Shloka 24
श्रुत्वा कृष्णौ मया ग्रस्तं सौभद्रमतिमानिनौ । गमिष्यत: प्रेतलोक॑ जीवलोकान्न संशय:,“सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्युको मेरे द्वारा कालकवलित हुआ सुनकर अत्यन्त अभिमानी श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन इस जीवलोकसे प्रेतलोकको चले जायँगे--इसमें संशय नहीं है
śrutvā kṛṣṇau mayā grastaṃ saubhadram atimāninau | gamiṣyataḥ pretalokaṃ jīvalokān na saṃśayaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “On hearing that the son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu) has been swallowed up by me—slain by Death—those two Kṛṣṇas, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, proud of their prowess, will surely depart from the world of the living to the world of the dead; of this there is no doubt.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of boastful certainty in war: claiming mastery over death and predicting the collapse of great heroes reflects pride and delusion. It also underscores how grief and righteous anger can drive even the mightiest to risk their lives, reminding readers that human resolve is tested most sharply by loss.
Sañjaya reports a taunting assertion (from the opposing side’s perspective) that Abhimanyu, Subhadrā’s son, has been killed, and that upon hearing this, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna will be so overwhelmed—by grief and fury—that they will rush into deadly combat, as if leaving the world of the living for the realm of the dead.