Shloka 1

अभिमन्योरावरणम्

Encirclement and counter-strikes of Abhimanyu

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट्र बोले--सूत! जैसा कि तुम बता रहे हो, अकेले महामना अभिमन्युका बहुत- से योद्धाओंके साथ अत्यन्त भयंकर संग्राम हुआ और उसमें विजय भी उसीकी हुई-- सुभद्राकुमारका यह पराक्रम आश्चर्यजनक है। उसपर सहसा विश्वास नहीं होता; परंतु जिन लोगोंका धर्म ही आश्रय है, उनके लिये यह कोई अत्यन्त अद्भुत बात नहीं है

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—sūta! yathā tvaṁ bravīṣi, ekenaiva mahāmanābhimanyunā bahubhir yoddhaiḥ saha atyanta-bhayaṅkaraḥ saṅgrāmo 'bhavat, tasmin vijayo 'pi tasyaiva—subhadrā-kumārasya idaṁ parākramaḥ āścaryajanakaḥ. tatra sahasā viśvāso na jāyate; kintu yeṣāṁ dharma eva āśrayaḥ, teṣāṁ etad na atīva adbhutam.

Translation

Dhritarashtra said: “O Suta! As you describe it, the high-souled Abhimanyu, though alone, fought a most dreadful battle against many warriors—and victory was his. This valor of Subhadra’s son is astonishing. It is hard to believe at first; yet for those whose refuge is Dharma itself, such a feat is not truly extraordinary.”

Word by Word

• {'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca': 'Dhritarashtra said', 'sūta': 'charioteer-bard

• here, the narrator (Sanjaya) addressed respectfully', 'yathā tvaṁ bravīṣi': 'as you say / as you report', 'ekena': 'by one (alone)', 'mahāmanā': 'great-souled, noble-minded', 'abhimanyu': 'Abhimanyu (son of Arjuna and Subhadra)', 'bahubhiḥ yoddhaiḥ saha': 'together with many warriors / against many warriors', 'atyanta-bhayaṅkara': 'exceedingly terrifying', 'saṅgrāma': 'battle, armed conflict', 'vijaya': 'victory', 'subhadrā-kumāra': 'Subhadra’s son (Abhimanyu)', 'parākrama': 'heroic prowess, valor', 'āścaryajanaka': 'wonder-causing, astonishing', 'sahasā': 'suddenly, at first glance', 'viśvāsa': 'belief, trust', 'dharma': 'righteous order

• moral law', 'āśraya': 'refuge, support, reliance', 'adbhuta': 'marvelous, extraordinary'}

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhritarashtra
• Suta (Sanjaya)
• Abhimanyu
• Subhadra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Extraordinary success in perilous circumstances is presented as natural for one grounded in Dharma; moral steadfastness becomes a source of strength that makes the ‘marvelous’ credible.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhritarashtra reacts to the report that Abhimanyu, fighting alone against many, achieved victory; he expresses disbelief at first, then concedes that such prowess is fitting for those who rely on Dharma.