Shloka 14
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
चित्रसेनो विकर्णश्र॒ सैन्धवो5थ बृहदूबल: । आवलन्त्यौ च महेष्वासौ कौरवं पर्यवारयन्
citraseno vikarṇaś ca saindhavo 'tha bṛhadbalaḥ | āvalantyau ca maheṣvāsau kauravaṃ paryavārayan ||
Sañjaya sprach: Chitrasena, Vikarna und Jayadratha, der König von Sindhu, zusammen mit Bṛhadbala—und den beiden großen Bogenschützen Āvalantya und Maheshvāsa—schlossen sich um den Kaurava-Prinzen und bildeten einen schützenden Ring.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield dharma as expressed through solidarity and protection of one’s leader: coordinated defense, courage, and steadfastness. It also implicitly frames how collective action in war can be efficient and disciplined, even while the epic continually questions whether every act in war remains righteous.
Sañjaya reports that several Kaurava-side warriors—Citrasena, Vikarna, Jayadratha, Bṛhadbala, and the two Avanti princes—encircle a Kaurava prince/warrior, forming a protective cordon amid the fighting.