Mahabharata 7.33.20 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 33, Shloka 20

Abhimanyu-śravaṇa-prastāva and Cakravyūha-vinyāsa

Prelude to Abhimanyu’s Account and the Wheel-Formation Deployment

Devanagari script

स कृत्वा दुष्करं कर्म हत्वा वीरान्‌ सहस्रश: । षट्सु वीरेषु संसक्तो दौःशासनिवशं गत:

Transliteration

sa kṛtvā duṣkaraṃ karma hatvā vīrān sahasraśaḥ | ṣaṭsu vīreṣu saṃsaktaḥ dauḥśāsanivaśaṃ gataḥ ||

Translation

അവൻ അത്യന്തം ദുഷ്കരമായ കര്‍മ്മം ചെയ്തു ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് വീരന്മാരെ വധിച്ചു; ഒടുവിൽ ഒറ്റയ്ക്കായി ആറു വീരന്മാരോടൊപ്പം കുടുങ്ങി ദുഃശാസനന്റെ പുത്രന്റെ കൈയ്യാൽ കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृत्वा: having done
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• दुष्करम्: difficult (to do)
• दुष्करम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्कर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कर्म: deed, act
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• हत्वा: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• वीरान्: heroes, warriors
• वीरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सहस्रशः: by thousands, in thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस्
• Form: adverb

• षट्सु: among six
• षट्सु: Adhikarana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: षष्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (agreeing with वीरेषु), Locative, Plural

• वीरेषु: among warriors
• वीरेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• संसक्तः: engaged, entangled (in combat)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle, from सम्+सञ्ज्/ससञ्ज् 'to cling/engage')

• दौःशासनिवशम्: under the power/control of (the son of) Duhshasana
• दौःशासनिवशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दौःशासनिवश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• गतः: gone, came to; fell into
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past participle)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duḥśāsana
• Duḥśāsana’s son (Dauḥśāsani)
• Abhimanyu (implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.