रुक्मपक्षान्तरे सक्तस् तस्मिंश् चर्मणि भास्वरे ॥
सिन्धुराजबलोद्धूतः सो ऽभज्यत महान् असिः ॥
भग्नम् आज्ञाय निस्त्रिंशम् अवप्लुत्य पदानि षट् ॥
सो ऽदृश्यत निमेषेण स्वरथं पुनर् आस्थितः ॥
तं कार्ष्णिं समरान् मुक्तम् आस्थितं रथम् उत्तमम् ॥
सहिताः सर्वराजानः परिवव्रुः समन्ततः ॥
ततश् चर्म च खड्गं च समुत्क्षिप्य महाबलः ॥
ननादार्जुनदायादः प्रेक्षमाणो जयद्रथम् ॥
सिन्धुराजं परित्यज्य सौभद्रः परवीरहा ॥
तापयाम् आस तत् सैन्यं भुवनं भास्करो यथा ॥
rukmapakṣāntare saktas tasmiṃś carmaṇi bhāsvare ||
sindhurājabaloddhūtaḥ so 'bhajyata mahān asiḥ ||
bhagnam ājñāya nistriṃśam avaplutya padāni ṣaṭ ||
so 'dṛśyata nimeṣeṇa svarathaṃ punar āsthitaḥ ||
taṃ kārṣṇiṃ samarān muktam āsthitaṃ ratham uttamam ||
sahitāḥ sarvarājānaḥ parivavruḥ samantataḥ ||
tataś carma ca khaḍgaṃ ca samutkṣipya mahābalaḥ ||
nanādārjunadāyādaḥ prekṣamāṇo jayadratham ||
sindhurājaṃ parityajya saubhadraḥ paravīrahā ||
tāpayām āsa tat sainyaṃ bhuvanaṃ bhāskaro yathā ||
Caught at the golden rim of that gleaming shield, the great sword swung with the strength of the king of Sindhu, Jayadratha, snapped in two. Realizing his sword was broken, Jayadratha leapt back six steps and in an instant found himself once more mounted upon his chariot. All the kings together closed in from every side around Karshni, Abhimanyu, who had broken free of the fight and taken his stand upon his splendid chariot. Then, brandishing shield and sword, the mighty heir of Arjuna gave out a war cry, his eyes fixed on Jayadratha. Leaving the king of Sindhu, Saubhadra, slayer of enemy heroes, scorched that host as the sun scorches the world.
8fd57be9d6f0 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:00:03 PM UTC
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Jayadratha's sword shatters against Abhimanyu's shield, and the enemy escapes only by leaping back six steps: where skill failed to prevail, the weapon itself gave way, and the attacker is forced to retreat. But the young hero's triumph is at once overshadowed: "all the kings together hemmed him in from every side" -- against one there rises a multitude, and in this his doom already takes shape. Abhimanyu scorches the host like the sun, at the very height of glory. The verse teaches that even the victor of a duel falls into the power of numbers once honest combat is replaced by sheer weight of men; that the brilliance of solitary valor draws the concerted assault of many; and that the story, showing the youth as a sun in glory, is already gathering the clouds around him that prepare his setting.