Shloka 25
Jayadrathasya varaprāptiḥ (जयद्रथस्य वरप्राप्तिः) — Jayadratha’s boon and the restraint of the Pāṇḍava advance
आददानं गजाश्चानां नृणां चायूंषि भारत । क्षणेन भूय: पश्याम: सूर्य मध्यंदिने यथा,(यथा पुरा वल्लिसुतो5सुरसैन्येषु वीर्यवान् ।) भरतनन्दन! हाथियों, घोड़ों और पैदलसैनिकोंकी आयुको छीनते हुए अभिमन्युको हमने क्षणभरमें दोपहरके सूर्यकी भाँति शत्रुसेनाको पुनः तपाते देखा था। महाराज! इन्द्रकुमार अर्जुनका वह पुत्र युद्धमें इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी जान पड़ता था। जैसे पूर्वकालमें पराक्रमी कुमार कार्तिकेय असुरोंकी सेनामें उसका संहार करते हुए सुशोभित होते थे, उसी प्रकार अभिमन्यु कौरव-सेनामें विचरता हुआ शोभा पा रहा था
sañjaya uvāca |
ādādānaṃ gajāśvānāṃ nṛṇāṃ cāyūṃṣi bhārata |
kṣaṇena bhūyaḥ paśyāmaḥ sūryaṃ madhyaṃdine yathā |
yathā purā vallīsuto 'surasainyeṣu vīryavān ||
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, we saw Abhimanyu in a moment once again blazing against the enemy host like the sun at midday—snatching away the very life-spans of elephants, horses, and men. Just as in ancient times the valiant son of Vallī (Kārttikeya) shone while destroying the armies of the Asuras, so too did Abhimanyu move through the Kaurava forces, radiant in battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of fearless valor and the stark reality of mortality in war: heroic brilliance is portrayed as sunlike power that ‘takes away lifespans,’ reminding the listener that battlefield glory and death are inseparable in the epic’s ethical world.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu, in a sudden surge, again scorches the enemy ranks—killing elephants, horses, and men—likened to the midday sun; he is further compared to Kārttikeya (son of Vallī) devastating Asura armies, emphasizing Abhimanyu’s overwhelming prowess within the Kaurava host.