Shloka 7
अभिमन्युवधः
Abhimanyu’s Fall and the Battlefield Aftermath
मागधस्य तथा पुत्र हत्वा षड़भिरजिद्वागै: । साश्वं ससूतं तरुणमश्वकेतुमपातयत्,इसी प्रकार उसने मगधराजके तरुण पुत्र अश्वकेतुको छ: बाणोंद्वारा मारकर उसे घोड़ों और सारथिसहित रथसे नीचे गिरा दिया
māgadhasya tathā putraṃ hatvā ṣaḍbhir ajidvāgaiḥ | sāśvaṃ sasūtaṃ taruṇam aśvaketuṃ apātayat ||
ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਮਗਧ ਦੇ ਰਾਜੇ ਦੇ ਨੌਜਵਾਨ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਅਸ਼ਵਕੇਤੂ ਨੂੰ ਛੇ ਅਚੂਕ ਤੀਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਮਾਰ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਘੋੜਿਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਸਾਰਥੀ ਸਮੇਤ ਰਥ ਤੋਂ ਹੇਠਾਂ ਡਾਹ ਦਿੱਤਾ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: prowess and decisive action determine outcomes, and even the young and valorous are subject to sudden death. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s portrayal of war as a domain where duty and skill operate within a tragic, mortality-centered frame.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (implied from prior context) strikes down the Magadhan king’s young son Aśvaketu with six powerful arrows, causing him to fall from his chariot along with his horses and charioteer.