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by Jayaram V
Abhimanyu was the son the Arjuna and Subhadra. He was a great
warrior, who
acquired the knowledge of strategic warfare from his
father Arjuna and his maternal uncle Sri Krishna. He overheard the
conversation between his mother and her brother Lord Krishna about an
advanced battle formation known as Chakravyuha, whist he was still in
the womb of his mother Subhadra, and grasped the secret of advancing
through it successfully. Unfortunately he could not listen to the
latter part of the conversation in which Sri Krishna explained to his
sister how to emerge out of it successfully.
On the 13th day of the
epic Mahabharata war, the Kauravas decided to engage the Pandavas with
a Chakravyuha, planning at the same time to keep Arjuna busy on
another front with the help of some gifted warriors. Arjuna alone had
the knowledge of dealing with the Chakravyuha, but as he was busy,
Abhimanyu came to the rescue of the Pandavas and entered the battle
formation all alone, although he knew only how to enter into it. So
great was his valor on that day that eminent warriors like Dronacharya,
Duryodhana and Dussasana on the Kauravay's side could not stand
against him. Unable to face him
directly, they resorted to treachery.
They surrounded him from all sides and broke his bow by shooting
arrows from behind. Then they engaged him from all sides and killed
him in the most gruesome manner by smashing his head. Angered by the
unjust manner in which he was killed, the next day Arjuna avenged the
death of his son by unleashing a reign of terror on the Kaurava army
and slaying thousands of enemy warriors.
In many ways the death of
Abhimanyu was a turning point in the Mahabharata war. It changed the
mindset of the Pandavas and made any chance of reconciliation
impossible. The manner in which he was killed amplified the animosity
and vengefulness between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. It exposed the
character flaws of many elderly statesmen on the Kaurava's side and
made the Pandavas rethink about their rules of engagement. Henceforth
what mattered most was not how the war was fought but who was killed,
so much so that it led to the unjust killing of Bhisma, Dronacharya,
Karna, Asvaththama and even Duryodhana by the Pandavas. At the end of
the Mahabharata war, Abhimanyu's son Parikshit was the sole survivor
of the Kuru clan and eventually succeeded Yudhishtir to the throne of
Hasthinapur. In the epic Mahabhara, Abhimanyu exemplies many virtues,
such as courage, righteousness, selflessness, respect for elders and
love for one's family.
Suggested Further Reading
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