Shloka 8
अभिमन्योरावरणम्
Encirclement and counter-strikes of Abhimanyu
एकस्तु सुखसंवृद्धो बाल्याद् दर्पाच्च निर्भय: । इष्वस्त्रविन्महातेजा लक्ष्मणो5<र्जुनिमभ्ययात्,उस समय सुखमें पला हुआ, थरनुर्वेदका ज्ञाता, एकमात्र महातेजस्वी लक्ष्मण अपने बालस्वभाव तथा अभिमानके कारण निर्भय हो अभिमन्युके सामने आ गया
ekaḥ tu sukha-saṁvṛddho bālyād darpāc ca nirbhayaḥ | iṣv-astravin mahā-tejā lakṣmaṇo ’rjunim abhyayāt ||
Sañjaya said: Then Lakṣmaṇa—reared in comfort, fearless due to childish impetuosity and pride, skilled in archery and radiant with great prowess—advanced to confront Abhimanyu. The verse underscores how ease, youthfulness, and arrogance can breed rash fearlessness on the battlefield, setting the stage for a perilous encounter driven more by ego than discernment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological point: comfort and privilege, when joined with youthful immaturity and pride, can produce reckless fearlessness. In dharmic terms, valor without discernment (viveka) easily turns into ego-driven action, which is ethically precarious and often strategically unsound.
Sañjaya narrates that Lakṣmaṇa, a formidable archer, steps forward alone and advances to face Abhimanyu. The line frames Lakṣmaṇa’s approach as driven by boyishness and pride, foreshadowing a direct clash with the Arjuna-like warrior Abhimanyu.