Shloka 14
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
चित्रसेनो विकर्णश्र॒ सैन्धवो5थ बृहदूबल: । आवलन्त्यौ च महेष्वासौ कौरवं पर्यवारयन्
citraseno vikarṇaś ca saindhavo 'tha bṛhadbalaḥ | āvalantyau ca maheṣvāsau kauravaṃ paryavārayan ||
Sañjaya said: Chitrasena, Vikarna, and Jayadratha of Sindhu, along with Bṛhadbala—and the two great bowmen, Āvalantya and Maheshvāsa—closed in around the Kaurava prince, forming a protective ring. In the press of battle, loyalty to one’s side expresses itself as disciplined defense and coordinated support, even as the larger conflict tests the bounds of righteous conduct.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield dharma as expressed through solidarity and protection of one’s leader: coordinated defense, courage, and steadfastness. It also implicitly frames how collective action in war can be efficient and disciplined, even while the epic continually questions whether every act in war remains righteous.
Sañjaya reports that several Kaurava-side warriors—Citrasena, Vikarna, Jayadratha, Bṛhadbala, and the two Avanti princes—encircle a Kaurava prince/warrior, forming a protective cordon amid the fighting.