Shloka 11
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
तस्योरस्तूर्णमासाद्य जन्रुदेशे विभिद्य तम्,वह बाण तुरंत ही उसके वक्ष:स्थलपर पहुँचकर उसके गलेकी हँसलीको विदीर्ण करता हुआ पंखसहित भीतर घुस गया, मानो कोई सर्प बाँबीमें समा गया हो। तत्पश्चात् अभिमन्युने दुःशासनको पचीस बाण और मारे
tasya uras tūrṇam āsādya grīvā-deśe vibhidya tam, sa bāṇaḥ patra-sahitaḥ antar eva praviśat, yathā sarpo valmīke samāviśet. tataḥ paścād abhimanyunā duḥśāsanaṃ pañcaviṃśatyā bāṇaiḥ punar api jaghāna.
Sanjaya berkata: Anak panah itu seketika menghantam dadanya dan, menembus bagian dekat tenggorokan pada tulang selangka, masuk ke dalam beserta bulu-bulunya—laksana ular menyusup ke dalam sarang semut. Setelah itu, Abhimanyu kembali memanahi Duhśāsana dengan dua puluh lima anak panah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising momentum of kshatriya warfare: once engaged, a warrior acts with speed and precision. Ethically, it reflects the Mahabharata’s tension between duty in battle and the grim reality of bodily harm—showing how dharma on the battlefield often appears as disciplined violence rather than gentle virtue.
Sanjaya describes a powerful arrow strike that penetrates deeply—so deep that even the feathered end disappears inside—using the simile of a serpent entering an anthill. Immediately afterward, Abhimanyu continues the assault by shooting Duhshasana with twenty-five more arrows.