Shloka 27
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
अभेद्यमस्य कवचं युवा चाशुपराक्रम: । उपदिष्टा मया चास्य पितु: कवचधारणा,“कर्ण! अभिमन्युका कवच अभेद्य है। यह तरुण वीर शीघ्रतापूर्वक पराक्रम प्रकट करनेवाला है। मैंने इसके पिताको कवच धारण करनेकी विधि बतायी है। शत्रुनगरीपर विजय पानेवाला यह वीर कुमार निश्चय ही वह सारी विधि जानता है (अत: इसका कवच तो अभेद्य ही है); परंतु मनोयोगपूर्वक चलाये हुए बाणोंसे इसके धनुष और प्रत्यंचाको काटा जा सकता है
abhedyam asya kavacaṁ yuvā cāśu-parākramaḥ | upadiṣṭā mayā cāsya pituḥ kavaca-dhāraṇā ||
Sanjaya said: “His armour is impenetrable, and he is a young warrior of swift and forceful prowess. Moreover, I myself instructed his father in the method of wearing that armour. Therefore this son—skilled and attentive—surely knows the entire procedure; his armour, then, is indeed unbreakable.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial knowledge and protective disciplines are transmitted through instruction and lineage: a warrior’s strength is not only personal bravery but also training, correct procedure, and inherited expertise—making him difficult to overcome by ordinary means.
Sanjaya describes Abhimanyu to Dhritarashtra as a youthful, fast-acting hero whose armour cannot be pierced, emphasizing that Abhimanyu knows the proper method of wearing it because Sanjaya had taught that method to Abhimanyu’s father.