Shloka 20
Abhimanyu-śravaṇa-prastāva and Cakravyūha-vinyāsa
Prelude to Abhimanyu’s Account and the Wheel-Formation Deployment
स कृत्वा दुष्करं कर्म हत्वा वीरान् सहस्रश: । षट्सु वीरेषु संसक्तो दौःशासनिवशं गत:,अभिमन्युने वह दुष्कर कर्म करके सहस्रों वीरोंका वध किया और अन्तमें छः वीरोंके साथ अकेला ही उलझकर दु:शासनपुत्रके हाथसे मारा गया
sa kṛtvā duṣkaraṃ karma hatvā vīrān sahasraśaḥ | ṣaṭsu vīreṣu saṃsaktaḥ dauḥśāsanivaśaṃ gataḥ ||
ಅವನು ಅತಿದುರ್ಲಭವಾದ ಕಾರ್ಯವನ್ನು ನೆರವೇರಿಸಿ ಸಾವಿರಾರು ವೀರರನ್ನು ಸಂಹರಿಸಿದನು; ಕೊನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಆರು ವೀರರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿಬಿದ್ದು ದುಃಶಾಸನನ ಪುತ್ರನ ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹತನಾದನು.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between valor and the ethics of warfare: even supreme heroism can be overcome when many unite against one, raising questions about fairness (yuddha-dharma) and the moral cost of victory.
Sañjaya recounts how the young warrior (contextually Abhimanyu) performed an extraordinary feat by cutting down countless fighters, but was finally surrounded and engaged by six warriors and was killed by Duḥśāsana’s son.