Shloka 143
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
रणमध्यादपोवाह सौभद्रशरपीडितम् | तब अभिमन्युके बाणोंसे पीड़ित एवं अचेत हुए दुःशासनको सारथि बड़ी उतावलीके साथ युद्धस्थलसे बाहर हटा ले गया
raṇamadhyād apovāha saubhadra-śara-pīḍitam | tadābhimanyu-ke bāṇaiḥ pīḍitam acetanaṁ duḥśāsanaṁ sārathiḥ baḍī utāvalī-ke sātha yuddhasthalāt bahiḥ haṭā le gayā |
Sanjaya berkata: “Dari tengah-tengah pertempuran, sais dengan tergesa-gesa membawa pergi Duhshasana yang tersiksa oleh panah-panah Saubhadra (Abhimanyu). Tertembus oleh anak panah Abhimanyu, Duhshasana telah tak sadarkan diri; maka kusirnya, dalam cemas, menariknya keluar dari medan laga.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid relentless warfare, conduct is shaped by immediate duty: when a warrior is rendered unconscious, the practical and ethical response is to remove him from danger. The verse highlights the charioteer’s responsibility to preserve life and withdraw an incapacitated combatant rather than pursue reckless continuation.
Abhimanyu (Saubhadra) strikes Duḥśāsana with arrows so severely that Duḥśāsana becomes senseless. Seeing this, Duḥśāsana’s charioteer quickly drives him out from the midst of the battle to safety.