Shloka 12
द्रोण–सात्यकि द्वैरथम्
Droṇa and Sātyaki: The Chariot Duel
ततो दौ:शासनि: क्षिप्रं तथा तैर्विरथीकृतम् । संशयं परमं प्राप्य दिष्टान्तेनाभ्ययोजयत्,तत्पश्चात् दुःशासनपुत्रने अभिमन्युके प्रहारसे भारी प्राणसंकटमें पड़कर पूर्वोक्त महारथियोंद्वारा रथहीन किये हुए अभिमन्युको शीघ्र ही (गदाके आघातसे) मार डाला
tato dauḥśāsaniḥ kṣipraṃ tathā tair virathīkṛtam | saṃśayaṃ paramaṃ prāpya diṣṭāntenābhyayojayat |
Then Duḥśāsana’s son, seeing Abhimanyu swiftly stripped of his chariot by those warriors, fell into grave uncertainty and, driven by fate, pressed the attack. Thereafter, Duḥśāsana’s son struck the chariotless Abhimanyu down with a mace, killing him while he was in extreme peril—an act that underscores the collapse of warrior-ethics when a lone fighter is overwhelmed by many.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, ethical restraints (dharma-yuddha norms such as fair combat) can collapse under fear and opportunism; it also frames the event as propelled by diṣṭa (fate), inviting reflection on responsibility even amid destiny.
Abhimanyu has already been made chariotless by multiple opponents; Duḥśāsana’s son then closes in and kills him with a mace while he is vulnerable, marking the climactic injustice of Abhimanyu’s last stand in the cakravyūha episode.