स तथा पीड्यमानस् तु राधेयेनास्त्रवृष्टिभिः ॥
समरे ऽमरसंकाशः सौभद्रो न व्यषीदत ॥
ततः शिलाशितैस् तीक्ष्णैर् भल्लैः संनतपर्वभिः ॥
छित्त्वा धनूंषि शूराणाम् आर्जुनिः कर्णम् आर्दयत् ॥
स ध्वजं कार्मुकं चास्य छित्त्वा भूमौ न्यपातयत् ॥
sa tathā pīḍyamānas tu rādheyenāstravṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
samare 'marasaṃkāśaḥ saubhadro na vyaṣīdata ||
tataḥ śilāśitais tīkṣṇair bhallaiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ ||
chittvā dhanūṃṣi śūrāṇām ārjuniḥ karṇam ārdayat ||
sa dhvajaṃ kārmukaṃ cāsya chittvā bhūmau nyapātayat ||
Though so harried by Radheya with showers of weapon-spells in battle, the godlike son of Subhadra did not waver. Then, having severed the bows of the warriors with sharp, stone-whetted, well-fashioned bhalla-arrows, the son of Arjuna pressed Karna hard.
6ef0d9553579 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:22:09 PM UTC
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Even under Karna's storm of weapon-spells the boy 'did not waver' — the steadfastness of the godlike cannot be broken even by the mightiest. More than that, he himself presses Karna, cutting down the bows of his companions. Here the outer limit of valor is made manifest: not merely to withstand the greatest, but to overcome him. It is telling that the tradition calls the boy 'godlike' — the measure of his spirit is no longer human. The verse teaches that true steadfastness does not lose heart even under the onslaught of the mightiest, turning defense into offense; that greatness of spirit is measured not by whether one is pressed, but by whether one wavers; and that Abhimanyu, unbroken by Karna himself and pressing him in turn, shows that height at which wounds of the body and superior numbers no longer hold power over an unshaken will.