Shloka 44
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
प्रयान्तं शीघ्रमुद्वी क्ष्य परित्रातुं सुतांस्तव । अभिमन्युं समुद्दिश्य बालमेक॑ महारथम्
prayāntaṁ śīghram udvīkṣya paritrātuṁ sutāṁs tava | abhimanyum samuddiśya bālam ekaṁ mahāratham ||
三阇耶说道：“见他疾驰而去，意在护全你的诸子，他们便将锋芒尽数指向阿毗曼纽——那孤身的年轻大车战士。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the epic: when fear for one’s side (protecting the Kaurava princes) drives a collective to concentrate force against a single opponent, even if he is young. It implicitly raises questions about proportionality, fairness in combat, and how attachment to one’s own can distort dharmic judgment.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that, seeing a swift movement on the battlefield, the Kaurava side acts to safeguard Dhritarashtra’s sons by directing their attention and attack toward Abhimanyu, described as a lone yet formidable young mahāratha.