Shloka 17
Droṇa’s Defensive Stand and Abhimanyu Commissioned to Breach the Cakravyūha (द्रोणानीक-प्रतिरोधः; सौभद्र-नियोजनम्)
सहिता: पर्यधावन्त कार्ष्णि प्रति युयुत्सव: । तेषां दश सहस्राणि बभूवुर्दृडधन्विनाम्,वे सब एक साथ युद्धके लिये उत्सुक होकर अर्जुनपुत्र अभिमन्युकी ओर दौड़े। सुदृढ़ धनुष धारण करनेवाले उन आक्रमणकारी वीरोंकी संख्या दस हजार थी
sahitāḥ paryadhāvanta kārṣṇiṃ prati yuyutsavaḥ | teṣāṃ daśa sahasrāṇi babhūvur dṛḍha-dhanvinām ||
Sañjaya said: United together and eager for battle, they rushed toward Kārṣṇi (Abhimanyu). The number of those assailants—mighty warriors bearing firm, well-strung bows—was ten thousand.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension in warfare: numerical might and coordinated assault can overwhelm individual valor, raising questions about fairness and dharma even amid sanctioned battle.
A large force—ten thousand strong bowmen—moves together and charges toward Abhimanyu (called Kārṣṇi), indicating a concentrated attack on him in the Drona Parva battle sequence.