Mahabharata 7.37.20 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 37, Shloka 20

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 37: Sañjaya’s Account of Abhimanyu’s Precision Disruption of a Chariot Contingent

Devanagari script

ततो$भिमन्यु: संक्रुद्धस्त्रास्यमानस्तवात्मजै: । विदर्शयन्‌ वै सुमहच्छिक्षौरसकृतं बलम्‌

Transliteration

tato 'bhimanyuḥ saṅkruddhas trāsyamānas tavātmajaiḥ | vidarśayan vai sumahac chikṣyaurasakṛtaṃ balam ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Da zeigte Abhimanyu, erzürnt, weil er von deinen Söhnen bedrängt wurde, eine überaus große Macht—Kraft, geboren aus disziplinierter Schulung und edler Abstammung—und hielt stand im Gedränge der Schlacht.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereupon/then
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः
• Form: indeclinable (ablatival adverb: 'from that/thereupon')

• अभिमन्युः: Abhimanyu
• अभिमन्युः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभिमन्यु
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• संक्रुद्धः: enraged
• संक्रुद्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संक्रुद्ध
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular (past passive participle of √क्रुध् with सं-)

• त्रास्यमानः: being harassed/being frightened (i.e., being assailed)
• त्रास्यमानः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रास्यमान
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular (present passive participle of √त्रस्/त्रास् 'to frighten')

• तव: your
• तव: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• आत्मजैः: by (your) sons
• आत्मजैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मज
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• विदर्शयन्: showing/displaying
• विदर्शयन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: विदर्शयत्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular (present active participle of √दृश् with vi-; causative sense 'to show')

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै
• Form: indeclinable (emphatic particle)

• सुमहत्: very great
• सुमहत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• शिक्षा: by training/discipline
• शिक्षा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिक्षा
• Form: feminine, instrumental, singular (used in compound-like relation with 'aurasa-kṛta')

• औरसकृतम्: inborn/true-born (as of one’s own son), naturally produced
• औरसकृतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औरसकृत
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular (kṛta-ppp of √कृ; 'made/produced as an own son' i.e., innate/true-born)

• बलम्: strength/might
• बलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Abhimanyu
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Kauravas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Martial excellence is portrayed as arising from both śikṣā (disciplined training) and aurasa (noble birth/lineage), and it is tested ethically in adversity—when one is pressured by many opponents yet must uphold kṣatriya-dharma through courage and steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu, surrounded and hard-pressed by the Kauravas (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons), becomes furious and demonstrates extraordinary fighting power, making his prowess evident on the battlefield.