Shloka 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 uvāca | taṃ kosalānām adhipaḥ karṇinā tāḍayad yudhi | sa tasyāś cāśvān dhvajaṃ cāpaṃ sūtaṃ cāpātayat kṣitau | tatpaścāt kosalanareśo bṛhadbalenaikabāṇenābhimanyor vakṣasi prahāram akarot | tad dṛṣṭvābhimanyus tasya caturo hayān dhvajaṃ dhanur sārathiṃ ca pṛthivyāṃ nipātayām āsa |
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.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya code in wartime: immediate response to attack, skill matched by counter-skill, and the grim moral atmosphere where honor is pursued through martial prowess even as suffering increases.
Sañjaya describes a duel-like exchange: the Kośala king strikes Abhimanyu; Abhimanyu counters by bringing down the enemy’s horses, banner, bow, and charioteer; then the Kośala king lands a powerful single-arrow blow to Abhimanyu’s chest, after which Abhimanyu again fells the opponent’s key chariot components.