Shloka 44
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
प्रयान्तं शीघ्रमुद्वी क्ष्य परित्रातुं सुतांस्तव । अभिमन्युं समुद्दिश्य बालमेक॑ महारथम्
prayāntaṁ śīghram udvīkṣya paritrātuṁ sutāṁs tava | abhimanyum samuddiśya bālam ekaṁ mahāratham ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing him depart swiftly, (they moved) to protect your sons, aiming their efforts at Abhimanyu—the lone youthful great chariot-warrior.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the epic: when fear for one’s side (protecting the Kaurava princes) drives a collective to concentrate force against a single opponent, even if he is young. It implicitly raises questions about proportionality, fairness in combat, and how attachment to one’s own can distort dharmic judgment.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that, seeing a swift movement on the battlefield, the Kaurava side acts to safeguard Dhritarashtra’s sons by directing their attention and attack toward Abhimanyu, described as a lone yet formidable young mahāratha.