Shloka 20
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
मया श्रुतश्न द्रोणेन चक्रव्यूहो विनिर्मित: । न च वस्तस्य भेत्तास्ति विना सौभद्रमर्भकम्,“मैंने सुना है कि आचार्य द्रोणने चक्रव्यूहककी रचना की थी। आपलोगोंमेंसे बालक अभिमन्युके सिवा दूसरा कोई उस व्यूहका भेदन नहीं कर सकता था
mayā śrutaś ca droṇena cakravyūho vinirmitaḥ | na ca tasya bhettāsti vinā saubhadram arbhakam ||
Sañjaya said: “I have heard that Ācārya Droṇa devised the formidable ‘Cakra’ battle-formation. And among you, none was capable of breaking into that array—except the young Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how specialized knowledge and military skill can concentrate power in a single individual, creating moral pressure on leaders: when only one young warrior can counter a devised formation, the decision to deploy it raises ethical questions about proportionality and responsibility in war.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa has engineered the Cakravyūha, and emphasizes that among the Pāṇḍava side only the youthful Abhimanyu (Subhadrā’s son) is capable of breaching it—foreshadowing his crucial and perilous role in the ensuing battle.