Shloka 21
उसके कवच, आभूषण, धनुष और बाणके जो-जो अवयव सुवर्णमय थे, केवल उन्हींको हम दूरसे देख पाते थे ।। त॑ तदा नाशकत् वक्रिच्चक्षुभ्यामभिवीक्षितुम् । आददानं शरैरयोधान् मध्ये सूर्यमिव स्थितम्,अभिमन्यु जिस समय बाणोंद्वारा योद्धाओंके प्राण ले रहा था और व्यूहके मध्यभागमें सूर्यके समान खड़ा था, उस समय कोई वीर उसकी ओर आँख उठाकर देखनेका साहस नहीं कर पाता था
taṁ tadā nāśakad vīraś cakṣurbhyām abhivīkṣitum | ādādānaṁ śarair yodhān madhye sūryam iva sthitam ||
Sañjaya said: At that time no warrior could even raise his eyes to look upon him. As Abhimanyu, standing in the very heart of the battle-array like the sun in mid-heaven, was taking the lives of fighters with his arrows, his splendor and prowess overwhelmed all who faced him—an image of heroic duty carried to its fearsome extreme amid the moral strain of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe-inspiring force of righteous martial excellence: when a warrior fully embodies kṣatriya-dharma—courage, skill, and resolve—his presence can morally and psychologically dominate the battlefield. At the same time, it implicitly points to the tragic ethical pressure of war, where brilliance is inseparable from lethal consequence.
Sañjaya describes Abhimanyu in the thick of the enemy formation, striking down warriors with his arrows. Abhimanyu stands at the center like the sun, and opposing heroes are so overawed that they cannot even look at him directly.