Abhimanyu, caught in Chakravyooha...

Abhimanyu is a tragic hero in the Hindu epic Mahabharatha. Born to Arjuna, the best archer and one amoung the Pandavas, and Subhadra, the half sister of Lord Krishna, Abhimanyu is said to be the partial incarnation of the Moon. Legend has it that he, if he had lived enough, would have eclipsed his father as an archer. However, the young lad met with one of the most tragic deaths in the battle of Kurukshethra between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

As an unborn child in his mother's womb, Abhimanyu learned the technique of entering the deadly and virtually impenetrable Chakravyooha from his uncle, Lord Krishna. It is said so that he overheard Lord Krishna discussing this with Subhadra from the womb. Lord Krishna explains to Subhadra in detail, the technique of attacking and escaping from various vyoohs (an array of army formation) such as Makaravyoha, Kurmavyooha, Sarpavyuha etc. After explaining all the vyoohs, he explains about the technique of cracking Chakravyooha, which is the most deadliest of all and the knowledge of escaping and cracking it is known only to the masters of war strategies like Krishna, Arjuna, Drona and Bhishma. Krishna tells how to enter the Chakryavyooha. When he was about to explain how to exit from it, he realised that Subadra had fallen asleep and stops explaining about it any further. As a result, the baby Abhimanyu in the womb did not get a chance to learn how to come out of it.

Abhimanyu spent his childhood in Dwaraka, his mother's city. He was trained by Pradyumna, the son of Lord Krishna, and by his great warrior father Arjuna, and brought up under the guidance of Krishna. His father arranged his marriage to Uttara, daughter of King Virata to seal an alliance between the Pandavas and the royal family of Virata, in light of the forthcoming Kurukshetra battle. The Pandavas had been hiding in-cognito to live through the final year of their exile without being discovered, in the Virata kingdom.

Being the grandson of Lord Indra, god of mystical weapons and wars, Abhimanyu was a courageous and dashing warrior. Considered an equal to his father owing to his prodigious feats, Abhimanyu was able to hold at bay great heroes like Drona, Karna, Duryodhana and Dushasana. He was praised for his audacious bravery and absolute loyalty to his father, his uncles and to their cause. Abhimanyu took part in the battle of Kurukshethra and killed important and powerful people such as Lakshman, the son of Duryodhana and Brihadbala, the king of Kosala of the Ikshwaku dynasty.

However on the 13th day of the battle Kauravas tried to threaten away the Pandavas with the Chakravyooha. Unfortunately Arjuna and Krishna were dragged into slaughtering the Kaurava army on another front and the Pandavas were left with no choice but to attempt to use the young and brave Abhimanyu, who had the knowledge on how to break into the formation but none whatsoever regarding how to break out of it. To make sure that Abhimanyu did not get trapped in this endeavour, the remaining Pandava brothers decided that they and their allies would also break into the formation along with Abhimanyu and assist the boy in breaking out of it. It is important to note that the plan hatched well after Arjuna and Krishna had been distracted away from the scene.

Using his knowledge of the Chakravyoovha, Abhimanyu successfully broke into the formation. The Pandava brothers and allies attempted to follow him inside the formation, but they were effectively cut off by Jayadratha, the Sindhu king, who made use of a boon from Lord Shiva that enabled him to hold off all Pandavas except Arjuna for a day. Abhimanyu was left to fend for himself against the entire Kaurava army.

Abhimanyu commanded his charioteer to lead his chariot towards Drona (the arms and artillery teacher to both the Pandavas and the Kauravas). The charioteer, thinking it was not wise to do so, raised objections and requested the sixteen-year-old to take time to think about it before he began the battle. He pointed out that Abhimanyu had grown up amidst great love and comforts and he was not a master of the battle arts as Drona was. Laughing aloud, Abhimanyu said to 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 to wage today does not bewilder me in the least. This entire army of enemies is not equal to one sixteenth of my power".

With no great joy in his mind, the charioteer took his master forward and Abhimanyu broke into the Chkravyooha . In a mighty battle that followed, he slaughtered ordinary enemy warriors and mighty heroes alike. Abhimanyu fought valiantly, single-handedly slaying several warriors who came in his way including Duryodhana's son Laxman. Among the others who were killed were Ashmaka’s son, Shalya's younger brother, Shalya’s son Rukmaratha, Drighalochana, Kundavedhi, Sushena, Vasatiya, Kratha and numerous other great warriors. He wounded Karna and made him flee, making Dushshasana faint in the battlefield such that he had to be carried off by others. Upon witnessing the death of his beloved son, Duryodhana was incensed and ordered the entire Kaurava force to attack Abhimanyu. Continually frustrated in attempts to pierce Abhimanyu's armor, Karna on Dronacharya's advice shattered Abhimanyu's bow by firing arrows from behind him. His chariot broke shortly after, the charioteer and horses were killed, and all his weapons were laid to waste. He attempted then to fight off the bow wielding warriors sitting on horses and elephants with a sword and using a chariot wheel as a shield. Dushasana's son engaged in fierce hand to hand combat with Abhimanyu. Ignoring all rules of war, the Kauravas army fought simultaneously with him. He held his own until his sword broke and the remaining chariot wheel shattered into pieces. Abhimanyu was killed shortly thereafter when Dushasana's son crushed his skull with a mace. However, Abhimanyu killed him with his own mace before dying.

It is also said that he was killed by Karna by stabbing him with his sword from the back which is another violation of the rules of conduct of the Mahabharata war. It is this act of Karna which Krishna narrated to Arjuna when Karna had requested Arjuna to stand by while he removed the wheels of his chariot which was stuck in mud during the battle. And shortly after this Arjuna beheaded Karna.

It is said that it is Abhimanyu's death that marked the end of adherence to the rules of war. Krishna cited the despicable manner in which Abhimanyu was killed to incite Arjuna to kill Karna who was Kaurava's best commander on field.

Abhimanyu is believed to be the reincarnation of Varchas, the son of the Moon God. When the Moon God was asked to let his son incarnate himself on earth by the other devas, he made a pact that his son will only remain on earth for 16 years as he could not bear to be separated from him. Abhimanyu was 16 years old when he died in the battle.

His son, Parikshit, born after his death, remains the sole survivor of the Kuru clan at the conclusion of the the great Kurukshethra battle, and carried on the Pandava lineage. Abhimanyu is often thought of as a very brave warrior on the Pandava side, willingly giving up his life in the battle at a very young age.