Adhyaya 47

Verse 1

/ नी ्राय्ण ह्यु # 5: सप्तचत्वारिशो<्ध्याय: अभिमन्युका पराक्रम, छ: महारथियोंके साथ घोर युद्ध और उसके द्वारा वन्दारक तथा दस हजार अन्य राजाओंके सहित कोसलनरेश बृहद्धलका वध धृतराष्ट्र रवाच तथा प्रविष्टं तरुणं सौभद्रमपराजितम्‌ । कुलानुरूपं कुर्वाणं संग्रामेष्वपलायिनम्‌

Verse 2

आजानेयै: सुबलिभिरययन्तमश्रैस्त्रिहायनै: । प्लवमानमिवाकाशे के शूरा: समवारयन्‌

Sañjaya said: “Which heroes checked him as he advanced—drawn by powerful, well-bred horses, three years old—so that he seemed to be gliding through the sky?” The line heightens the epic’s war-imagery: martial excellence and speed are admired, yet the question also frames the ethical tension of battle—valor is measured not only by striking, but by the capacity to restrain a formidable foe.

Verse 3

धृतराष्ट्र बोले--संजय! कभी पराजित न होनेवाला तथा युद्धमें पीठ न दिखानेवाला तरुण, सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्यु जब इस प्रकार जयद्रथकी सेनामें प्रवेश करके अपने कुलके अनुरूप पराक्रम प्रकट कर रहा था और तीन वर्षकी अवस्थावाले अच्छी जातिके बलवान्‌ घोड़ोंद्वारा मानो आकाशमें तैरता हुआ आक्रमण करता था, उस समय किन शूरवीरोंने उसे रोका था? ।। संजय उवाच अभिमन्यु: प्रविश्यैतांस्तावकान्‌ निशितै: शरै: । अकरोत्‌ पार्थिवान्‌ सर्वान्‌ विमुखान्‌ पाण्डुनन्दन:,संजयने कहा--राजन्‌! पाण्डुकुलनन्दन अभिमन्युने उस सेनामें प्रविष्ट होकर आपके इन सभी राजाओंको अपने तीखे बाणोंद्वारा युद्धसे विमुख कर दिया

Sañjaya said: O King, Pāṇḍu’s son Abhimanyu, having entered your host, with his razor-sharp arrows turned all those kings away from the fight—driving them back and breaking their resolve. The verse underscores how youthful valor, when aligned with one’s duty as a warrior, can momentarily overwhelm even a gathered coalition, while also foreshadowing the moral tension of a lone hero pressing into a hostile formation.

Verse 4

तं तु द्रोण: कृप: कर्णो द्रौणिश्व स बृहद्धलः । कृतवर्मा च हार्दिक्य: षड्‌ रथा: पर्यवारयन्‌,तब द्रोणाचार्य, कृपाचार्य, कर्ण, अश्वत्थामा, बृहद्बल और हृदिकपुत्र कृतवर्मा--इन छ: महारथियोंने उसे चारों ओरसे घेर लिया

Sañjaya said: But him—Droṇa, Kṛpa, Karṇa, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, that mighty Bṛhaddhala, and Kṛtavarmā the son of Hṛdīka—those six chariot-warriors surrounded on every side. The scene underscores how, in the press of war, a single target is met not by one rival alone but by a coordinated ring of renowned fighters, raising the ethical tension between valor in single combat and the expediency of collective encirclement.

Verse 5

दृष्टवा तु सैन्धवे भारमतिमात्रं समाहितम्‌ । सैन्यं तव महाराज युधिष्ठिरमुपाद्रवत्‌,महाराज! सिंधुराज जयद्रथपर बहुत भार आया देख आपकी सेनाने राजा युधिष्ठिरपर धावा किया

Sañjaya said: Seeing that the Sindhu-king (Jayadratha) had gathered an excessive weight of resolve and force, your army, O great king, surged forward to assail Yudhiṣṭhira. The verse underscores how concentrated determination in a key warrior can embolden an entire host to press an attack, intensifying the moral strain of war where strategy and ambition often eclipse restraint.

Verse 6

सौभद्रमितरे वीरमभ्यवर्षन्‌ शराम्बुभि: । तालमात्राणि चापानि विकर्षन्तो महाबला:,तथा कुछ अन्य महाबली योद्धाओंने अपने चार हाथके धनुष खींचते हुए वहाँ सुभद्राकुमार वीर अभिमन्युपर बाणरूपी जलकी वर्षा प्रारम्भ कर दी

Sañjaya said: Then the other mighty warriors, drawing their bows to the full span, began to shower the heroic son of Subhadrā—Abhimanyu—with a rain of arrows, as if with torrents of water. The scene underscores the harsh ethics of battlefield pressure, where many seek to overwhelm a single valiant fighter through concentrated force.

Verse 7

तांस्तु सर्वान्‌ महेष्वासान्‌ सर्वविद्यासु निष्ठितान्‌ व्यष्टम्भयद्‌ रणे बाणै: सौभद्र: परवीरहा,परंतु शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले अभिमन्युने सम्पूर्ण विद्याओंमें प्रवीण उन समस्त महाधनुर्धरोंको रणक्षेत्रमें अपने बाणोंद्वारा स्तब्ध कर दिया

Sañjaya said: Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā—renowned as a slayer of enemy champions—checked and stunned in battle all those great bowmen, men firmly trained in every martial discipline, by means of his arrows. The verse highlights disciplined mastery used in war to restrain formidable opponents, while underscoring the grim ethical weight of prowess directed toward destruction.

Verse 8

द्रोणं पजचाशताविध्यद्‌ विंशत्या च बृहद्धलम्‌ । अशीत्या कृतवर्माणं कृप॑ षष्ट्या शिलीमुखै:

Sañjaya said: He struck Droṇa with fifty arrows, and Bṛhaddhala with twenty; Kṛtavarmā with eighty; and Kṛpa with sixty sharp shafts. The report underscores the relentless arithmetic of battle—skill and resolve expressed through measured force—while reminding the listener that even the greatest warriors are subject to the impersonal momentum of war.

Verse 9

रुक्मपुड्खैर्महावेगैराकर्णसमचोदितै: । अविध्यद्‌ दशभिर्बाणैरश्वत्थामानमार्जुनि:

Sañjaya said: Arjuna, drawing his bowstring back to the ear, drove forth ten swift arrows with golden fletching and struck Aśvatthāmā. The scene underscores disciplined martial skill directed toward a formidable foe amid the relentless demands of righteous war.

Verse 10

अर्जुनकुमार अभिमन्युने द्रोणको पचास, बृहद्धलको बीस, कृतवर्माको अस्सी, कृपाचार्यको साठ और अअभश्वत्थामाको कानतक खींचकर छोड़े हुए स्वर्णमय पंखयुक्त, महावेगशाली दस बाणोंद्वारा घायल कर दिया ।। स कर्ण कर्णिना कर्णे पीतेन च शितेन च । फाल्गुनिर्दविषतां मध्ये विव्याध परमेषुणा,अर्जुनकुमारने शत्रुओंके मध्यमें खड़े हुए कर्णके कानमें पानीदार पैने और उत्तम बाणद्वारा गहरी चोट पहुँचायी

Sañjaya said: Standing amid the enemy host, Karṇa was struck by Phālguni’s supreme arrow—brightly gleaming and razor-sharp—which pierced his ear. In the relentless ethics of battle, the narration underscores both Abhimanyu’s disciplined precision and the grim inevitability of harm when warriors, bound by their vows, pursue victory through martial skill.

Verse 11

पातयित्वा कृपस्याशभ्चांस्तथो भौ पार्ष्णिसारथी । अथैनं दशभिर्बाणै: प्रत्यविध्यत्‌ स्तनान्तरे

Sañjaya said: Having first brought down the horses of Kṛpa, the charioteer of Pārṣṇi then struck him in return with ten arrows, piercing him in the region of the chest. The episode underscores the grim reciprocity of battlefield conduct—skill and duty expressed through measured retaliation rather than personal malice, even as violence escalates within the constraints of warrior codes.

Verse 12

कृपाचार्यके चारों घोड़ों तथा उनके दो पार्श्वरक्षकोंको धराशायी करके छातीमें दस बाणोंद्वारा प्रहार किया ।। ततो वृन्दारकं वीरं कुरूणां कीर्तिवर्धनम्‌ । पुत्राणां तव वीराणां पश्यतामवधीद्‌ बली,तदनन्तर बलवान्‌ अभिमन्युने कुरुकुलकी कीर्ति बढ़ानेवाले वीर वृन्दारकको आपके वीर पुत्रोंके देखते-देखते मार डाला

Sanjaya said: Then the mighty Abhimanyu slew the heroic Vrindaraka—an enhancer of the Kurus’ fame—while your valiant sons looked on. The episode underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where personal valor and clan-glory are pursued even as death unfolds before one’s own kin, testing resolve, loyalty, and the warrior code.

Verse 13

त॑ द्रौणि: पञ्चविंशत्या क्षुद्रकाणां समार्पयत्‌ । वरं वरममित्राणामारुजन्तमभीतवत्‌

Sañjaya said: Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) handed him over to twenty-five of the lesser warriors, as he—fearlessly—kept breaking through the enemy ranks again and again. The scene underscores the brutal arithmetic of war: when a formidable fighter cannot be checked by equals, he is met by numbers, and courage is tested amid relentless, repeated assaults.

Verse 14

तब शत्रुदलके प्रधान-प्रधान वीरोंका बेखटके वध करते हुए अभिमन्युको अश्वत्थामाने पचीस बाण मारे ।। सतु बाणै: शितैस्तूर्ण प्रत्यविध्यत मारिष । पश्यतां धार्तराष्ट्राणाम श्वत्थामानमार्जुनि:

Sañjaya said: Then Arjuni (Abhimanyu), swiftly countering Aśvatthāmā with sharp arrows, struck him in return—right before the eyes of the Kaurava warriors. The scene underscores the relentless reciprocity of battle: valor answers valor, and in the press of war even the foremost heroes become targets as duty to one’s side hardens into uncompromising action.

Verse 15

आर्य! अर्जुनकुमारने भी आपके पुत्रोंके देखते-देखते तुरंत ही अश्व॒त्थामाको पैने बाणोंद्वारा बींध डाला ।। षष्ट्या शराणां त॑ द्रौणिस्तिग्मधारै: सुतेजनै: । उग्रै्नाकम्पयद्‌ विद्ध्वा मैनाकमिव पर्वतम्‌,तब द्रोणपुत्रने तीखी धारवाले तेज और भयंकर साठ बाणोंद्वारा अभिमन्युको बींध डाला; परंतु बींधकर भी वह मैनाक पर्वतके समान स्थित अभिमन्युको कम्पित न कर सका

Sañjaya said: Then Droṇa’s son, Aśvatthāmā, pierced Abhimanyu with sixty arrows—keen-edged, brilliantly sharp, and fierce. Yet even after being struck, Abhimanyu did not waver; he stood unmoved like Mount Maināka. The scene underscores the warrior’s steadfastness under assault and the grim escalation of violence on the battlefield.

Verse 16

स तु द्रौणिं त्रिसप्तत्या हेमपुड्खैरजिद्ागै: । प्रत्यविध्यन्महातेजा बलवानपकारिणम्‌,महातेजस्वी बलवान्‌ अभिमन्युने सुवर्णमय पंखसे युक्त तिहत्तर बाणोंद्वारा अपने अपकारी अभश्र॒ृत्थामाको पुन: घायल कर दिया

Sañjaya said: Then that mighty and powerful warrior pierced Droṇa’s son again with seventy-three arrows whose shafts were fitted with golden feathers, striking down the offender who had done him harm. In the harsh ethic of battle, the act is presented as a forceful, retaliatory counterstroke—answering injury with injury amid the escalating violence of the war.

Verse 17

तस्मिन्‌ द्रोणो बाणशतं पुत्रगृद्धी न्यपातयत्‌ | अश्वत्थामा तथाष्टौ च परीप्सन्‌ पितरं रणे,तब अपने पुत्रके प्रति स्नेह रखनेवाले द्रोणाचार्यने अभिमन्युको सौ बाण मारे। साथ ही अश्वत्थामाने भी अपने पिताकी रक्षा करते हुए रणक्षेत्रमें उसपर आठ बाण चलाये

Sañjaya said: At that moment Droṇa, driven by intense attachment to his son, showered Abhimanyu with a hundred arrows. Aśvatthāmā too, seeking to protect his father in the battle, struck him with eight arrows. The scene shows how personal affection and filial duty operate amid the harsh necessities of war, where protection and aggression become intertwined.

Verse 18

कर्णो द्वाविंशतिं भल्लान्‌ कृतवर्मा च विंशतिम्‌ । बृहद्बलस्तु पञ्चाशत्‌ कृप: शारद्वतो दश,तत्पश्चात्‌ कर्णने बाईस, कृतवर्मने बीस, बृहदबलने पचास तथा शरद्वानके पुत्र कृपाचार्यने अभिमन्युको दस भल्ल मारे

Sañjaya said: Karṇa struck down twenty-two sharp arrows; Kṛtavarmā, twenty; Bṛhadbala, fifty; and Kṛpa, the son of Śaradvat, ten. Thus, in the press of battle, Abhimanyu was assailed by many warriors at once, each counting his own volleys—an image of concentrated force and the harsh, ethically fraught reality of war where a lone hero is overwhelmed by coordinated attacks.

Verse 19

तांस्तु प्रत्यवधीत्‌ सर्वान्‌ दशभिर्दशभि: शरै: । तैर््मान: सौभद्र: सर्वतो निशितै: शरै:,उन सबके चलाये हुए तीखे बाणोंद्वारा सब ओरसे पीड़ित हुए सुभद्राकुमारने उन सभीको दस-दस बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया

Sañjaya said: Though assailed on every side by their sharp arrows, the son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu) struck them all in return, wounding each with ten arrows. The scene highlights the warrior’s steadfastness under pressure and the disciplined reciprocity of battle—meeting aggression with measured, skillful resistance rather than panic.

Verse 20

त॑ं कोसलानामधिप: कर्णिनाताडयद्धुदि । स तस्याश्चान्‌ ध्वजं चाप॑ सूतं चापातयत्‌ क्षितौ,तत्पश्चात्‌ कोसलनरेश बृहदबलने एक बाणद्वारा अभिमन्युकी छातीमें चोट पहुँचायी। यह देख अभिमन्युने उनके चारों घोड़ों तथा ध्वज, धनुष एवं सारथिको भी पृथ्वीपर मार गिराया

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, the lord of the Kośalas struck Abhimanyu with an arrow. Abhimanyu, in return, felled that king’s horses, his banner, his bow, and even his charioteer to the ground. Then the Kośala ruler, wielding great strength, pierced Abhimanyu’s chest with a single shaft. Seeing this, Abhimanyu again brought down his opponent’s four steeds, along with the banner, the bow, and the driver—showing the relentless, escalating ethic of kṣatriya warfare where prowess is answered immediately by counter-prowess, even as the violence intensifies.

Verse 21

अथ कोसलराजस्तु विरथ: खड्गचर्मभृत्‌ । इयेष फाल्गुने: कायाच्छिरो हर्तु सकुण्डलम्‌,रथहीन होनेपर कोसलनरेशने हाथमें ढाल और तलवार ले ली तथा अभिमन्युके शरीरसे उसके कुण्डलयुक्त मस्तकको काट लेनेका विचार किया

Sañjaya said: Then the king of Kosala, Viratha, taking up sword and shield after losing his chariot, resolved to sever from the son of Phalguna the head adorned with earrings—an act driven by battlefield fury and the grim pursuit of a warrior’s trophy rather than any higher restraint.

Verse 22

स कोसलानामधिपं राजपुत्र बृहद्धलम्‌ । हृदि विव्याध बाणेन स भिन्नहृदयो5पतत्‌,इतनेहीमें अभिमन्युने एक बाणद्वारा कोसलनरेश राजपुत्र बृहद्धलके हृदयमें गहरी चोट पहुँचायी। इससे उनका वक्ष:स्थल विदीर्ण हो गया और वे गिर पड़े

Sañjaya said: Abhimanyu pierced Bṛhaddhala, the royal prince and lord of the Kośalas, straight in the heart with an arrow. His chest was torn open; his heart shattered, he fell to the ground—an image of how, in the fury of war, even high-born rulers are brought down in an instant by decisive skill and fate.

Verse 23

बभज्ज च सहस्राणि दश राज्ञां महात्मनाम्‌ | सृजतामशिवा वाच: खड्गकार्मुकधारिणाम्‌,इसके बाद अशुभ वचन बोलनेवाले तथा खड्ग एवं धनुष धारण करनेवाले दस हजार महामनस्वी राजाओंका भी उसने संहार कर डाला

Sañjaya said: He shattered and slew ten thousand high-souled kings as well—warriors bearing swords and bows—who were hurling inauspicious, cruel cries. The passage underscores how, in the frenzy of battle, harsh speech and violent intent accompany armed aggression, and how mass slaughter becomes the grim consequence of adharma-driven hostility on the battlefield.

Verse 24

तथा बृहद्बलं हत्वा सौभद्रो व्यचरद्‌ रणे । व्यष्टम्भयन्महेष्वासो योधांस्तव शराम्बुभि:,इस प्रकार महाधनुर्धर अभिमन्यु बृहदबलका वध करके आपके योद्धाओंको अपने बाणरूपी जलकी वर्षसे स्तब्ध करता हुआ रणक्षेत्रमें विचरने लगा

Sañjaya said: Having slain Bṛhadbala, Saubhadra (Abhimanyu), the great archer, moved about the battlefield, checking and stunning your warriors with showers of arrows like torrents of water—an image of youthful valor turned into relentless, disciplined force amid the harsh ethics of war.

Verse 46

इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत अभिमन्युवधपर्वमें लक्ष्मणवधविषयक छियालीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the Abhimanyu-vadha section—the forty-sixth chapter, dealing with the slaying of Lakṣmaṇa, comes to its conclusion. The closing formula marks a narrative milestone in the war account, underscoring the relentless chain of retaliatory deaths and the moral weight of violence that accumulates as the conflict advances.

Verse 47

इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि अभिमन्युवधपर्वणि बृहद्धलवधे सप्तचत्वारिंशो5ध्याय:

Sañjaya said: Thus, in the sacred Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section concerning the slaying of Abhimanyu—ends the forty-seventh chapter, dealing with the killing of Bṛhaddhala. The narration marks a formal closure, underscoring how the war’s unfolding is recorded as a moral history: each victory and death is framed as a consequential act within the larger reckoning of dharma and adharma.