Shloka 20

अभिमन्युना दुःशासनस्य ताडनम्

Abhimanyu’s Rebuke and Wounding of Duḥśāsana; Karṇa’s Counter-volley

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तास्तु ते राज्ञा सात्वतीपुत्रमभ्ययु: । संरब्धास्ते जिघांसन्तो भारद्वाजस्य पश्यत:,राजा दुर्योधनके ऐसा कहनेपर सब वीर अत्यन्त कुपित हो सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्युको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे द्रोणाचार्यके देखते-देखते उसपर टूट पड़े

Transliteration

evam uktās tu te rājñā sātvatīputram abhyayuḥ | saṃrabdhās te jighāṃsanto bhāradvājasya paśyataḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Thus addressed by the king, those warriors rushed upon the son of Sātvati. Enraged and intent on killing him, they fell upon him even as Bhāradvāja (Droṇa) looked on—revealing how, in the heat of war, wrath and obedience to a ruler can eclipse restraint and righteous conduct.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• उक्ताः: having been spoken to / addressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• ते: they (those warriors)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राज्ञा: by the king
• राज्ञा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सात्वती-पुत्रम्: the son of Sātvati (Abhimanyu)
• सात्वती-पुत्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्वतीपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अभ्ययुः: rushed upon / attacked
• Type: Verb
• Root: या
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• संरब्धाः: enraged / agitated
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रभ्
• Form: क्त (past participle, used adjectivally), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जिघांसन्तः: wishing to kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle) with desiderative base, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भारद्वाजस्य: of Bhāradvāja (Droṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारद्वाज
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पश्यतः: while (he was) seeing / in the presence of
• पश्यतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Abhimanyu
• Sātvati (lineage reference)
• Bhāradvāja (Droṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger and the pressure of royal command can drive warriors toward excessive, collective violence, raising an ethical tension between battlefield duty and restraint (dharma) even under a leader’s orders.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the king’s words, the Kaurava warriors surge together against Abhimanyu, determined to kill him, doing so openly in Droṇa’s presence.