Shloka 31
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 37: Sañjaya’s Account of Abhimanyu’s Precision Disruption of a Chariot Contingent
कर्णस्तं पञ्चविंशत्या नाराचानां समार्पयत् । अश्वत्थामा च विंशत्या कृतवर्मा च सप्तभि:,तब कर्णने पचीस, अश्व॒त्थामाने बीस तथा कृतवर्माने सात नाराचोंद्वारा अभिमन्युको गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
karṇas taṃ pañcaviṃśatyā nārācānāṃ samārpayat | aśvatthāmā ca viṃśatyā kṛtavarmā ca saptabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Karṇa le frappa de vingt-cinq flèches nārāca ; Aśvatthāmā de vingt ; et Kṛtavarmā de sept. Ainsi, dans l’étreinte du combat, Abhimanyu fut assailli d’un seul élan par de nombreux guerriers — image de l’élan implacable de la guerre, où la prouesse se mesure au cœur d’une violence concertée et écrasante plutôt que dans une joute équitable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can slide from regulated combat toward overwhelming, collective violence. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-dharma and battlefield ethics: valor is not only personal skill but also the moral frame within which force is used.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, Aśvatthāmā, and Kṛtavarmā simultaneously shower Abhimanyu with arrows—25, 20, and 7 respectively—intensifying the coordinated assault against him during the Kurukṣetra battle.