Shloka 32
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
अस्यतो लघुहस्तस्य पृषत्कैर्धनुराच्छिनत् । अश्वानस्यावधीद् भोजो गौतम: पार्ष्णिसारथी,“यदि तुम इसे परास्त करना चाहते हो तो इसके रथ और धनुषको नष्ट कर दो।' आचार्यकी यह बात सुनकर विकर्तनपुत्र कर्णने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ अपने बाणोंद्वारा शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलाते हुए अस्त्रोंका प्रयोग करनेवाले अभिमन्युके धनुषको काट दिया। भोजवंशी कृतवर्माने उसके घोड़े मार डाले और कृपाचार्यने दोनों पार्श्वरक्षकोंका काम तमाम कर दिया
asyato laghu-hastasya pṛṣatkaiḥ dhanur āchinat | aśvān asyāvadīd bhojo gautamaḥ pārṣṇi-sārathiḥ |
Sañjaya said: As he swiftly plied his hand, his bow was cut down by a shower of arrows. Then the Bhoja warrior Kṛtavarmā slew his horses, and Gautama Kṛpa—acting as the protector of the flanks—brought the two side-guards to their end. In the ethical texture of the battle, the focus shifts from single combat to coordinated disabling of a formidable fighter by breaking his mobility and weapon, revealing how strategy and collective action can overwhelm individual prowess in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime ethical tension: when a warrior is exceptionally capable, opponents may resort to coordinated tactics—destroying weapon and mobility—rather than relying on equal single combat. It invites reflection on how dharma in battle is tested when victory becomes the overriding aim.
During the fighting, the quick-handed archer’s bow is severed by arrows; then his horses are killed by Kṛtavarmā, and Kṛpa (Gautama), positioned to protect the flanks, eliminates the two side-guards—systematically crippling the chariot unit.