तं तथा युध्यमानं तु मायायुद्धविशारदम् ॥
अलम्बुसं राक्षसेन्द्रं दृष्ट्वाक्रुध्यन्त पाण्डवाः ॥
त एनं भृशसंक्रुद्धाः सर्वतः प्रवरा रथैः ॥
अभ्यद्रवन्त संक्रुद्धा भीमसेनादयो नृप ॥
त एनं कोष्ठकीकृत्य रथवंशेन मारिष ॥
सर्वतो व्यकिरन् बाणैर् उल्काभिर् इव कुञ्जरम् ॥
taṃ tathā yudhyamānaṃ tu māyāyuddhaviśāradam ||
alambusaṃ rākṣasendraṃ dṛṣṭvākrudhyanta pāṇḍavāḥ ||
ta enaṃ bhṛśasaṃkruddhāḥ sarvataḥ pravarā rathaiḥ ||
abhyadravanta saṃkruddhā bhīmasenādayo nṛpa ||
ta enaṃ koṣṭhakīkṛtya rathavaṃśena māriṣa ||
sarvato vyakiran bāṇair ulkābhir iva kuñjaram ||
Seeing him thus fighting, skilled in the battle of illusion — Alambusa, lord of the rakshasas — the Pandavas grew wrathful. Greatly enraged, the foremost among them rushed at him from every side upon their chariots, led by Bhimasena, O king. Enclosing him in a ring with a row of chariots, O venerable one, they showered him with arrows from every side, as one showers an elephant with firebrands.
4f3c297e28cc · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:02:23 PM UTC
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Where illusion cannot be overcome by illusion, the Pandavas step in with direct force — hemming the enemy in a ring. The image of firebrands upon an elephant shows a wild, elusive power being pressed by concerted assault. It is telling that against delusion is set formation and unity. The verse teaches that against a slippery evil, matching trickery is not what works, but the massed effort of the righteous: where deceit cannot answer deceit, direct and united pressure prevails, leaving no room to escape.