राजानं तु तथाम्बष्ठम् एकं युद्धाभिनन्दिनम् ॥
चेदिराजः शरान् अस्यन् क्रुद्धो द्रोणाद् अवारयत् ॥
तम् अम्बष्ठो ऽस्थिभेदिन्या निरविध्यच् छलाकया ॥
स त्यक्त्वा सशरं चापं रथाद् भूमिम् अथापतत् ॥
rājānaṃ tu tathāmbaṣṭham ekaṃ yuddhābhinandinam ||
cedirājaḥ śarān asyan kruddho droṇād avārayat ||
tam ambaṣṭho 'sthibhedinyā niravidhyac chalākayā ||
sa tyaktvā saśaraṃ cāpaṃ rathād bhūmim athāpatat ||
The king of the Chedis, loosing arrows in rage, turned away from Drona the king of the Ambashthas, who had been delighting single-handedly in the fight. The Ambashtha pierced him with a bone-splitting dart-arrow; and he, letting fall his bow with its arrow, fell from the chariot to the ground.
52df72d899f4 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The king of the Ambashthas "delights single-handedly in war" -- he alone, without allies, revels in the fight; and this solitary daring proves fatal to whoever meets him. The fall of the king of the Chedis, his bow dropping from his hands, shows how sudden the outcome can be: one moment, and the fighter lies overthrown. It is telling that the delight of the lone warrior in battle is stronger than the delight of those who fight leaning on the many. The verse teaches that some men find rapture in combat itself, needing no companions; that such self-sufficient daring is especially dangerous to an opponent; and that in battle the outcome comes suddenly -- the bow falls from the hands, and the one who a moment ago was striking lies on the ground, a reminder of how thin the line is between the one who strikes and the one who is struck down.