Shloka 37

अभिमन्युवधः

Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath

Devanagari script

तस्य द्रोणो$च्छिनन्मुष्टी खड्गं मणिमयत्सरुम्‌

Transliteration

tasya droṇo 'cchinan muṣṭī khaḍgaṃ maṇimayat-sarum

Translation

サञ्जयは語った。ド्रोṇaは彼を打ち伏せ、固く握りしめた拳を断ち、さらに宝玉を飾った柄の剣をも斬り払った。戦場の義務という苛烈な掟のもと、師にして武人たる者は、敵の武器を握る手を無力化し、目前の脅威を断乎として断ち切ったのである。

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him / his
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• द्रोणः: Drona
• द्रोणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अच्छिनत्: cut off
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• मुष्टी: the two fists (hands)
• मुष्टी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Dual

• खड्गम्: sword
• खड्गम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: खड्ग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मणिमयत्सरुम्: a jewel-made hilt/handle
• मणिमयत्सरुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिमय-सरु
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa
• sword (khaḍga)
• gem-studded hilt (maṇimaya-saru)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the hard edge of kṣatriya-dharma in war: a commander must neutralize an immediate threat decisively. It also implicitly contrasts martial necessity with the moral weight of injury—victory is pursued through disabling the opponent’s capacity to harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Droṇa, in close combat, cuts off the opponent’s weapon-gripping hand (muṣṭī) and removes the sword with its gem-studded hilt, thereby disarming him.