Shloka 19
अभिमन्युना दुःशासनस्य ताडनम्
Abhimanyu’s Rebuke and Wounding of Duḥśāsana; Karṇa’s Counter-volley
संरक्ष्यमाणो द्रोणेन मन्यते वीर्यमात्मन: । आत्मसम्भावितो मूढस्तं प्रमथ्नीत मा चिरम्,“यह द्रोणाचार्यसे रक्षित होनेके कारण अपने बल और पराक्रमपर अभिमान कर रहा है। यह मूर्ख अभिमन्यु आत्मश्लाघा करनेवाला है। तुम सब लोग मिलकर इसे शीघ्र ही मथ डालो”
saṃrakṣyamāṇo droṇena manyate vīryam ātmanaḥ | ātmasambhāvito mūḍhas taṃ pramathnīta mā ciram ||
Sañjaya said: “Protected by Droṇa, he imagines his own prowess to be supreme. That deluded Abhimanyu, swollen with self-regard—crush him quickly, without delay.” The line conveys the war-counsel of the Kaurava side: confidence born of protection is framed as arrogance, and the response urged is collective, immediate violence rather than fair contest.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how perceived protection can breed overconfidence, and how opponents may weaponize that perception to justify swift, collective force. Ethically, it exposes the rhetoric of war: labeling the other as ‘deluded’ and ‘self-conceited’ becomes a pretext for abandoning restraint and urging immediate elimination.
Sañjaya reports a Kaurava-side assessment of Abhimanyu: since Droṇa is guarding him, Abhimanyu is thought to be acting with heightened confidence. The speaker urges the warriors to unite and quickly overpower him, emphasizing urgency and coordinated attack.