Shloka 216
Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्
Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma
ननाद बलवतन्नादं सौभद्र: परवीरहा । तब शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्युने चित्रसेनके चारों घोड़ोंको मारकर नौ बाणोंसे उसके सारथिको भी नष्ट कर दिया। तत्पश्चात् बड़े जोरसे सिंहनाद किया
sañjaya uvāca | nanāda balavat tan-nādaṃ saubhadraḥ paravīrahā |
Dijo Sañjaya: Abhimanyu, hijo de Subhadrā—verdugo de héroes enemigos—lanzó un rugido poderoso. Tras abatir a los cuatro caballos de Citrasena y luego, con nueve flechas, destruir también a su auriga, dejó escapar después un grito recio, semejante al de un león.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Kṣatriya ideal of fearless engagement and decisive action in battle, while implicitly reminding the listener of war’s harsh ethical reality: victory is pursued through the destruction of men and means (horses, charioteer, chariot-force). It frames valor as duty-driven prowess, yet leaves the moral weight of violence visible.
Sanjaya describes Abhimanyu’s surge in combat: he kills Citraseṇa’s four horses, then with nine arrows kills the charioteer, and finally roars loudly like a lion—an assertion of dominance and a signal of continuing assault.