Lakshman Rao U
The united might of assembled kings, resolved upon the destruction of Abhimanyu, advanced with their fourfold armies like the ceaseless and successive waves of the ocean. Their war-cries thundered through the firmament, proclaiming with cruel certainty that this would be the final day of the youthful warrior upon earth. Bows were drawn to their fullest…
Sanjaya, addressing Dhritarashtra, spoke with grave intensity: “O King, listen with a steady mind. The Pandavas, impelled by urgency to rescue the valiant Abhimanyu, advanced with irresistible force, cleaving through your armies and casting the resources of the Kauravas into confusion and despair. The warriors of Panchalas, Yadavas, Pandyas, Kekayas, and Matsyas, along with King…
The valour of Abhimanyu upon the battlefield, so nobly acknowledged by Dronacharya, stirred not admiration but concealed resentment in the heart of Duryodhana. Though his countenance bore a strained smile, its pallor betrayed the unrest within. Addressing the assembled warriors—Karna, Bhurisrava, and Shalya—he spoke with veiled scorn. He declared that Drona, preceptor to all who…
Dronacharya, beholding the peril that pressed upon Duryodhana, raised his commanding voice and declared that the prince stood within the fierce sight of Abhimanyu. He urged the assembled warriors to hasten without delay, to support their lord with unwavering skill, and to restrain the youthful hero by every means at their command. He enjoined them…
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, filled with anxious curiosity, addressed Sañjaya directly and said, “Tell me, how did so many seasoned warriors assail that youthful hero?” Sañjaya replied with composed gravity that Droṇa had arrayed the army in the formidable Padma-vyūha, a circular formation resembling a lotus of many layered petals. In each petal stood kings of varied prowess,…
Karna, steadfast in purpose and armed with a design of assured destruction, advanced against Arjuna and discharged the celestial Varunastra with commanding force. Arjuna, endowed with equal divine composure, met the weapon with the same sacred missile and rendered it powerless, dissolving the fury of Karna’s assault. Thereupon, Arjuna, accompanied by Satyaki, Dhrishtadyumna, and Bhima,…
Arjuna, beholding the descent of the sanctified weapon hurled by Bhagadatta, was at once shielded by Krishna, who stood before him in serene majesty. From the standpoint of war-code and royal etiquette, such an act appeared extraordinary; yet the deeper truth lay beyond such conventions. Krishna, with gentle firmness, enlightened Arjuna, revealing that in ancient…
Sanjaya spoke, recounting to Dhritarashtra the stirring movements of that day’s battle, wherein Arjuna, beholding the dreadful sport of death enacted by Bhagadatta’s colossal elephant Suprateeka, turned to Krishna with grave urgency. He declared that the army must be swiftly pierced, for the elephant, tireless and indomitable, possessed the strength to rend entire divisions and…
found ready accord among the Kaurava ranks; they gathered steadily, even as the wind, rising by degrees, draws together scattered wood into a single blaze. Meanwhile, the Pandava forces, gathering strength and spirit, advanced with increasing momentum toward their destined field. Dharmaraja rode upon a chariot drawn by white steeds, fair as swans, its banner…
The advance of Dronacharya was terrible to behold, his gait swift and unrelenting, resembling a fierce demon rushing upon a multitude of helpless prey. His very movement spread dread and foreboding across the field, for all knew his unyielding resolve—to seize Dharmaraja and bring the conflict to its decisive turn. Meanwhile, the son of Dharma,…
