Shloka 413

Devanagari script

अधर्मेण तथा बाल: सौभद्रो विनिपातित: । शत्रुओंने अधर्मसे ही छलकर मद्रराज शल्यको अपने पक्षमें खींच लिया और सुभद्राके बालक पुत्र अभिमन्युको भी अधर्मसे ही मार डाला था

Transliteration

adharmeṇa tathā bālaḥ saubhadro vinipātitaḥ |

Translation

Dhrishtadyumna said: “And in the same unrighteous manner, the young son of Subhadrā—still a mere boy—was struck down.” The statement condemns the killing as a breach of dharma, emphasizing the moral outrage at a youth being slain through adharma in the chaos of war.

Word by Word

अधर्मेणby unrighteousness / unjustly

तथाthus, likewise

बालःthe boy / young one

सौभद्रःthe son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu)

विनिपातितःwas struck down / was slain

Speaker

धृष्टह्युम्न उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛṣṭadyumna

Abhimanyu (Saubhadra)

Subhadrā

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, dharma sets limits: killing a young warrior through unfair or unrighteous means is condemned as adharma, and such acts stain the moral legitimacy of victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛṣṭadyumna laments and denounces the manner of Abhimanyu’s death, describing him as a young Saubhadra who was brought down through adharma, highlighting the perceived injustice of the act.