Shloka 45
अभिमन्यु-परिवेष्टनम्
Encirclement and Counterassault of Abhimanyu
गोत्रनामभिरन्योन्यं क्रन्दन्तो जीवितैषिण: । हतान् पुत्रान् पितृन् भ्रातृन् बन्धून् सम्बन्धिनस्तथा,वे जीवनकी इच्छा रखकर अपने-अपने सगे-सम्बन्धियोंके गोत्र और नामका उच्चारण करके एक-दूसरेके लिये क्रन्दन कर रहे थे। उस समय आपके सैनिक इतने डर गये थे कि वहाँ मारे गये अपने पुत्रों, पितृतुल्य सम्बन्धियों, भाई-बन्धुओं तथा नातेदारोंको भी छोड़कर अपने घोड़ों और हाथियोंको उतावलीके साथ हाँकते हुए रणभूमिसे पलायन कर गये
sañjaya uvāca | gotranāmabhir anyonyaṁ krandanto jīvitaiṣiṇaḥ | hatān putrān pitṝn bhrātṝn bandhūn sambandhinas tathā ||
Sañjaya said: Longing to preserve their lives, they cried out to one another, calling each other by clan and personal names. In that terror and confusion, they lamented for their slain sons, fathers, brothers, kinsmen, and other relations—yet the scene also shows how fear in war can drive men to abandon even their dead and flee for safety.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological collapse that war can produce: even strong bonds of family and lineage become cries of desperation, and the instinct for survival can overpower customary duties toward the dead. It implicitly warns that adharma-driven conflict yields fear, grief, and the erosion of humane obligations.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment of panic and mourning: combatants call out to one another using clan and personal names, wailing for slain relatives—sons, fathers, brothers, and other kin—while trying to save their own lives amid the chaos.