Mahabharata 7.49.33 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 49, Shloka 33
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
अभिमन्यौ हते राजन् शिशुके<प्राप्तयौवने । सम्प्राद्रवच्चमू: सर्वा धर्मराजस्य पश्यत:
abhimanyau hate rājan śiśuke 'prāptayauvane | samprādravac camūḥ sarvā dharmarājasya paśyataḥ ||
اے راجن! جب ابھی پوری جوانی کو نہ پہنچا ہوا وہ لڑکا ابھمنیو مارا گیا تو دھرم راج یدھشٹھِر کے دیکھتے ہی دیکھتے ساری فوج صفیں توڑ کر بھاگ نکلی۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological cost of war: the killing of a young, valorous warrior can devastate collective morale and destabilize even a righteous side’s order. It also implies a leadership challenge—how a dhārmic leader must face shock and grief without letting the community dissolve into panic.
After Abhimanyu is killed, the Pāṇḍava forces, overwhelmed by grief and fear, lose cohesion and flee, and this rout happens in full view of Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja). Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
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