स तु तान् प्रतिविव्याध त्रिभिस् त्रिभिर् अजिह्मगैः ॥
नृत्यन्न् इव महाराज चापहस्तः प्रतापवान् ॥
ततो ऽभिमन्युः संक्रुद्धस् ताप्यमानस् तवात्मजैः ॥
विदर्शयन् वै सुमहच् छिक्षौरसकृतं बलम् ॥
गरुडानिलरंहोभिर् यन्तुर् वाक्यकरैर् हयैः ॥
दान्तैर् अश्मकदायादं त्वरमाणो ऽभ्यहारयत् ॥
विव्याध चैनं दशभिर् बाणैस् तिष्ठेति चाब्रवीत् ॥
sa tu tān prativivyādha tribhis tribhir ajihmagaiḥ ||
nṛtyann iva mahārāja cāpahastaḥ pratāpavān ||
tato 'bhimanyuḥ saṃkruddhas tāpyamānas tavātmajaiḥ ||
vidarśayan vai sumahac chikṣaurasakṛtaṃ balam ||
garuḍānilaraṃhobhir yantur vākyakarair hayaiḥ ||
dāntair aśmakadāyādaṃ tvaramāṇo 'bhyahārayat ||
vivyādha cainaṃ daśabhir bāṇais tiṣṭheti cābravīt ||
He struck them back in turn, three arrows each, with straight-flying shafts, as if in a dance, O great sovereign, valorous, bow in hand. Then Abhimanyu, enraged, tormented by your warriors, displaying his immense strength born of training and nature, swiftly charged at the heir of Ashmaka upon horses swift as Garuda and the wind, obedient to the charioteer's command, well-trained.
a756d3504304 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:22:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Wounded by a dozen men, the boy answers each of them "as if in a dance," bow in hand: supreme skill reveals itself as lightness, turning mortal combat into something like a dance. And his strength is "born of training and nature" — the union of diligent practice and innate gift. It is telling that suffering did not break him but kindled him to a new feat. The verse teaches that perfect mastery preserves lightness and grace even under the greatest strain, turning battle into art; that true strength is an alloy of labor and natural gift — neither complete without the other; and that the valorous, tormented by enemies, does not lose heart but grows in effort, turning pain itself into fuel for a new deed.