Shloka 17
अध्याय ७१ — द्रोणव्यूहरक्षा तथा समकालीन द्वन्द्वयुद्धानि
Protection of Droṇa’s formation and parallel duels
अन्तात् पुनर्भावगतो विराजते राजेव वीरो हामृतात्मरश्मिभि: । तामैन्दवीमात्मतनु द्विजोचितां गतो5भिमन्युर्न स शोकमर्हति,वीर अभिमन्यु मृत्युके पश्चात् पुनः पूर्वढभावको प्राप्त होकर चन्द्रमासे उत्पन्न अपने द्विजोचित शरीरमें प्रतेष्ठित हो अपनी अमृतमयी किरणोंसे राजा सोमके समान प्रकाशित हो रहा है। अत: उसके लिये तुम्हें शोक नहीं करना चाहिये
antāt punarbhāvagato virājate rājā iva vīro ha amṛtātma-raśmibhiḥ | tām aindavīm ātma-tanuṃ dvijocitāṃ gato 'bhimanyur na sa śokam arhati ||
Vyāsa said: “Having passed beyond the end (of mortal life) and attained rebirth, the hero Abhimanyu now shines again—like King Soma (the Moon)—with rays that are of the nature of immortality. Having reached that lunar, self-formed body befitting the twice-born, he is established there; therefore he does not deserve grief.” The verse reframes Abhimanyu’s death within a moral-psychological counsel: sorrow should yield to insight into the soul’s onward course and the honor of a warrior’s righteous end.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches consolation through metaphysical perspective: the hero’s death is not annihilation but a transition into another state of being. By portraying Abhimanyu as shining like Soma in a lunar, noble body, Vyāsa urges the listener to restrain grief and recognize the soul’s onward journey and the dignity of a dharmic warrior’s end.
After Abhimanyu’s fall in battle, Vyāsa speaks to console the mourners. He declares that Abhimanyu has gone beyond mortal termination, attained a renewed state, and now shines like the Moon-king Soma, established in a lunar form befitting the twice-born; hence excessive lamentation is inappropriate.