Abhimanyu- Hindu HeroHero"Son of Arjuna"

Divine Lineage

Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, Krishna's sister. He was also the incarnation of Varchas, the son of the moon god Soma, who had been granted permission to spend only sixteen years on earth before returning to his father. He married Uttara, the princess of Virata, shortly before the great war began.

Knowledge from the Womb

While still in Subhadra's womb, Abhimanyu overheard Arjuna explaining to his mother the technique for penetrating the Chakravyuha, the deadly spiral battle formation. Subhadra fell asleep before Arjuna could describe the method of exiting the formation. Abhimanyu was born knowing how to break into the Chakravyuha but not how to escape it.

The Thirteenth Day

On the thirteenth day of the Kurukshetra War, Drona formed the Chakravyuha to capture Yudhishthira while Arjuna was drawn away by a diversionary battle. No Pandava warrior except Arjuna knew how to breach the formation. Except the sixteen-year-old Abhimanyu. Despite knowing he could not exit, he volunteered to break it open so the Pandava forces could follow him through. He pierced the outer rings with devastating skill, routing warriors many times his age.

Death in the Formation

Once Abhimanyu entered, Jayadratha sealed the breach behind him using a boon from Shiva, preventing any Pandava from following. Trapped alone inside the Chakravyuha, Abhimanyu fought against Drona, Karna, and five other warriors simultaneously. When his bow was broken and his chariot destroyed, he fought on with a chariot wheel as a weapon. The Kaurava warriors violated the rules of war by attacking him together, and the young hero was finally overwhelmed and killed. Arjuna swore to kill Jayadratha before the next day's sunset, or enter the fire himself.