Mahabharata 7.33.24 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 33, Shloka 24
Abhimanyu-śravaṇa-prastāva and Cakravyūha-vinyāsa
Prelude to Abhimanyu’s Account and the Wheel-Formation Deployment
बालमत्यन्तसुखिनं विचरन्तमभीतवत् | कृतास्त्रा बहवो जष्नुरब्रूहि गावल्गणे कथम्
bālam atyantasukhinaṃ vicarantam abhītavat | kṛtāstrā bahavo jaghnur abrūhi gāvalgaṇe katham, saṃjaya ||
Wahai Sañjaya, putra Gāvalgaṇa, katakanlah: bagaimana mungkin banyak kesatria yang mahir dalam ilmu senjata membunuh bocah yang begitu riang, yang bergerak di medan perang seakan tanpa takut?
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the moral shock of war: even youth, innocence, and apparent fearlessness offer no protection when conflict escalates. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s question highlights the ethical unease that arises when many skilled fighters converge to kill a single young combatant, prompting reflection on proportionality, compassion, and the tragic consequences of adharma-driven warfare.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of events on the battlefield, asks Saṃjaya to explain the circumstances of a boy’s death. He emphasizes the boy’s cheerful, fearless conduct in battle and wonders how numerous weapon-trained heroes were able to kill him, indicating astonishment and grief at the manner of the killing.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.