Mahabharata 7.72.21 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 72, Shloka 21
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
न चोपदिष्टस्तस्यासीन्मयानीकाद् विनिर्गम: । कच्चिन्न बालो युष्माभि: परानीकं प्रवेशित:
na copadiṣṭas tasyāsīn mayānīkād vinirgamaḥ | kaccin na bālo yuṣmābhiḥ parānīkaṃ praveśitaḥ ||
แต่ข้าพเจ้ายังมิได้สอนวิธีถอนตัวออกจากกระบวนทัพนั้นแก่เขาเลย บอกข้ามาเถิด—พวกท่านได้ให้เด็กหนุ่มผู้นั้นเข้าไปในกระบวนทัพของศัตรูแล้วหรือ?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical responsibility in warfare: sending a young warrior into a complex formation without ensuring he knows the means of withdrawal is morally fraught. It underscores how strategic choices can become ethically blameworthy when they exploit youth, incomplete knowledge, or desperation.
Sañjaya, narrating to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, expresses anxious concern: Abhimanyu knew how to enter a formidable battle-array but had not been taught the method of exit. Sañjaya fears that the Pandava side may have sent the boy into the enemy’s formation despite this dangerous limitation—foreshadowing his being trapped.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.