Shloka 3
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 47 — Abhimanyu’s rapid exchanges, counsel to disable his chariot-system
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 uvāca | abhimanyuḥ praviśyaitāṁs tāvakān niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | akarot pārthivān sarvān vimukhān pāṇḍunandanaḥ ||
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.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in action: disciplined courage and skill can uphold one’s duty even against overwhelming odds. Ethically, it also points to the tension between individual heroism and the collective violence of war—victory in battle may be admirable, yet it unfolds within a tragic, escalating conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu has penetrated the Kaurava formation and, by a fierce volley of sharp arrows, has forced the assembled kings on Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side to turn back from the fight—momentarily scattering or repelling them.