Shloka 42
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
ततस्ते तावका: सर्वे मायया विमुखीकृता:,तब उस मायासे डरकर आपके सभी सैनिक युद्धसे विमुख हो गये। उन्होंने एक- दूसरेको तथा द्रोण, दुर्योधन, शल्य और अश्वत्थामाको भी इस प्रकार देखा--सब-के-सब छिन्न-भिन्न हो पृथ्वीपर गिरकर छटपटा रहे हैं और खूनसे लथपथ होकर दयनीय दशाको पहुँच गये हैं। कौरवोंमें जो महान् धनुर्धर एवं प्रधान वीर हैं, प्रायः वे सभी रथी विध्वंसको प्राप्त हो गये हैं। सब राजा मार गिराये गये हैं तथा हजारों घोड़े और घुड़सवार टुकड़े-टुकड़े होकर पड़े हैं
tatas te tāvakāḥ sarve māyayā vimukhīkṛtāḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Then all your men, thrown into confusion by that illusory power, turned away from the fight. In their terror they seemed to behold one another—and Droṇa, Duryodhana, Śalya, and Aśvatthāmā as well—in that dreadful state: shattered, fallen upon the earth, writhing, drenched in blood, and reduced to pitiable ruin. Among the Kauravas, the foremost great bowmen and leading heroes were, for the most part, brought to destruction as chariot-warriors; the kings were struck down, and thousands of horses and horsemen lay hacked to pieces.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores how māyā—delusion, panic, and distorted perception—can collapse courage and judgment in war, leading to moral and physical ruin. It highlights the ethical cost of violence: even the ‘foremost’ heroes become pitiable when the mind is overwhelmed and the body is broken.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava troops, affected by an illusory power, lose heart and recoil from battle. They perceive their leaders and comrades as grievously mutilated and bloodied, while many principal chariot-warriors, kings, horses, and cavalry have been cut down.