपुङ्खान् अपि महाबलः ॥
विबभौ राक्षसश्रेष्ठः सज्वाल इव पर्वतः ॥
ततः क्रुद्धो महाराज आर्श्यशृङ्गिर् महाबलः ॥
महेन्द्रप्रतिमं कार्ष्णिं छादयाम् आस पत्रिभिः ॥
तेन ते विशिखा मुक्ता यमदण्डोपमाः शिताः ॥
अभिमन्युं विनिर्भिद्य प्राविशन् धरणीतलम् ॥
तथैवार्जुनिनिर्मुक्ताः शराः काञ्चनभूषणाः ॥
अलम्बुसं विनिर्भिद्य प्राविशन्त धरातलम् ॥
सौभद्रस् तु रणे रक्षः शरैः संनतपर्वभिः ॥
चक्रे विमुखम् आसाद्य मयं शक्र इवाहवे ॥
alambusas tu samare abhimanyuṃ mahāratham ||
vinadya sumahānādaṃ tarjayitvā muhur muhuḥ ||
abhidudrāva vegena tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti cābravīt ||
saubhadro 'pi raṇe rājan siṃhavad vinadan muhuḥ ||
ārśyaśṛṅgiṃ maheṣvāsaṃ pitur atyantavairiṇam ||
tataḥ sameyatuḥ saṃkhye tvaritau nararākṣasau ||
rathābhyāṃ rathināṃ śreṣṭhau yathā vai devadānavau ||
māyāvī rākṣasaśreṣṭho divyāstrajñaś ca phālguniḥ ||
tataḥ kārṣṇir mahārāja niśitaiḥ sāyakais tribhiḥ ||
ārśyaśṛṅgiṃ raṇe viddhvā punar vivyādha pañcabhiḥ ||
alambuso 'pi saṃkruddhaḥ kārṣṇiṃ navabhir āśugaiḥ ||
hṛdi vivyādha vegena tottrair iva mahādvipam ||
tataḥ śarasahasreṇa kṣiprakārī niśācaraḥ ||
arjunasya sutaṃ saṃkhye pīḍayām āsa bhārata ||
abhimanyus tataḥ kruddho navatiṃ nataparvaṇām ||
cikṣepa niśitān bāṇān rākṣasasya mahorasi ||
te tasya viviśus tūrṇaṃ kāyaṃ nirbhidya marmaṇi ||
sa tair vibhinnasarvāṅgaḥ śuśubhe rākṣasottamaḥ ||
puṣpitaiḥ kiṃśukai rājan saṃstīrṇa iva parvataḥ ||
sa dhārayañ śarān hemapuṅkhān api mahābalaḥ ||
vibabhau rākṣasaśreṣṭhaḥ sajvāla iva parvataḥ ||
tataḥ kruddho mahārāja ārśyaśṛṅgir mahābalaḥ ||
mahendrapratimaṃ kārṣṇiṃ chādayām āsa patribhiḥ ||
tena te viśikhā muktā yamadaṇḍopamāḥ śitāḥ ||
abhimanyuṃ vinirbhidya prāviśan dharaṇītalam ||
tathaivārjuninirmuktāḥ śarāḥ kāñcanabhūṣaṇāḥ ||
alambusaṃ vinirbhidya prāviśanta dharātalam ||
saubhadras tu raṇe rakṣaḥ śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ ||
cakre vimukham āsādya mayaṃ śakra ivāhave ||
Alambusa in battle, letting out a tremendous roar and threatening the maharatha Abhimanyu again and again, rushed at him with speed, shouting: "Stand! Stand!" Saubhadra, O king, roaring like a lion again and again, charged at the mighty archer Arshyashringi, the deadliest enemy of his own father. Then, on their chariots, the swift man and the rakshasa, the best of charioteers, met each other in battle like a deva and a danava — the finest of rakshasas, master of illusion, and the son of Phalguna, knower of celestial weapons. After this, Karshni, great king, pierced Arshyashringi in battle with three sharp arrows and wounded him again with five. The enraged Alambusa, in turn, swiftly pierced Karshni's chest with nine swift arrows, as though goading a great elephant. Then the nimble night-wanderer began to press the son of Arjuna hard in battle with a thousand arrows, O Bharata. At this the enraged Abhimanyu loosed ninety sharp, jointed arrows into the broad chest of the rakshasa. They swiftly entered him, piercing his body to the vital points, and the best of rakshasas, wounded all over by them, shone, O king, like a mountain covered in blooming kimshuka flowers. Bearing golden-shafted arrows within him, the mighty lord of rakshasas blazed like a mountain aflame. Then the mighty Arshyashringi, in fury, covered Karshni, who was equal to Mahendra, with feathered arrows. The sharp shafts he loosed, like the staff of Yama, pierced Abhimanyu through and plunged into the earth. In the same way the golden-adorned arrows loosed by the son of Arjuna pierced Alambusa through and sank into the ground. Saubhadra, drawing close to the rakshasa in battle, forced him with his curved arrows to turn away, as Shakra once turned Maya."
25bf946ed3d0 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:47:12 PM UTC
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The duel is built on equal tension: the rakshasa's illusion against Abhimanyu's celestial weapons, roar answered by lion's roar, arrows meeting arrows. But the first shift falls to Saubhadra: he is the one who forces Alambusa to turn away.