Shloka 22

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

Devanagari script

तस्याभिमन्युर्दशभिह्यान्‌ सूतं ध्वजं शरै:

Transliteration

tasyābhimanyur daśabhir hyān sūtaṃ dhvajaṃ śaraiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Abhimanyu then struck his opponent’s charioteer and the chariot-banner with ten arrows, a swift act meant to unnerve the enemy and disrupt the chariot’s control amid the chaos of battle.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that (one)
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अभिमन्युः: Abhimanyu
• अभिमन्युः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभिमन्यु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दशभिः: with ten
• दशभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral/Adjective
• Root: दशन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• यान्: whom/which (masc. pl.)
• यान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सूतम्: charioteer
• सूतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ध्वजम्: banner/standard
• ध्वजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Abhimanyu
• Sañjaya
• sūta (charioteer)
• dhvaja (chariot-banner)
• śara (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya conduct in war: decisive action aimed at disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight (by targeting the charioteer and banner) rather than mere display. It also reflects the ethical tension of battlefield strategy—victory pursued through tactical disruption within the accepted norms of combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu, in the midst of the Drona Parva battle, shoots ten arrows that strike the enemy’s charioteer and the chariot’s banner, signaling a forceful tactical move to destabilize the opposing chariot and its morale/identity.