The great Indian epic, Mahabharata is full of stories of valour and fearlessness, but nothing is more inspiring than the story of Abhimanyu. Who was Abhimanyu? What is the story of Abhimanyu? What did he do because of which he is famous? Read on to know more about one of the most fascinating and inspiring characters of the Mahabharata.

The Bravery of Abhimanyu – Stories From The Mahabharata

Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and Subhadra. After the marriage of the Pandavas with Draupadi, Arjun married Subhadra as his second wife. Subhadra was the sister of Krishna. Abhimanyu was born of the marriage of Arjuna and Subhadra. Abhimanyu stayed with his mother and was brought up by her, as his father Arjuna along with his brothers and Draupadi were in exile. After the exile was over and Arjuna returned, Abhimanyu was married to Uttara, the daughter of King Virata.

The Story Of Abhimanyu – Legend of A Brave Warrior

According to Hindu mythology, Abhimanyu is believed to have been an incarnation of Varchas who was the son of Chandra (Moon). Legend has it that once Krishna and Subhadra were discussing military strategy and warfare. At that time Subhadra was pregnant with Abhimanyu. It is believed that Abhimanyu while in his mother’s womb heard the discussion.

The Story Of Abhimanyu – Chakravyuha | Abhimanyu Chakravyuh 

The Chakravyuha is a special formation of soldiers used in warfare. It is such that it is very difficult to breach, and only very few warriors had the ability to penetrate the defensive wall of the Chakravyuha. Now, it so happened, that when Krishna and Subhadra were discussing military warfare strategy and formations, Abhimanyu was listening from his mother’s womb.

Krishna explained in detail about the Chakravyuha formation and how to penetrate it. Abhimanyu listened with rapt attention to the technique of piercing the enemy’s defences when they were arranged in the Chakravyuha formation. However, the conversation between Krishna and Subhadra ended without discussing how to exit the Chakravyuha formation.

The Story Of Abhimanyu – The Kurukshetra War

The Kurukshetra war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas raged fiercely for 12 days. On the 13th day, the Kauravas work out a strategy to capture and kill Yudhishtra, the eldest of the Pandavas. They believe that with this action the war would end soon, and victory would be theirs. With this end in mind, they decide to arrange their army in the impenetrable Chakravvyuha formation and trap Yudhishtra.

The knowledge of breaching the Chakravyuha was known only to Arjuna, Krishna, and Pradyumna. However, Pradyumna was not taking part in the war and was away on a pilgrimage with his uncle Balarama. So the Kauravas drew Arjuna to a remote part of the battlefield and engaged him there. Krishna was his charioteer and went with him. The Chakravyuha was formed in the centre of the battlefield.

The Story Of Abhimanyu – Breaching The Chakravyuh in Mahabharata

Abhimanyu remembered the details of breaching the Chakravyuha, that he had heard while in his mother’s womb. The young warrior had shown remarkable bravery in the war, fighting alongside the Pandavas, and he decided to enter the Chakravyuha. Aware of the fact that he did not know how to come out of the Chakravyuha, the Pandava brothers follow him.

However, they are challenged and obstructed near the entrance of the Chakravyuha itself. The lone Abhimanyu enters the inner layer of the Chakravyuha, killing many Kaurava warriors, and reaching the centre. Here the Kauravas resort to treachery and surround him on all sides.

The Story Of Abhimanyu – The Dead End | Abhimanyu Vadh

The valiant Abhimanyu was outnumbered and pinned on all sides. He fought fiercely, but was alone and had no help. He did not know how to get out of the Chakravyuha. After waging a lone and fierce battle, Abhimanyu was killed with a mace by Drumasena, the son of Dushasana. The brave Abhimanyu had fought valiantly till his last breadth.

The Story Of Abhimanyu – Moral Of The Story

The bravery and fearlessness of Abhimanyu are definitely an inspiration to all. However, the moral of this story is that “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” or, “Half knowledge can be dangerous.”

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