Shloka 40

अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa

with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma

Devanagari script

विमुखांश्रैव तान्‌ दृष्टवा द्रौणिचापच्युतै:शरै:

Transliteration

vimukhāṁś caiva tān dṛṣṭvā drauṇi-cāpa-cyutaiḥ śaraiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Als er jene Krieger zurückweichen sah—getroffen von Pfeilen, die aus Drauṇis Bogen geschossen waren—erkannte er in ihrem Rückzug ein sichtbares Zeichen des Schlachtendrucks und der wechselnden Stimmung auf dem Feld, wo sowohl Können als auch Furcht die Menschen aus ihrer gewählten Stellung treiben.

Word by Word

• विमुखान्: turned away, facing away
• विमुखान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुख
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• तान्: those (men)
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• द्रौणि-चाप-च्युतैः: by (arrows) released from the bow of Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)
• द्रौणि-चाप-च्युतैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रौणि + चाप + च्युत
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)
• bow
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, inner resolve is tested by visible force: when struck by a powerful warrior’s arrows, even fighters may turn away. It implicitly contrasts steadfastness with wavering, a recurring ethical pressure-point within kṣatriya-dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that certain warriors are seen turning away/retreating after being hit by arrows shot from Drauṇi’s bow, indicating Drauṇi’s effectiveness and a momentary shift in the battle’s momentum.