Shloka 13
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
पिता तवाह॒वं त्यक्त्वा गत: कापुरुषो यथा । दिष्ट्या त्वमपि जानीषे योर न त्वद्य मोक्ष्यसे,तस्यार्जुनिर्ध्वजं छित्त्वा शल्यं त्रेभिरताडयत् । त॑ं शल्यो नवभिर्बाणैर्गार्ध्रपत्रैरताडयत्
pitā tavāhaṁ tyaktvā gataḥ kāpuruṣo yathā | diṣṭyā tvam api jānīṣe yo ’rṇo na tv adya mokṣyase, tasyārjunir dhvajaṁ chittvā śalyaṁ trebhiḥ atāḍayat | taṁ śalyo navabhir bāṇair gārdhrapatrair atāḍayat |
Sañjaya said: “Having abandoned me, your father has gone off like a coward. It is fortunate that you too now understand this: ‘This man will not escape today.’ With that resolve, Arjuna’s son cut down his banner and struck Śalya with three arrows. Śalya, in turn, retaliated by piercing him with nine arrows, feathered with vulture-plumes. The exchange underscores how, in the fury of war, accusations of cowardice and vows of ‘no escape’ harden into immediate, violent action, where honor and resolve are asserted through battlefield deeds rather than words.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral judgments (cowardice vs. courage) and firm resolve (‘he will not escape today’) quickly translate into action in war. It reflects the Kṣatriya ethos where honor is defended through deeds, while also showing how harsh speech and certainty can intensify violence and close off paths of restraint.
Sañjaya reports a taunt about a ‘father’ leaving like a coward, followed by a vow-like assertion that the opponent will not escape that day. Then Arjuna’s son (Arjuni/Abhimanyu) cuts down the enemy’s banner and strikes Śalya with three arrows; Śalya answers by striking him with nine vulture-feathered arrows.