Shloka 38
राधेयो निशितैर्बाणिव्यधमच्चर्म चोत्तमम्,राधानन्दन कर्णने अपने पैने बाणोंद्वारा उसके उत्तम ढालके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले। ढाल और तलवारसे वंचित हो जानेपर बाणोंसे भरे हुए शरीरवाला अभिमन्यु पुनः आकाशसे पृथ्वीपर उतर आया और चक्र हाथमें ले कुपित हो द्रोणाचार्ेुकी ओर दौड़ा
sañjaya uvāca | rādhēyo niśitair bāṇair vyadhamac carma cottamam | śastra-hīno ’tha bāṇaugha-cita-gātro ’bhimanyus tataḥ | punar ākāśāt pṛthivīm avatarad dhṛta-cakraḥ kupito droṇam abhyadravat ||
Sanjaya said: Karna, the son of Radha, with razor-sharp arrows, shattered Abhimanyu’s excellent shield. Deprived of shield and sword, Abhimanyu—his body bristling with arrows—descended again from the air to the earth. Seizing a wheel as a weapon, and burning with anger, he rushed toward Dronacharya. The scene underscores the brutal asymmetry of war: even when a young warrior is stripped of conventional arms, his resolve and kshatriya duty drive him to continue the fight with whatever lies at hand.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when conventional supports are taken away, steadfastness in one’s chosen duty can persist; however, the verse also invites reflection on the harsh ethics of war, where superior force can overwhelm a lone fighter and push him into desperate, improvised resistance.
Karna breaks Abhimanyu’s shield with sharp arrows. Wounded and weaponless, Abhimanyu comes down from the air to the ground, grabs a wheel as a makeshift weapon, and angrily charges toward Dronacharya.