Shloka 17
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
सर्व एनं विमथ्नीम: पुरैकैकं हिनस्ति नः । अथाब्रवीत् पुनद्रोणं कर्णो वैकर्तनो रणे,“राजन! यह एक-एकके साथ युद्ध करके हमें मारे, इसके पहले ही हम सब लोग मिलकर इस अभिमन्युको मथ डालें।” तदनन्तर विकर्तनपुत्र कर्णने रणक्षेत्रमें पुनः द्रोणाचार्यसे पूछा--
sañjaya uvāca | sarva enaṃ vimathnīmaḥ purā ekaikaṃ hinasti naḥ | athābravīt punaḥ droṇaṃ karṇo vaikartano raṇe |
Sañjaya said: “Before this warrior slays us one by one while fighting each of us in turn, let all of us together crush Abhimanyu.” After saying this, Karṇa, the son of Vikartana, again addressed Droṇācārya on the battlefield—revealing the Kauravas’ shift from single combat to collective force, driven by fear of Abhimanyu’s prowess and the moral tension between accepted rules of war and expedient survival.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain of war: when a single heroic fighter threatens many, fear can push warriors from ideals of fair combat toward collective, expedient violence—raising questions about dharma versus survival-driven strategy.
The Kaurava side, seeing Abhimanyu defeating them one by one, resolves to attack him together. Immediately after this decision, Karṇa again addresses Droṇa on the battlefield, indicating coordination with the commander amid the crisis.