चित्रसेनं नरव्याघ्रं सौभद्रः परवीरहा ॥
अविध्यद् दशभिर् बाणैः पुरुमित्रं च सप्तभिः ॥
सत्यव्रतं च सप्तत्या विद्ध्वा शक्रसमो युधि ॥
नृत्यन्न् इव रणे वीर आर्तिं नः समजीजनत् ॥
तं प्रत्यविद्यद् दशभिश् चित्रसेनः शिलीमुखैः ॥
सत्यव्रतश् च नवभिः पुरुमित्रश् च सप्तभिः ॥
स विद्धो विक्षरन् रक्तं शत्रुसंवारणं महत् ॥
चिच्छेद चित्रसेनस्य चित्रं कार्मुकम् आर्जुनिः ॥
भित्त्वा चास्य तनुत्राणं शरेणोरस्य् अताडयत् ॥
ततस् ते तावका वीरा राजपुत्रा महारथाः ॥
समेत्य युधि संरब्धा विव्यधुर् निशितैः शरैः ॥
तांश् च सर्वाञ् शरैस् तीक्ष्णैर् जघान परमास्त्रवित् ॥
तस्य दृष्ट्वा तु तत् कर्म परिवव्रुः सुतास् तव ॥
दहन्तं समरे सैन्यं तव कक्षं यथोल्बणम् ॥
अपेतशिशिरे काले समिद्धम् इव पावकः ॥
अत्यरोचत सौभद्रस् तव सैन्यानि शातयन् ॥
तत् तस्य चरितं दृष्ट्वा पौत्रस् तव विशां पते ॥
लक्ष्मणो ऽभ्यपतत् तूर्णं सात्वतीपुत्रम् आहवे ॥
अभिमन्युस् तु संक्रुद्धो लक्ष्मणं शुभलक्षणम् ॥
विव्याध विशिखैः षड्भिः सारथिं च त्रिभिः शरैः ॥
तथैव लक्ष्मणो राजन् सौभद्रं निशितैः शरैः ॥
अविध्यत महाराज तद् अद्भुतम् इवाभवत् ॥
तस्याश्वांश् चतुरो हत्वा सारथिं च महाबलः ॥
अभ्यद्रवत सौभद्रो लक्ष्मणं निशितैः शरैः ॥
हताश्वे तु रथे तुष्ठंल् लक्ष्मणः परवीरहा ॥
शक्तिं चिक्षेप संक्रुद्धः सौभद्रस्य रथं प्रति ॥
ताम् आपतन्तीं सहसा घोररूपां दुरासदाम् ॥
अभिमन्युः शरैस् तीक्ष्णैश् चिच्छेद भुजगोपमाम् ॥
ततः स्वरथम् आरोप्य लक्ष्मणं गौतमस् तदा ॥
अपोवाह रथेनाजौ सर्वसैन्यस्य पश्यतः ॥
citrasenaṃ naravyāghraṃ saubhadraḥ paravīrahā ||
avidhyad daśabhir bāṇaiḥ purumitraṃ ca saptabhiḥ ||
satyavrataṃ ca saptatyā viddhvā śakrasamo yudhi ||
nṛtyann iva raṇe vīra ārtiṃ naḥ samajījanat ||
taṃ pratyavidyad daśabhiś citrasenaḥ śilīmukhaiḥ ||
satyavrataś ca navabhiḥ purumitraś ca saptabhiḥ ||
sa viddho vikṣaran raktaṃ śatrusaṃvāraṇaṃ mahat ||
ciccheda citrasenasya citraṃ kārmukam ārjuniḥ ||
bhittvā cāsya tanutrāṇaṃ śareṇorasy atāḍayat ||
tatas te tāvakā vīrā rājaputrā mahārathāḥ ||
sametya yudhi saṃrabdhā vivyadhur niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
tāṃś ca sarvāñ śarais tīkṣṇair jaghāna paramāstravit ||
tasya dṛṣṭvā tu tat karma parivavruḥ sutās tava ||
dahantaṃ samare sainyaṃ tava kakṣaṃ yatholbaṇam ||
apetaśiśire kāle samiddham iva pāvakaḥ ||
atyarocata saubhadras tava sainyāni śātayan ||
tat tasya caritaṃ dṛṣṭvā pautras tava viśāṃ pate ||
lakṣmaṇo 'bhyapatat tūrṇaṃ sātvatīputram āhave ||
abhimanyus tu saṃkruddho lakṣmaṇaṃ śubhalakṣaṇam ||
vivyādha viśikhaiḥ ṣaḍbhiḥ sārathiṃ ca tribhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
tathaiva lakṣmaṇo rājan saubhadraṃ niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
avidhyata mahārāja tad adbhutam ivābhavat ||
tasyāśvāṃś caturo hatvā sārathiṃ ca mahābalaḥ ||
abhyadravata saubhadro lakṣmaṇaṃ niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
hatāśve tu rathe tuṣṭhaṃl lakṣmaṇaḥ paravīrahā ||
śaktiṃ cikṣepa saṃkruddhaḥ saubhadrasya rathaṃ prati ||
tām āpatantīṃ sahasā ghorarūpāṃ durāsadām ||
abhimanyuḥ śarais tīkṣṇaiś ciccheda bhujagopamām ||
tataḥ svaratham āropya lakṣmaṇaṃ gautamas tadā ||
apovāha rathenājau sarvasainyasya paśyataḥ ||
Saubhadra, slayer of enemy heroes, struck Chitrasena, tiger among men, with ten arrows, Purumitra with seven, and Satyavrata with seventy. Equal to Shakra in battle, the hero seemed to dance upon the field, and brought us grief. Chitrasena struck him back with ten arrows, Satyavrata with nine, and Purumitra with seven. Wounded and streaming with blood, the great restrainer of foes, the son of Arjuna, cut Chitrasena's splendid bow; piercing his armor, he struck him in the chest with an arrow. Then your heroes, the princely great chariot-warriors, gathered in battle and furiously struck him with sharp arrows; but the master of the highest astras struck them all with sharp arrows. Seeing this feat of his, your sons surrounded him as he burned your army in battle, like a blazing fire consuming dry brushwood in the season when the cold has gone. Saubhadra shone brightly, destroying your armies. Seeing this deed of his, your grandson Lakshmana, O lord of men, swiftly rushed into battle against the son of Satvati. Enraged, Abhimanyu struck the splendid Lakshmana with six arrows, and his charioteer with three. Likewise Lakshmana, O king, struck Saubhadra with sharp arrows; it seemed a wonder, O great king. The mighty Saubhadra, having slain his four horses and his charioteer, charged at Lakshmana with sharp arrows. Standing on his chariot bereft of horses, Lakshmana, slayer of enemy heroes, hurled a spear in fury at Saubhadra's chariot. Abhimanyu, with sharp arrows, cut down this spear, suddenly rushing, terrible in form, hard to withstand, like a serpent. Then Gautama lifted Lakshmana onto his own chariot and carried him away from the battle, as the whole army looked on.'
a24e013618c9 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:35:52 PM UTC
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Abhimanyu appears here as young yet already a frighteningly mature warrior: he does not merely withstand the onslaught of the princes but himself becomes a fire consuming Dhritarashtra's army. Kripa's rescue of Lakshmana underscores that even a king's grandson cannot hold his ground against Saubhadra.