Shloka 21
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 37: Sañjaya’s Account of Abhimanyu’s Precision Disruption of a Chariot Contingent
तब आपके सभी पुत्रोंने मिलकर अभिमन्युको त्रास देना आरम्भ किया, फिर तो वह क्रोधसे जल उठा और अपनी अस्त्र-शिक्षा तथा हृदयका महान् बल दिखाने लगा ।। गरुडानिलरंहोभिरययन्तुर्वाक्यकरैह्यै: । दान्तैरश्मकदायादस्त्वरमाणो हावारयत्
tataḥ sarve tava putrāḥ saṃhatā abhimanyum trāsayitum ārabdhāḥ; sa tu krodhena pradīptaḥ svāṃ astravidyāṃ hṛdayasya ca mahad balaṃ pradarśayām āsa. garuḍānilaraṃhobhir ayayantur vākyakaraiḥ; dāntair aśmakadāyādas tvaramāṇo hāvārayat.
Sañjaya said: Then all your sons together began to harry Abhimanyu. Enraged, he blazed up and displayed both his mastery of weapons and the great strength of his heart. Swift as Garuḍa and the wind, he pressed on, and—hastening—he checked the onrush of the Aśmaka prince (the heir of the Aśmakas). The scene underscores how coordinated aggression can provoke a righteous fury, and how courage and disciplined skill can momentarily restrain even a larger hostile force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts coordinated hostility with individual excellence: when many attack one, the ethical weight of the act is highlighted, while Abhimanyu’s response models disciplined valor—skill (astravidyā) guided by inner courage (hṛdaya-bala) that can restrain chaos even amid overwhelming odds.
Sañjaya reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons collectively begin to harass Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu, angered, fights with great speed and prowess, displaying his training and courage, and he checks the advance of the Aśmaka prince (the Aśmaka heir).