Shloka 1
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
०: बछ। अकाल ज अष्टचत्वारिशो<् ध्याय: अभिमन्युद्वारा हैक भोज और कर्णके मन्त्री आदिका वध एवं छ: के साथ घोर युद्ध और उन महारथियोंद्वारा अभिमन्युके धनुष, रथ, ढाल और तलवारका नाश संजय उवाच स कर्ण कर्णिना कर्णे पुनर्विव्याध फाल्गुनि: । शरै: पञ्चाशता चैनमविध्यत् कोपयन् भूशम्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर अर्जुनकुमार अभिमन्युने एक बाणद्दारा कर्णके कानमें पुनः चोट पहुँचायी और उसे क्रोध दिलाते हुए उसने पचास बाण मारकर अत्यन्त घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | sa karṇaḥ karṇinā karṇe punar vivyādha phālguniḥ | śaraiḥ pañcāśatā cainam avidhyat kopayan bhūśam ||
Sanjaya said: O King, then Phālguni (Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna) again pierced Karṇa in the ear with an arrow. Seeking to provoke him greatly, he struck Karṇa with fifty shafts, wounding him severely amid the fury of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield psychology of kṣatriya combat: skill is used not only to injure but also to unsettle an opponent’s mind. Ethically, it points to the danger of krodha (anger) in war—provocation can cloud judgment, so restraint and clarity remain crucial even amid justified martial duty.
Sanjaya reports that Abhimanyu (called Phālguni/Arjuna’s son) strikes Karna again in the ear and then showers him with fifty arrows, deliberately trying to enrage him and gaining a momentary advantage through intense, accurate archery.