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79.ABHIMANYU
"Here is one greater in valor than Arjuna,"
they thought and began to lose heart.
Like a young lion on a herd of elephants,
Abhimanyu rushed on. There was a ripple
in the Kaurava ranks which bent under his
headlong onslaught.
The bend soon became a break and under
Drona's very eyes, the formation was
breached and Abhimanyu entered. But the
breach closed under the inspiration of
Jayadratha, king of the Sindhus, before
the other Pandava warriors could force
their way in according to plan and
Abhimanyu was alone!
Kaurava warriors opposed him, but they
fell like moths in the fire, one after
another. Abhimanyu's shafts searched the
weak points in the armor of his enemies.
And the bodies of soldiers lay strewn on
the field like Kusa grass on the sacrificial
platform.
Bows, arrows, swords, shields, javelins,
pieces of harness, chaiot canopies, axes,
maces, spears, whips, conchs, along with
severed heads and limbs of slain warriors,
covered the field.
Seeing the destruction wrought by
Abhimanyu, Duryodhana was wroth and
rushed in person to oppose the youthful
warrior. Drona, having leant that the king
himself was engaged in battle with
Abhimanyu, became anxious and sent
veterans to protect Duryodhana.
With great difficulty, they managed to
rescue the king from the boy-hero who
greatly disappointed at the escape of
Duryodhana, vented his anger on the
warriors that had come to rescue him and
put them to headlong flight.
Then, throwing away all sense of shame
and chivalry, a large number of veteran
warriors made a combined and
simultaneous attack on the hero, who
found himself alone, surrounded by
enemies on all sides. But, even as on all
sides a rock receives the rising tide of the
sea, Arjuna's son withstood this united
ouslaught.
Drona, Aswatthama, Kripa, Karna,
Sakuni, Salya and many other great
warriors in their chariots, equipped with
all arms, surged in attack on the young
hero, only to be dashed back, baffled and
broken.
Asmaka rode his chariot at great speed
against Abhimanyu's. But smiling,
Abhimanyu sent his shafts and disposed
of him in no time. Karna's armor was
pierced.
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