Shloka 21

अभिमन्यु-पराक्रमवर्णनम्

Abhimanyu’s Prowess and the Duḥśāsana Engagement

Devanagari script

मृदुर्भूत्वा महाराज दारुण: समपद्यत । वर्षाभ्यतीतो भगवाञ्छरदीव दिवाकर:,महाराज! जैसे वर्षाकाल बीतनेपर शरत्कालमें भगवान्‌ सूर्य प्रचण्ड हो उठते हैं, उसी प्रकार अभिमन्यु पहले मृदु होकर अन्तमें शत्रुओंके लिये अति उग्र हो उठा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | mṛdur bhūtvā mahārāja dāruṇaḥ samapadyata | varṣābhyatīto bhagavāñ śaradīva divākaraḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, d’abord il se fit doux, puis il devint farouche. De même que le soleil bienheureux, lorsque la saison des pluies s’est retirée, flamboie d’une ardeur tranchante en automne, ainsi Abhimanyu—doux de manières au début—se dressa enfin en force terrible contre ses ennemis.

Word by Word

मृदुःgentle, soft

भूत्वाhaving become

महाराजO great king

दारुणःfierce, terrible

समपद्यतbecame, turned into

वर्षाभ्यतीतःafter the rains have passed; the rainy season having elapsed

भगवान्the revered one (here: the Sun)

शरदिin autumn

इवlike, as

दिवाकरःthe Sun

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'mahārāja')

Divākara (the Sun)

Varṣā (rainy season)

Śarad (autumn)

Abhimanyu (contextual referent)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights controlled strength: gentleness is not weakness, and when dharma demands—especially in a kṣatriya context—one may shift from mildness to necessary fierceness. The seasonal simile suggests that intensity can be timely, purposeful, and situational rather than constant.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior’s change in battle-temperament: after initially appearing mild, he becomes formidable to his foes, compared to the sun that grows scorching in autumn after the monsoon has ended.