Shloka 12
अभिमन्यु-पराक्रमवर्णनम्
Abhimanyu’s Prowess and the Duḥśāsana Engagement
बाणशब्देन महता रथनेमिस्वनेन च । हुंकारै: क्ष्वेडितोत्क्रुष्टे: सिंहनादैः सगर्जिते:,कितने ही वीर रथ, घोड़े और हाथीपर सवार होकर आये। दूसरे बहुत-से प्रचण्ड बलशाली योद्धा पैदल ही दौड़ पड़े। बाणोंकी सनसनाहट, रथके पहियोंकी जोर-जोरसे होनेवाली घर्घराहट, हुंकार, कोलाहल, ललकार, सिंहनाद, गर्जना, धनुषकी टंकार तथा हस्तत्राणके चट-चट शब्दके साथ गर्जन-तर्जन करते हुए अन्यान्य बहुत-से योद्धा अर्जुनकुमार अभिमन्युपर यह कहते हुए टूट पड़े, “अब तू हमारे हाथसे जीवित नहीं छूट सकता। तुझे जीवनसे ही हाथ धोना पड़ेगा”
sañjaya uvāca | bāṇaśabdena mahatā rathanemisvanena ca | huṃkāraiḥ kṣveḍitotkṛṣṭaiḥ siṃhanādaiḥ sagarjite |
Sañjaya said: “With the great hiss and roar of arrows, with the rumbling sound of chariot-wheels, and amid war-cries—shouts, loud challenges, lion-roars, and thunderous clamour—the warriors surged forward. In that din of weapons and intimidation, many assailants rushed upon Abhimanyu, Arjuna’s son, declaring that he would not escape alive.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war amplifies intimidation through sound—cries, roars, and weapon-noise—showing the ethical darkness of collective aggression against a single hero. It implicitly contrasts kṣatriya valor with the moral peril of overwhelming, fear-driven assault.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield as warriors rush upon Abhimanyu amid deafening sounds—arrows, chariot wheels, and battle shouts—signaling a coordinated, hostile surge intended to ensure he cannot escape alive.