Shloka 9
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
तस्य दौ:शासनिर्विद्ध्वा चतुर्भिश्नतुरों हयान् । सूतमेकेन विव्याध दशभिश्चार्जुनात्मजम्,तब दुःशासनकुमारने चार बाणोंद्वारा अभिमन्युके चारों घोड़ोंको घायल करके एकसे सारथिको और दस बाणोंद्वारा स्वयं अभिमन्युको बींध डाला
tasya dauḥśāsanir viddhvā caturbhiś caturaḥ hayān | sūtam ekena vivyādha daśabhiś cārjunātmajam ||
Sañjaya said: Then the son of Duḥśāsana, having struck him, wounded the four horses with four arrows; with a single arrow he pierced the charioteer, and with ten arrows he pierced Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, technical mastery and relentless aggression can be directed even against a young hero; it invites reflection on kshatriya-duty versus the ethical limits of combat, especially when multiple warriors target a single opponent.
Duḥśāsana’s son attacks Abhimanyu: he wounds the four horses with four arrows, pierces the charioteer with one arrow, and then strikes Abhimanyu himself with ten arrows, intensifying the pressure on Abhimanyu’s chariot in the ongoing battle.