Abhimanyu Against the Six Great Warriors

Verse 1 (7.47.1)

तथा प्रविष्टं तरुणं सौभद्रमपराजितम् । कुलानुरूपं कुर्वाणं सङ्ग्रामेष्वपराजितम् ॥

tathā praviṣṭaṃ taruṇaṃ saubhadramaparājitam | kulānurūpaṃ kurvāṇaṃ saṅgrāmeṣvaparājitam

The young son of Subhadra, unconquered, had entered thus, doing what befitted his family and never defeated in battles —

Verse 2 (7.47.2)

आजानेयैः सुबलिभिर्यान्तमश्वैस्त्रिहायनैः । प्लवमानमिवाकाशे के शूराः समवारयन् ॥

ājāneyaiḥ subalibhiryāntamaśvaistrihāyanaiḥ | plavamānamivākāśe ke śūrāḥ samavārayan

as he went on with his well-bred, powerful three-year-old horses, as if leaping through the sky: which heroes stopped him?

Verse 3 (7.47.3)

अभिमन्युः प्रविश्यैतांस्तावकान्निशितैः शरैः । अकरोत्पार्थिवान्सर्वान्विमुखान्पाण्डुनन्दनः ॥

abhimanyuḥ praviśyaitāṃstāvakānniśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | akarotpārthivānsarvānvimukhānpāṇḍunandanaḥ

Entering among your men, Abhimanyu, the Pandava, with his sharp arrows made all those kings turn away from the fight.

Verse 4 (7.47.4)

तं तु द्रोणः कृपः कर्णो द्रौणिश्च सबृहद्बलः । कृतवर्मा च हार्दिक्यः षड्रथाः पर्यवारयन् ॥

taṃ tu droṇaḥ kṛpaḥ karṇo drauṇiśca sabṛhadbalaḥ | kṛtavarmā ca hārdikyaḥ ṣaḍrathāḥ paryavārayan

But Drona, Kripa, Karna, Drona's son, Brihadbala, and Kritavarman, the son of Hridika — these six chariot-warriors surrounded him.

Verse 5 (7.47.5)

दृष्ट्वा तु सैन्धवे भारमतिमात्रं समाहितम् । सैन्यं तव महाराज युधिष्ठिरमुपाद्रवत् ॥

dṛṣṭvā tu saindhave bhāramatimātraṃ samāhitam | sainyaṃ tava mahārāja yudhiṣṭhiramupādravat

Seeing the exceedingly great burden that had been laid upon the king of the Sindhus, your army, O great king, rushed against Yudhishthira.

Verse 6 (7.47.6)

सौभद्रमितरे वीरमभ्यवर्षञ्शराम्बुभिः । तालमात्राणि चापानि विकर्षन्तो महाबलाः ॥

saubhadramitare vīramabhyavarṣañśarāmbubhiḥ | tālamātrāṇi cāpāni vikarṣanto mahābalāḥ

The others, mighty warriors, showered the heroic son of Subhadra with torrents of arrows, drawing back bows as long as palm trees.

Verse 7 (7.47.7)

तांस्तु सर्वान्महेष्वासान्सर्वविद्यासु निष्ठितान् । व्यष्टम्भयद्रणे बाणैः सौभद्रः परवीरहा ॥

tāṃstu sarvānmaheṣvāsānsarvavidyāsu niṣṭhitān | vyaṣṭambhayadraṇe bāṇaiḥ saubhadraḥ paravīrahā

But the son of Subhadra, slayer of enemy heroes, stopped in their tracks with his arrows all those great archers, who were masters of every science.

Note on the text: Corrected व्यदृष्टम्भयद् → व्यष्टम्भयद् (misprint in Wikisource; an extra दृ crept in; the critical edition reads vyaṣṭambhayat).

Verse 8 (7.47.8)

द्रोणं पञ्चाशताविध्यद्विंशत्या च बृहद्बलम् । अशीत्या कृतवर्माणं कृपं षष्ट्या शिलीमुखैः ॥

droṇaṃ pañcāśatāvidhyadviṃśatyā ca bṛhadbalam | aśītyā kṛtavarmāṇaṃ kṛpaṃ ṣaṣṭyā śilīmukhaiḥ

He pierced Drona with fifty arrows, Brihadbala with twenty, Kritavarman with eighty, and Kripa with sixty shilimukha arrows.

Verse 9 (7.47.9)

रुक्मपुङ्खैर्महावेगैराकर्णसमचोदितैः । अविध्यद्दशभिर्बाणैरश्वत्थामानमार्जुनिः ॥

rukmapuṅkhairmahāvegairākarṇasamacoditaiḥ | avidhyaddaśabhirbāṇairaśvatthāmānamārjuniḥ

With ten swift, gold-feathered arrows, drawn back to the ear and loosed, Arjuna's son pierced Ashvatthama.

Verse 10 (7.47.10)

कर्णं च कर्णिना कर्णे पीतेन च शितेन च । फाल्गुनिर्द्विषतां मध्ये विव्याध परमेषुणा ॥

karṇaṃ ca karṇinā karṇe pītena ca śitena ca | phālgunirdviṣatāṃ madhye vivyādha parameṣuṇā

In the midst of his foes, Phalguni's son pierced Karna in the ear with a barbed arrow, yellow and sharp — a supreme shaft.

Verse 11 (7.47.11)

पातयित्वा कृपस्याश्वांस्तथोभौ पार्ष्णिसारथी । अथैनं दशभिर्बाणैः प्रत्यविध्यत्स्तनान्तरे ॥

pātayitvā kṛpasyāśvāṃstathobhau pārṣṇisārathī | athainaṃ daśabhirbāṇaiḥ pratyavidhyatstanāntare

Having brought down Kripa's horses and both of his rear-guard charioteers, he then struck back at him with ten arrows between the breasts.

Verse 12 (7.47.12)

ततो बृन्दारकं वीरं कुरूणां कीर्तिवर्धनम् । पुत्राणां तव वीराणां पश्यतामवधीद्बली ॥

tato bṛndārakaṃ vīraṃ kurūṇāṃ kīrtivardhanam | putrāṇāṃ tava vīrāṇāṃ paśyatāmavadhīdbalī

Then, while your heroic sons looked on, the mighty one slew the hero Vrindaraka, who increased the fame of the Kurus.

Verse 13 (7.47.13)

तं द्रौणिः पञ्चविंशत्या क्षुद्रकाणां समार्पयत् । वरंवरममित्राणामारुजन्तमभीतवत् ॥

taṃ drauṇiḥ pañcaviṃśatyā kṣudrakāṇāṃ samārpayat | varaṃvaramamitrāṇāmārujantamabhītavat

As he, fearless, was bringing down the best of his enemies one after another, Drona's son struck at him with twenty-five arrows of the kshudraka kind.

Verse 14 (7.47.14)

स तु बाणैः शितैस्तूर्णं प्रत्यविध्यत मारिष । पश्यतां धार्तराष्ट्राणामश्वत्थामानमार्जुनिः ॥

sa tu bāṇaiḥ śitaistūrṇaṃ pratyavidhyata māriṣa | paśyatāṃ dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāmaśvatthāmānamārjuniḥ

Arjuna's son, O lord, quickly struck Ashvatthama back with sharp arrows, as the Dhartarashtras looked on.

Verse 15 (7.47.15)

षष्ट्या शराणां तं द्रौणिस्तिग्मधारैः सुतेजनैः । उग्रैर्नाकम्पयद्विद्ध्वा मैनाकमिव पर्वतम् ॥

ṣaṣṭyā śarāṇāṃ taṃ drauṇistigmadhāraiḥ sutejanaiḥ | ugrairnākampayadviddhvā mainākamiva parvatam

Drona's son pierced him with sixty keen, fierce arrows of fine temper, but could not shake him, any more than one can shake the Mainaka mountain.

Verse 16 (7.47.16)

स तु द्रौणिं त्रिसप्तत्या हेमपुङ्खैरजिह्मगैः । प्रत्यविध्यन्महातेजा बलवानपकारिणम् ॥

sa tu drauṇiṃ trisaptatyā hemapuṅkhairajihmagaiḥ | pratyavidhyanmahātejā balavānapakāriṇam

And that mighty and greatly radiant hero pierced his assailant in return with seventy-three straight-flying, gold-feathered arrows.

Note on the text: Corrected हेमपुङ्घैर → हेमपुङ्खैर (misprint in Wikisource; ङ्घ for ङ्ख; the critical edition reads hemapuṅkhair).

Verse 17 (7.47.17)

तस्मिन्द्रोणो बाणशतं पुत्रगृद्धी न्यपातयत् । अश्वत्थामा तथाऽष्टौ च परीप्सन्पितरं रणे ॥

tasmindroṇo bāṇaśataṃ putragṛddhī nyapātayat | aśvatthāmā tathā'ṣṭau ca parīpsanpitaraṃ raṇe

Drona, anxious for his son, let fall a hundred arrows upon him, and Ashvatthama eight more, wishing to protect his father in the battle.

Verse 18 (7.47.18)

कर्णो द्वाविंशतिं भल्लान्कृतवर्मा च विंशतिम् । बृहद्बलस्तु पञ्चाशत्कृपः शारद्वतो दश ॥

karṇo dvāviṃśatiṃ bhallānkṛtavarmā ca viṃśatim | bṛhadbalastu pañcāśatkṛpaḥ śāradvato daśa

Karna shot twenty-two broad-headed arrows, Kritavarman twenty, Brihadbala fifty, and Kripa, the son of Sharadvan, ten.

Verse 19 (7.47.19)

तांस्तु प्रत्यवधीत्सर्वान्दशभिर्दशभिः शरैः । तैरर्द्यमानः सौभद्रः सर्वतो निशितैः शरैः ॥

tāṃstu pratyavadhītsarvāndaśabhirdaśabhiḥ śaraiḥ | tairardyamānaḥ saubhadraḥ sarvato niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ

He struck back at every one of them with ten arrows apiece. But as the son of Subhadra was being battered on all sides by their sharp arrows —

Verse 20 (7.47.20)

तं कोसलानामधिपः कर्णिनाऽताडयद्धृदि । स तस्याश्वान्ध्वजं चापं सूतं चापातयत्क्षितौ ॥

taṃ kosalānāmadhipaḥ karṇinā'tāḍayaddhṛdi | sa tasyāśvāndhvajaṃ cāpaṃ sūtaṃ cāpātayatkṣitau

the lord of the Kosalas struck him in the chest with a barbed arrow; and Abhimanyu brought down to the earth that king's horses, banner, bow, and charioteer.

Verse 21 (7.47.21)

अथ कोसलराजस्तु विरथः खड्गचर्मधृत् । इयेष फाल्गुनेः कायाच्छिरो हर्तुं सकुण्डलम् ॥

atha kosalarājastu virathaḥ khaḍgacarmadhṛt | iyeṣa phālguneḥ kāyācchiro hartuṃ sakuṇḍalam

Then the king of Kosala, now chariotless and bearing sword and shield, wished to cut off Phalguni's son's head, with its earrings, from his body.

Note on the text: Corrected खङ्ग्रचर्म → खड्गचर्म (misprint in Wikisource; garbled spelling; the critical edition reads khaḍgacarma).

Verse 22 (7.47.22)

स कोसलानामधिपं राजपुत्रं बृहद्बलम् । हृदि विव्याध बाणेन स भिन्नहृदयोऽपतत् ॥

sa kosalānāmadhipaṃ rājaputraṃ bṛhadbalam | hṛdi vivyādha bāṇena sa bhinnahṛdayo'patat

But Abhimanyu pierced the lord of the Kosalas, the prince Brihadbala, in the heart with an arrow, and with his heart split he fell.

Note on the text: Corrected वाणेन → बाणेन (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब; the critical edition reads bāṇena).

Verse 23 (7.47.23)

बभञ्ज च सहस्राणि दश राज्ञां महात्मनाम् । सृजतामशिवा वाचः खड्गकार्मुकधारिणाम् ॥

babhañja ca sahasrāṇi daśa rājñāṃ mahātmanām | sṛjatāmaśivā vācaḥ khaḍgakārmukadhāriṇām

He also shattered ten thousand noble kings, bearers of sword and bow, as they uttered ill-omened cries.

Note on the text: Corrected खङ्गकार्मुक → खड्गकार्मुक (misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads khaḍgakārmuka).

Verse 24 (7.47.24)

तथा बृहद्बलं हत्वा सौभद्रो व्यचरद्रणे । व्यष्टम्भयन्महेष्वासो योधांस्तव शराम्बुभिः ॥

tathā bṛhadbalaṃ hatvā saubhadro vyacaradraṇe | vyaṣṭambhayanmaheṣvāso yodhāṃstava śarāmbubhiḥ

Having thus slain Brihadbala, the great archer Saubhadra roamed the battlefield, halting your warriors with showers of arrows.