Shloka 16
मोहयित्वा कृपं द्रोणं द्रौणिं च सबूहदूबलम् | सैन्धवं च महेष्वासो व्यचरल्लघु सुष्ठ च,महाधनुर्धर अभिमन्यु कृपाचार्य, द्रोणाचार्य, अश्वत्थामा, बृहदबल और सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ--सबको मोहित करके सुन्दर और शीघ्र गतिसे सब ओर विचरता रहा
mohayitvā kṛpaṃ droṇaṃ drauṇiṃ ca sabṛhadbalam | saindhavaṃ ca maheṣvāso vyacaral laghu suṣṭhu ca ||
Sañjaya said: Having bewildered Kṛpa, Droṇa, Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā), and Bṛhadbala, and also the Sindhu king Jayadratha, the great archer moved about on all sides—swiftly and with striking grace. The verse highlights Abhimanyu’s extraordinary martial skill: he does not merely strike, but confounds seasoned elders and renowned warriors, revealing both the brilliance and the peril of youthful heroism amid a war where dharma is tested by strategy and force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how exceptional skill and presence of mind can momentarily overturn even formidable opposition; ethically, it also points to the tension in war where brilliance and duty operate within a destructive arena, testing the boundaries of righteous conduct (dharma) and strategic necessity.
Sañjaya describes Abhimanyu’s battlefield movement: he confounds senior Kaurava-side warriors—Kṛpa, Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā, Bṛhadbala, and Jayadratha—and then ranges swiftly in multiple directions, indicating dominance and agility in the ongoing combat.