Abhimanyu - IV

 
The Kurukshetra - Contd :
 
When Abhimanyu commands his charioteer to lead his chariot towards Drona, the man is not happy to do so and raises objections. He requests the sixteen-year-old to take time to think about it before he begins the battle. He points out that Abhimanyu has grown up amidst great love and comforts and he is not a master of the battle arts as Drona is. Laughing aloud, he tells his charioteer: “What is this Drona or even the entire world of kshatriyas to me? I can fight Indra himself, mounted on his Airavata, along with all the gods! Why, I can fight in a battle even Lord Rudra himself, to whom the entire world of beings pays homage! This battle that I am going wage today does not bewilder me in the least.”
 
In the mighty battle that follows with relentless ferocity for hours on end, he slaughters ordinary enemy warriors and mighty heroes alike, even as a whirlwind pulls up by their roots tiny bushes as well as mighty trees on its path. Among those killed are Duryodhana’s son Lakshmana, Karna’s younger brother, Ashmaka’s son, Shalya’s younger brother, Shalya’s son Rukmaratha, Drighalochana, Kundavedhi, Sushena, Vasatiya, Kratha and numerous other great warriors. He wounds Karna and makes him flee, makes Dushshasana faint in the battlefield so that he has to be carried off by others. Almost the entire army of the Kauravas is routed by the adolescent Abhimanyu and such is the terror unleashed by him that at one stage eight mighty warriors all together pounce upon him: Drona, Ashwatthama, Brihadbala, Kripa, Duryodhana, Karna, Kritavarma and Shakuni. They are joined by others. All of them together, though, prove no match to Abhimanyu, making us wonder if his arrogant words to his charioteer as he ordered him to drive his chariot toward Drona were after all true. Brihatbala is killed, along with Ashwaketu, Bhoja, Vrindaraka and numerous others. 

The Kurukshetra - Contd :
 
The Kauravas now take counsel among themselves. Drona tells them, with great pride in his words and a broad smile on his lips, that Abhimanyu cannot be vanquished in a direct battle even by all the gods and the Asuras together. Destroy his weapons, destroy his chariot, kill his protectors, and then they would be able to slay him. Accordingly, six maharathis together attack him now, against all rules of righteous battle, and attacking him simultaneously, Karna severs his bow, Kritavarma kills his horses, Kripa his protectors. As Abhimanyu, now without his chariot and bow, begins battling them with his sword and shield, Drona destroys the shield. Now it is with a shining wheel that Abhimanyu attacks the mighty warriors, resembling Sri Krishna, his body now bathed in blood. All the warriors together destroy his wheel, and then Abhimanyu takes up a mace and attacks them. Eventually the peerless hero falls to a strike on the head from the mace of the son of Dushshasana.
 
During the course of the battle, he killed approximately 10,000 soldiers, horsemen, and elephant-men. He killed the following Maharathis :
King of Asmaka
Sushena
Drighalochana
Kundavedhin
The younger brother of Salya
Younger brother of Karna (younger son of Radha)
Vasatiya
Rukmaratha, son of Salya
Lakshmana, son of Duryodhana
King of Kratha
Vrindaraka
Vrihadvala, King of Kosala
Six of Karna's counsellors
Son of the ruler of the Magadhas
Bhoja prince of Martikavata
Satrunjaya,
Chandraketu,
Mahamegba
Suvarchas,
Suryabhasa
Suvala's son, Kalikeya
The following Maharathis fought and were wounded by Abhimanyu and forced to turn away or lost consciousness for a short period of time before resuming the battle:
Karna
Salya
Duhsasana
Vrishasena
Duryodhana.

This will be the last post on Abhimanyu for today. A post or two on Abhimanyu will be posted sometime soon.
Hope you got atleast a BIT INSPIRED by Abhimanyu.

- Abhimanyu