Shloka 33
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
अभिमन्यौ हते राजन् शिशुके<प्राप्तयौवने । सम्प्राद्रवच्चमू: सर्वा धर्मराजस्य पश्यत:,राजन! जो अभी युवावस्थाको प्राप्त नहीं हुआ था, उस बालक अभिमन्युके मारे जानेपर धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरके देखते-देखते उनकी सारी सेना भागने लगी
abhimanyau hate rājan śiśuke 'prāptayauvane | samprādravac camūḥ sarvā dharmarājasya paśyataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, when Abhimanyu—still a mere boy who had not yet reached full youth—was slain, the entire army, before the very eyes of Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, broke ranks and fled.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological cost of war: the killing of a young, valorous warrior can devastate collective morale and destabilize even a righteous side’s order. It also implies a leadership challenge—how a dhārmic leader must face shock and grief without letting the community dissolve into panic.
After Abhimanyu is killed, the Pāṇḍava forces, overwhelmed by grief and fear, lose cohesion and flee, and this rout happens in full view of Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja). Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.