Shloka 25
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
सुभद्राया: प्रियं पुत्र द्रौपद्या: केशवस्य च । अम्बायाश्ष प्रियं नित्यं कोडवधीत् कालमोहित:,“सुभद्रा और द्रौपदीके प्यारे पुत्र अभिमन्युको, जो श्रीकृष्ण और माता कुन्तीका सदा दुलारा रहा है, किसने कालसे मोहित होकर मारा है?
Subhadrāyāḥ priyaṃ putra Draupadyāḥ Keśavasya ca | Ambāyāś ca priyaṃ nityaṃ ko ’vadhīt kālamohitaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: “Who, deluded by the power of Time, has slain that beloved son of Subhadrā—dear also to Draupadī and to Keśava—who was ever cherished by his mother (Kuntī)?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Abhimanyu’s death through the lens of kāla (Time/fate), highlighting how even the most beloved and virtuous can be overcome by the inexorable course of events, and inviting reflection on the limits of human agency amid war and dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra with anguish, asking who killed Abhimanyu—Subhadrā’s son, dear to Draupadī and Kṛṣṇa, and cherished by Kuntī—thus introducing or emphasizing the tragic news of Abhimanyu’s slaying in the Kurukṣetra war.