Shloka 21
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 45: Saubhadra–Lakṣmaṇa-saṃyoga and Kaurava Counter-Encirclement
स गाढविद्ध: क्रुद्धश्न तोत्रैर्गज इवार्दित: । गान्धर्वमस्त्रमायच्छद् रथमायां च भारत,भारत! बाणोंसे गहरी चोट खाकर अभिमन्यु अंकुशसे पीड़ित हुए गजराजकी भाँति कुपित हो उठा। उसने गान्धर्वास्त्रका प्रयोग किया और रथमाया (रथयुद्धकी शिक्षामें निपुणता) प्रकट की
sa gāḍhaviddaḥ kruddhaś ca totrair gaja ivārditaḥ | gāndharvam astram āyacchad rathamāyāṃ ca bhārata ||
Wahai Bharata! Dihujani derasnya anak panah hingga terluka dalam, Abhimanyu menyala dalam murka laksana raja gajah yang tersiksa oleh penggiring. Lalu ia menggerakkan Senjata Gandharva dan menampakkan ratha-māyā—kelincahan menipu dalam perang kereta—sebagai balasan yang dahsyat di tengah hiruk-pikuk laga.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense injury and pressure can provoke wrath, yet a warrior’s response is shaped by training: Abhimanyu channels anger into disciplined technique (astra and ratha-māyā). Ethically, it points to the tension in kṣatriya life between inner passions and the duty to act with skill and resolve in battle.
Abhimanyu, badly wounded by arrows, becomes enraged. Sañjaya reports that he retaliates by deploying the Gāndharva weapon and by exhibiting sophisticated chariot-combat maneuvers (ratha-māyā), intensifying the fight through both force and tactical artistry.