Shloka 1
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
अत---#क+ चत्वारिशो<5 ध्याय: अभिमन्युके द्वारा द:ःशासन और कर्णकी पराजय संजय उवाच (तत: समभवद् युद्ध तयो: पुरुषसिंहयो: । तस्मिन् काले महाबाहु: सौभद्र: परवीरहा ।। सशरं कार्मुकं छित्त्वा लाघवेन व्यपातयत् । दुःशासनं शरैघोरै: संततक्ष समन्तत: ।।) संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर उन दोनों पुरुषसिंहोंमें घोर युद्ध होने लगा। उस समय शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले महाबाहु सुभद्राकुमारने बड़ी फुर्तीके साथ दुःशासनके बाणसहित धनुषको काट गिराया और उसे अपने भयंकर बाणोंद्वारा सब ओरसे क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया ।। शरविक्षतगात्र तु प्रत्यमित्रमवस्थितम् । अभिमन्यु: स्मयन् धीमान् दुःशासनमथाब्रवीत्,इसके बाद बुद्धिमान् अभिमन्यु किंचित् मुसकराकर सामने विपक्षमें खड़े हुए दुःशासनसे, जिसका शरीर बाणोंसे अत्यन्त घायल हो गया था, इस प्रकार कहा--
sañjaya uvāca | tataḥ samabhavad yuddhaṃ tayoḥ puruṣasiṃhayoḥ | tasmin kāle mahābāhuḥ saubhadraḥ paravīrahā || saśaraṃ kārmukaṃ chittvā lāghavena vyapātayat | duḥśāsanaṃ śarair ghoraiḥ saṃtatakṣa samantataḥ || śaravikṣatagātraṃ tu pratyamitrām avasthitam | abhimanyuḥ smayan dhīmān duḥśāsanam athābravīt ||
Sañjaya said: Then a fierce battle arose between those two lion-like warriors. At that time the mighty-armed son of Subhadrā—slayer of enemy heroes—swiftly cut down Duḥśāsana’s bow along with its arrows and cast it away. With dreadful shafts he struck Duḥśāsana from every side, mangling his limbs. Seeing his opponent standing before him, his body torn by arrows, the wise Abhimanyu smiled slightly and then addressed Duḥśāsana. The passage highlights the warrior’s discipline and skill in combat, while also hinting at the ethical tension of war: prowess and restraint coexist with the grim reality of wounding an enemy.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma in action: disciplined courage, mastery of weapons, and tactical decisiveness. At the same time, it implicitly raises the ethical weight of war—victory is achieved through injury, and even a ‘wise’ warrior must act within a violent field of duty.
Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu and Duḥśāsana engage in a fierce duel. Abhimanyu swiftly cuts down Duḥśāsana’s bow and then wounds him from all sides with arrows; seeing Duḥśāsana still standing though badly hurt, Abhimanyu smiles slightly and begins to speak to him.