Shloka 24
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 45: Saubhadra–Lakṣmaṇa-saṃyoga and Kaurava Counter-Encirclement
रथचर्यास्त्रिमायाभिमोहयित्वा परंतप: । बिभेद शतथा राजन् शरीराणि महीक्षिताम्,महाराज! शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले अभिमन्युने रथचर्या तथा अस्त्रोंकी मायासे मोहित करके राजाओंके शरीरोंके सौ-सौ टुकड़े कर दिये
rathacaryāstrimāyābhimohayitvā parantapaḥ | bibheda śatathā rājan śarīrāṇi mahīkṣitām ||
サञ्जयは語った。王よ、敵を灼くアビマンニュは、戦車の操法と武器の術に宿る幻惑の策でまず敵方の諸王を迷わせ、ついでその身を百々に砕いた。この偈は、正義の戦と称される狂熱の中で、技と戦術的欺きがたちまち圧倒的破壊へ転ずること、そして名高き英雄の所業であっても暴力の道義的重みが増すことを示している。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of disciplined skill and tactical ingenuity (rathacaryā and astra-māyā) in war, while implicitly reminding the listener that such prowess, though admired in kṣatriya-dharma, results in severe bodily destruction—inviting reflection on the ethical gravity of violence even in a sanctioned battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu, using deceptive chariot movements and weapon-illusions, confounds the enemy kings and then cuts them down, splitting their bodies into hundreds of pieces.