Shloka 24

अभिमन्युवधः

Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath

Devanagari script

न विशेषं प्रपश्यामि रणे गाण्डीवधन्चन: । 'क्रोधमें भरे हुए महारथी इसके छिद्रको नहीं देख पाते हैं। यह शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलाता हुआ अपने महान्‌ बाणोंसे सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको व्याप्त कर रहा है। मैं युद्धस्थलमें गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुन और इस अभिमन्युमें कोई अन्तर नहीं देख पाता हूँ” ।। २३ $ ।। अथ कर्ण: पुनद्रोणमाहार्जुनिशराहत:

Transliteration

na viśeṣaṁ prapaśyāmi raṇe gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ | krodhamēṁ bhare hue mahārathī iske chidra-ko nahīṁ dekh pāte haiṁ | yaha śīghratāpūrvaka hātha calātā huā apne mahān bāṇoṁ-se sampūrṇa diśāoṁ-ko vyāpta kar rahā hai | maiṁ yuddhasthala-meṁ gāṇḍīvadhārī arjuna aura is abhimanyu-meṁ koī antara nahīṁ dekh pāta hūṁ || atha karṇaḥ punaḥ droṇam āha arjuni-śarāhataḥ

Translation

Sanjaya said: “In the battle I see no difference between Abhimanyu and Arjuna, the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva. The great chariot-warriors, their minds inflamed with anger, cannot even discern an opening in him. Swiftly plying his hands, he is filling all directions with his mighty arrows.” Then Karṇa, again struck by Arjuna’s shafts, addressed Droṇa.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'na viśeṣam', 'definition': 'no distinction, no difference'}, {'term': 'prapaśyāmi', 'definition': 'I perceive, I see clearly'}, {'term': 'raṇe', 'definition': 'in battle, in the battlefield'}, {'term': 'gāṇḍīva-dhanvan', 'definition': 'the archer bearing the Gāṇḍīva bow (epithet of Arjuna)'}, {'term': 'mahārathī', 'definition': 'a great chariot-warrior

• elite combatant'}, {'term': 'krodha', 'definition': 'anger, wrath'}, {'term': 'chidra', 'definition': 'gap, opening, vulnerable point'}, {'term': 'śīghratā', 'definition': 'swiftness, rapidity'}, {'term': 'bāṇa', 'definition': 'arrow'}, {'term': 'diś', 'definition': 'direction, quarter'}, {'term': 'vyāpta', 'definition': 'pervaded, filled, spread over'}, {'term': 'arjuni-śara-āhataḥ', 'definition': 'struck/wounded by Arjuna’s arrows'}]

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Arjuna
• Gāṇḍīva (bow)
• Abhimanyu
• Karṇa
• Droṇa
• battlefield (raṇa/yuddhasthala)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger can cloud discernment even in expert warriors, while disciplined skill and speed create near-invulnerability. It also underscores inherited excellence and training: Abhimanyu’s prowess is portrayed as comparable to Arjuna’s, suggesting that dharma in war includes mastery, composure, and strategic perception rather than mere fury.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu is fighting with such speed and precision that enraged great warriors cannot find a weakness, and that he appears indistinguishable from Arjuna in battle. The narration then shifts: Karṇa, having been struck by Arjuna’s arrows, turns to address Droṇa, indicating a tactical or command-level response amid the ongoing combat.