Abhimanyu

In the Mahabharata, the later of the two
great Hindu epics, Abhimanyu is one of
Arjuna’s sons by his wife, Subhadra.
Abhimanyu is known as a great warrior
who fights with valor in the
Mahabharata war. As he fights in battle,
he enters the enemy’s chakravyuha
formation, a battle array that is widely
believed to be virtually impenetrable.
According to tradition, Arjuna is one of
the few people who knows how to
2
Abhimanyu
Dancers performing in the Kathak style. Most Kathak performances include dances in the abhinaya genre,
in which performers use dance to act out a story from religious literature.
counter the chakravyuha. While
Abhimanyu was in his mother’s womb,
he heard his father describe how to
penetrate it. Once Abhimanyu is in,
however, he realizes that he does not
know how to get out, and although he
kills a great number of the enemy, he is
eventually slain.