ततः प्रजविताश्वेन विधिवत् कल्पितेन च ॥
रथेनाभ्यपतद् राजन् सौभद्रं पौरवो नदन् ॥
ततो ऽभियाय त्वरितो युद्धाकाङ्क्षी महाबलः ॥
तेन चक्रे महद् युद्धम् अभिमन्युर् अरिंदमः ॥
पौरवस् त्व् अथ सौभद्रं शरव्रातैर् अवाकिरत् ॥
तस्यार्जुनिर् ध्वजं छत्रं धनुश् चोर्व्याम् अपातयत् ॥
सौभद्रः पौरवं त्व् अन्यैर् विद्ध्वा सप्तभिर् आशुगैः ॥
पञ्चभिस् तस्य विव्याध हयान् सूतं च सायकैः ॥
tataḥ prajavitāśvena vidhivat kalpitena ca ||
rathenābhyapatad rājan saubhadraṃ pauravo nadan ||
tato 'bhiyāya tvarito yuddhākāṅkṣī mahābalaḥ ||
tena cakre mahad yuddham abhimanyur ariṃdamaḥ ||
pauravas tv atha saubhadraṃ śaravrātair avākirat ||
tasyārjunir dhvajaṃ chatraṃ dhanuś corvyām apātayat ||
saubhadraḥ pauravaṃ tv anyair viddhvā saptabhir āśugaiḥ ||
pañcabhis tasya vivyādha hayān sūtaṃ ca sāyakaiḥ ||
Then, on a chariot with fleet horses, duly equipped, O king, Paurava the prince charged at Saubhadra [Abhimanyu], raising a war cry. Then, having swiftly advanced, eager for battle, the mighty Abhimanyu, subduer of foes, waged a great battle with him. Paurava then showered Saubhadra with clouds of arrows; the son of Arjuna [Abhimanyu] cast down his banner, parasol, and bow to the ground. And Saubhadra, having struck Paurava with seven other swift arrows, wounded his horses and charioteer with five arrows.
26bc756d314f · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:00:03 PM UTC
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Here the narrative turns to the young Abhimanyu — and from the very first verses his matchless ardor is visible: no sooner challenged than he 'waged a great battle' and at once disarmed his opponent. In the young son of Arjuna the father's valor has blossomed, and it is no accident that he is called 'subduer of foes' at so young an age. But beneath the brilliance of his exploits, the reader who knows what is to come already glimpses a shadow: this shining youth is doomed. The verse teaches that in a worthy son the father's greatness shows itself early; that valor does not wait for years but flares up even in the young; and that the narrative, crowning Abhimanyu with glory on the threshold of his deeds, prepares the heart for grief over one whose dawn will fade so soon.