Shloka 7
सैन्धवस्य महाराज पुत्रो राजा जयद्रथ: । स पुत्रगृद्धिन: पार्थान् सहसैन्यानवारयत्,अभ्यद्रवन् परीप्सन्तो व्यूढानीका: प्रहारिण: । संजयने कहा--राजन! युधिष्ठिर, भीमसेन, शिखण्डी, सात्यकि, नकुल-सहदेव, धष्टद्युम्न, विराट, द्रपद, केकय-राजकुमार, रोषमें भरा हुआ धृष्टकेतु तथा मत्स्यदेशीय योद्धा --ये सब-के-सब युद्धस्थलमें आगे बढ़े। अभिमन्युके ताऊ, चाचा तथा मामागण अपनी सेनाको व्यूहद्वारा संगठित करके प्रहार करनेके लिये उद्यत हो अभिमन्युकी रक्षाके लिये उसीके बनाये हुए मार्गसे व्यूहमें जानेके उद्देश्यसे एक साथ दौड़ पड़े महाराज! सिंधुनरेशके पुत्र राजा जयद्रथने अपने पुत्रको बचानेकी इच्छा रखनेवाले कुन्तीकुमारोंकोी सेनासहित आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया
saindhavasya mahārāja putro rājā jayadrathaḥ | sa putragṛddhinaḥ pārthān saha-sainyān avārayat |
Sanjaya said: O great king, Jayadratha, ruler and son of the king of Sindhu, checked the sons of Pṛthā along with their forces. Urgently anxious for Abhimanyu’s safety, the Pāṇḍavas surged forward to break into the enemy formation; yet Jayadratha stood as a blocking barrier, turning the struggle into a test of resolve, duty to kin, and the harsh ethics of war—where guarding one’s own side often means denying another’s righteous aim.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: one side’s dharma of protecting its own (rushing to safeguard Abhimanyu) meets the other side’s dharma of resisting and defending its formation. It shows how duty, loyalty, and strategy collide, and how moral intention does not remove the harsh consequences of battle.
As the Pāṇḍavas surge forward with their troops to advance (in the context of the vyūha/chakravyūha episode), Jayadratha—king of Sindhu—steps in and prevents them from moving ahead, effectively blocking their attempt to reach and protect Abhimanyu.