Shloka 4
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 37: Sañjaya’s Account of Abhimanyu’s Precision Disruption of a Chariot Contingent
ततः कृतज्ञा बलिन: सुहदो जितकाशिन: । त्रास्यमाना भयाद् वीरं परिवद्रुस्तवात्मजम्,महाराज! तदनन्तर अस्त्र-शिक्षामें निपुण, बलवान, हितैषी और विजयशाली योद्धाओंने (रक्षाके लिये) आपके वीर पुत्रको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया; यद्यपि वे अभिमन्युके भयसे बहुत डरते थे
tataḥ kṛtajñā balinaḥ suhṛdo jitakāśinaḥ | trāsyamānā bhayād vīraṃ parivavrus tava ātmajam, mahārāja |
Sañjaya said: Thereafter, those warriors—grateful (for past favors), strong, well-disposed friends, and renowned for victory—though shaken with fear, surrounded your heroic son on all sides for his protection, O King, being greatly terrified of Abhimanyu. The scene underscores how loyalty and obligation can compel men to stand together even when fear threatens their courage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between fear and obligation: even when terrified, warriors bound by gratitude and friendship rally to protect their leader, showing how loyalty and duty can override personal dread.
After Abhimanyu’s fierce advance, allied warriors—though frightened—form a protective ring around Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (understood as Duryodhana), seeking to shield him from Abhimanyu’s threat.