Mahabharata 7.23.263 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 263
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
काश्यस्याभिभुव: पुत्र सुकुमारं महारथम् । क्रौंचवर्णक< उत्तम घोड़ोंने काशिराज अभिभूके सुकुमार एवं युवा पुत्रको, जो महारथी वीर था, युद्धभूमिमें पहुँचाया
kāśyasyābhibhuvaḥ putraḥ sukumāraṃ mahāratham | krauñcavarṇakair uttamaiḥ aśvaiḥ kāśirājaḥ abhibhūḥ sukumāraṃ yuvānaṃ putraṃ yo mahārathī vīraḥ saṃgrāmabhūmiṃ prāpayat |
Disse Sañjaya: O rei Abhibhū de Kāśi, valendo-se de excelentes cavalos de cor pálida, semelhante à da garça, conduziu ao campo de batalha seu filho Sukumāra—jovem e de aspecto delicado, mas um grande guerreiro de carro—, lançando-o ao crisol moral da guerra, onde linhagem, dever e coragem são provados em meio à destruição.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between youth and the demands of kṣatriya-dharma: even a young son is propelled into war by royal duty and circumstance, showing how status and lineage can compel participation in ethically fraught conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Abhibhū, the king of Kāśi, arrives at the battlefield and brings/sends his son Sukumāra—described as young yet a mahāratha—using excellent crane-colored horses, indicating their entry into active combat.
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