Shloka 1

अभिमन्योरावरणम्

Encirclement and counter-strikes of Abhimanyu

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट्र बोले--सूत! जैसा कि तुम बता रहे हो, अकेले महामना अभिमन्युका बहुत- से योद्धाओंके साथ अत्यन्त भयंकर संग्राम हुआ और उसमें विजय भी उसीकी हुई-- सुभद्राकुमारका यह पराक्रम आश्चर्यजनक है। उसपर सहसा विश्वास नहीं होता; परंतु जिन लोगोंका धर्म ही आश्रय है, उनके लिये यह कोई अत्यन्त अद्भुत बात नहीं है

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—sūta! yathā tvaṁ bravīṣi, ekenaiva mahāmanābhimanyunā bahubhir yoddhaiḥ saha atyanta-bhayaṅkaraḥ saṅgrāmo 'bhavat, tasmin vijayo 'pi tasyaiva—subhadrā-kumārasya idaṁ parākramaḥ āścaryajanakaḥ. tatra sahasā viśvāso na jāyate; kintu yeṣāṁ dharma eva āśrayaḥ, teṣāṁ etad na atīva adbhutam.

Translation

ধৃতৰাষ্ট্ৰ ক’লে— সূত! তুমি যিদৰে কৈছা, মহামনা অভিমন্যু একাকী হৈ বহু যোদ্ধাৰ সৈতে অতিভয়ংকৰ সংগ্ৰাম কৰি জয় লাভ কৰিলে। সুভদ্ৰাপুত্ৰৰ এই পৰাক্ৰম বিস্ময়জনক; সহসা বিশ্বাস নোহোৱা যেন লাগে। কিন্তু যিসকলৰ আশ্ৰয় ধৰ্মই, তেওঁলোকৰ বাবে ই অতিশয় অদ্ভুত নহয়।

Word by Word

• {'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca': 'Dhritarashtra said', 'sūta': 'charioteer-bard

• here, the narrator (Sanjaya) addressed respectfully', 'yathā tvaṁ bravīṣi': 'as you say / as you report', 'ekena': 'by one (alone)', 'mahāmanā': 'great-souled, noble-minded', 'abhimanyu': 'Abhimanyu (son of Arjuna and Subhadra)', 'bahubhiḥ yoddhaiḥ saha': 'together with many warriors / against many warriors', 'atyanta-bhayaṅkara': 'exceedingly terrifying', 'saṅgrāma': 'battle, armed conflict', 'vijaya': 'victory', 'subhadrā-kumāra': 'Subhadra’s son (Abhimanyu)', 'parākrama': 'heroic prowess, valor', 'āścaryajanaka': 'wonder-causing, astonishing', 'sahasā': 'suddenly, at first glance', 'viśvāsa': 'belief, trust', 'dharma': 'righteous order

• moral law', 'āśraya': 'refuge, support, reliance', 'adbhuta': 'marvelous, extraordinary'}

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhritarashtra
• Suta (Sanjaya)
• Abhimanyu
• Subhadra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Extraordinary success in perilous circumstances is presented as natural for one grounded in Dharma; moral steadfastness becomes a source of strength that makes the ‘marvelous’ credible.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhritarashtra reacts to the report that Abhimanyu, fighting alone against many, achieved victory; he expresses disbelief at first, then concedes that such prowess is fitting for those who rely on Dharma.