Mahabharata 7.44.10 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 44, Shloka 10

अभिमन्योर् विक्रमः — Abhimanyu’s Disruptive Advance and the Gāndharva-astra Counter

Devanagari script

तमयस्मयवर्माणमिषुणा दूरपातिना । विव्याध हृदि सौभद्र: स पपात व्यसु: क्षितौ

Transliteration

tam ayasmaya-varmāṇam iṣuṇā dūrapātinā | vivyādha hṛdi saubhadraḥ sa papāta vyasuḥ kṣitau ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Abhimanyu, der Sohn Subhadrās, durchbohrte mit einem weittragenden Pfeil das Herz des Kriegers in eiserner Rüstung; und er fiel leblos zur Erde.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अयस्मय-वर्माणम्: the one wearing an iron armor
• अयस्मय-वर्माणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयस्मयवर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इषुणा: with an arrow
• इषुणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• दूर-पातिना: far-flying
• दूर-पातिना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूरपातिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• विव्याध: pierced
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• हृदि: in the heart/chest
• हृदि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सौभद्रः: Saubhadra (Abhimanyu)
• सौभद्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पपात: fell
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• व्यसुः: lifeless, dead
• व्यसुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यसु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षितौ: on the earth/ground
• क्षितौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Abhimanyu (Saubhadra)
• Subhadrā
• iron armor (ayasmaya varman)
• arrow (iṣu)
• earth/ground (kṣiti)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even strong defenses and status in war cannot guarantee survival; the episode highlights the harsh moral reality of kṣatriya-duty where decisive action is demanded, yet every victory carries the ethical gravity of taking life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu (Saubhadra) shoots a long-range arrow that pierces an iron-armored opponent in the chest/heart, causing him to fall dead on the battlefield.