Shloka 15
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
क्षोभयित्वा चमूं सर्वां नलिनीमिव कुञ्जर: । अशोभत हतो वीरो व्याधैर्वनगजो यथा,जैसे हाथी कभी सरोवरको मथ डालता है, उसी प्रकार सारी सेनाको क्षुब्ध करके व्याधोंके द्वारा जंगली हाथीकी भाँति मारा गया वीर अभिमन्यु वहाँ अद्भुत शोभा पा रहा था
kṣobhayitvā camūṃ sarvāṃ nalinīm iva kuñjaraḥ | aśobhat hato vīro vyādhair vanagajo yathā ||
Sañjaya said: Having churned and thrown the entire army into turmoil—like an elephant stirring up a lotus-filled lake—the heroic Abhimanyu, though slain, still shone there with a strange, awe-inspiring splendor, like a wild elephant brought down by hunters.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights heroic steadfastness: even when a righteous warrior is overwhelmed by many and falls, his moral and martial radiance can remain undiminished. It also implicitly critiques the imbalance of force—likening Abhimanyu’s fall to a powerful wild elephant felled by hunters—suggesting that greatness can be destroyed by coordinated, unequal means, yet its dignity still shines.
Sañjaya describes Abhimanyu after his fierce assault: he had shaken the entire opposing host, like an elephant churning a lotus-pond. Though killed, he appears splendid on the battlefield, compared to a wild elephant brought down by hunters—an image emphasizing both his power and the manner of his defeat.