Shloka 13
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
गदावेगेन महता व्यायामेन च मोहित:,गदाके उस महान् वेग और परिश्रमसे मोहित होकर शत्रुवीरोंका नाश करनेवाला अभिमन्यु अचेत हो पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा। राजन! इस प्रकार उस युद्धस्थलमें बहुत-से योद्धाओंने मिलकर एकाकी अभिमन्युको मार डाला
gadāvegena mahatā vyāyāmena ca mohitaḥ śatruvīranāśano 'bhimanyur acetāḥ pṛthivyāṁ nipapāta | rājan evaṁ tasmin yuddhasthale bahubhir yodhakaiḥ samāgatyaikākī abhiman yuḥ hataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Overwhelmed by the tremendous force of the mace-blows and exhausted by relentless exertion, Abhimanyu—destroyer of enemy heroes—lost consciousness and fell upon the earth. O King, thus on that battlefield, many warriors, joining together, slew Abhimanyu while he stood alone.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that can occur in war: when many attack and kill a lone, exhausted warrior, the outward 'victory' is stained by adharma. It frames Abhimanyu’s fall as both physical (fatigue and overpowering blows) and moral tragedy (unfair collective killing), foreshadowing escalating retaliation.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu, overwhelmed by powerful mace-strikes and exhaustion, loses consciousness and falls to the ground. In that vulnerable state on the battlefield, multiple warriors converge and kill him while he is alone.