Shloka 13
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
ततः संस्थाप्य समरे तान्यनीकानि सर्वशः । अभिमन्युप्रभूतयस्ते द्वादश महारथा:,महाराज! तत्पश्चात् अपनी सेनाओंको सब प्रकारसे समरभूमिमें स्थापित करके भीमसेनके पद-चिह्लोंपर चलनेवाले उन अभिमन्यु आदि बारह महारथियोंने, जिन्हें धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने भेजा था, आपके महाबली पुत्रोंपर धावा किया
tataḥ saṃsthāpya samare tāny anīkāni sarvaśaḥ | abhimanyuprabhūtayas te dvādaśa mahārathāḥ, mahārāja! tatpaścāt apnī senāoṃko sab prakār se samarabhūmiṃ sthāpit karke bhīmasenake pada-cihnoṃ par calanevāle un abhimanyu ādi bārah mahārathiyoṃ ne, jinheṃ dharmarāja yudhiṣṭhir ne bhejā thā, āpke mahābalī putroṃ par dhāvā kiyā |
Sanjaya said: Then, having arrayed those divisions on every side in the field of battle, the twelve great chariot-warriors—led by Abhimanyu—who followed in the track of Bhimasena and had been dispatched by Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, thereafter charged upon your mighty sons. The narrative underscores disciplined deployment and delegated responsibility: warriors act not from private rage but under rightful command, directing their valor toward a defined military objective.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined kshatriya conduct: forces are first properly arrayed, then action is taken under legitimate command (Yudhishthira’s dispatch). Valor is framed as duty executed within order and responsibility, not as uncontrolled violence.
After positioning their battle-divisions, twelve elite Pandava chariot-warriors led by Abhimanyu—moving in Bhima’s wake and sent by Yudhishthira—launch a coordinated charge against Dhritarashtra’s powerful sons (the Kaurava princes).