Shloka 473
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
स्वर्गतो$भिमुख: संख्ये युध्यमानो नरभै: | “कुरुनन्दन! क्या उन श्रेष्ठ वीरोंके साथ युद्ध करता हुआ अभिमन्यु रणभूमिमें शत्रुओंका संहार करके सम्मुख मारा जाकर स्वर्गलोकमें गया है?
svargato’bhimukhaḥ saṅkhye yudhyamāno nararṣabhaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Did Abhimanyu, facing heaven as his destined goal, fight in the thick of battle against those bull-like heroes, slaughtering his foes on the field, and then—struck down while still confronting them—attain the heavenly world?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a warrior’s death in righteous combat as a dharmic culmination: to fight steadfastly against superior foes, without turning away, is portrayed as a path to honor and heavenly attainment—an ideal of kṣatriya-dharma emphasizing courage, duty, and facing death without retreat.
Sañjaya reports (as a question) the fate of Abhimanyu: whether he fought fiercely amid renowned warriors, destroyed enemies on the battlefield, and then, killed while still facing the foe, went to heaven—highlighting both the intensity of the combat and the tragic, heroic end.