Shloka 5
अभिमन्युना दुःशासनस्य ताडनम्
Abhimanyu’s Rebuke and Wounding of Duḥśāsana; Karṇa’s Counter-volley
द्रोणं कर्ण कृपं शल्यं द्रौ्णिं भोजं बृहदूबलम् । दुर्योधनं सौमदत्ति शकुनिं च महाबलम्,द्रोण, कर्ण, कृप, शल्य, अश्वत्थामा, भोजवंशी कृतवर्मा, बृहद्बल, दुर्योधन, भूरिश्रवा, महाबली शकुनि, अनेकानेक नरेश, राजकुमार तथा उनकी विविध प्रकारकी सेनाओंपर अभिमन्यु अलातचक्रकी भाँति चारों ओर घूमकर बाणोंका प्रहार कर रहा था
sañjaya uvāca |
droṇaṁ karṇaṁ kṛpaṁ śalyaṁ drauṇiṁ bhojaṁ bṛhadbalam |
duryodhanaṁ saumadattiṁ śakuniṁ ca mahābalam ||
Sañjaya said: Abhimanyu, whirling on every side like a blazing firebrand forming a circle, kept striking with his arrows at Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Śalya, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, the Bhoja warrior Kṛtavarmā, Bṛhadbala, Duryodhana, Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas), and the mighty Śakuni—indeed at many kings and princes and their varied divisions of troops. The scene underscores a stark ethical tension of war: a single youthful hero, hemmed in by renowned elders and commanders, fights with extraordinary valor amid an increasingly unequal and ruthless battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral strain of war: extraordinary personal valor can coexist with ethically troubling circumstances when many renowned elders and commanders converge against a single youthful fighter. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-dharma (courage and steadfastness) alongside the limits of fairness in battle.
Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu is rapidly circling and shooting arrows in all directions, attacking leading Kaurava warriors—Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Śalya, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛtavarmā, Bṛhadbala, Duryodhana, Bhūriśravas, and Śakuni—along with many other kings, princes, and their troops.