Shloka 30
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
अथैनं विमुखीकृत्य पश्चात् प्रहरणं कुरु । सथनुष्को न शक््यो5यमपि जेतुं सुरासुरै:,“अभिमन्युको युद्धसे विमुख करके पीछे इसके ऊपर प्रहार करो, धनुष लिये रहनेपर तो इसे सम्पूर्ण देवता और असुर भी जीत नहीं सकते
athainaṁ vimukhīkṛtya paścāt praharaṇaṁ kuru | sadhanusko na śakyo ’yam api jetuṁ surāsuraiḥ ||
Sanjaya berkata: “Mula-mula buatlah ia berpaling—paksa ia menghadap ke arah lain—lalu hantam dari belakang. Selama busur masih di tangannya, bahkan para dewa dan asura pun takkan mampu menaklukkannya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between battlefield expediency and righteous conduct: when an opponent is invincible in fair, face-to-face combat, the temptation arises to use unfair advantage (attacking from behind). It implicitly contrasts heroic dharma-based fighting with tactics that compromise ethical ideals.
Sañjaya reports a tactical instruction: the warrior should be made to turn away and then struck from behind, because as long as he remains armed with his bow he is portrayed as virtually unconquerable—even by divine and demonic beings.