Previous life The
Sambhava Parva of the
Adi Parva narrates the reason behind Abhimanyu's birth and his early demise. It was once proposed at a meeting of the gods that Varchas, the son of the lunar god
Soma, take on the earthly form of Abhimanyu and aid in the annihilation of evil men. Soma, who was unwilling to give up his son, accepted to their proposal only on the condition that Varchas would come back to him once he (as Abhimanyu) became sixteen. Arjuna taught Abhimanyu the strategy for breaking into
chakravyuha, a formidable military structure that resembled a
labyrinth of several defensive walls. Abhimanyu was one of the four warriors who knew this skill, according to
Yudhishthira.
Marriage Abhimanyu's marriage is narrated in the
Virata Parva, the fourth book of the epic. The Pandavas had to live secretly and avoid being discovered during the final year of their exile. The Pandavas stayed in the kingdom of
Matsya in disguise and served its ruler
Virata. The king's daughter,
Uttarā, was taught dancing and music by Arjuna, who pretended to be a eunuch named Brihannala. When their year of disguise came to an end and the Pandavas' true identities were revealed, Virata asked Arjuna to marry Uttarā. However, Arjuna declined because he had served as her teacher during that time. Instead, he put forward the idea of Uttara and Abhimanyu being married. The marriage ceremony was held in the city of
Upaplavya. The
Bhishma Parva contains a thorough account of the battles fought during the first eleven days of the war, when Bhishma served as the Kaurava side's commander. Abhimanyu first engaged in combat with
Brihatbala, the king of
Kosala, on the first day. Later, during a terrible battle with Bhishma, Abhimanyu broke Bhishma's flagstaff. He engaged in combat alongside
Lakshmana, son of Duryodhana, on the second day. He then occupied a position in the semi-circular phalanx Arjuna had built, known as the Ardha Chandra Vyuha. He also fought the Gandharas ferociously and when he invaded
Shalya, the Magadha king
Jayatsena and his elephant were slaughtered. After assisting Bhima in battle, Abhimanyu went on to defeat Lakshmana once more. Additionally,
Vikarna, Chitrasena, and other Kaurava brothers were vanquished by Abhimanyu. Later, he assumed his place in the Shringataka Vyuha built by
Dhrishtadyumna, the commander of the Pandava side. Abhimanyu also defeated
Ambashtha and
Alambusha. He then engaged in combat with Sudishna, Duryodhana, and Brihatbala. After Bhishma was defeated on the eleventh day,
Drona—who had formerly been both the Pandavas' and the Kauravas' teacher—was named the new leader of the Kaurava side. After a lacklustre performance on the twelfth day, Duryodhana reprimanded him and reminded him of his vow to vanquish the Pandavas. Drona made the decision to start the
chakravyuha after feeling embarrassed. As Arjuna was skilled in chakravyuha defence, he requested Duryodhana to divert Arjuna. On the thirteenth day, Arjuna was detoured to the south by
Samsaptakas. The army of Kauravas, led by
Dronacharya, then arranged themselves in the array of Chakravyuha. The
maharathis such as Drona,
Karna,
Shalya,
Kripa,
Ashvatthama, Duryodhana,
Jayadratha,
Duhshasana and
Bhurishrava formed the wheel formation, guarded by millions of soldiers. The Pandava forces advanced to engage in combat, but all were forced back by Drona's lethal arrows. As one of the few people who was capable of entering the chakravyuha, Abhimanyu was given the task by Yudhisthira. Abhimanyu reminded Yudhishthira that he didn't know the escape from the formation, but Yudhishthira persuaded him that their warriors were following him to help in case of fatal danger. Abhimanyu then commanded his charioteer, Sumitra, to head for Drona, while Pandavas trailed behind him. The Kaurava soldiers attacked Abhimanyu, but he cut through their formidable defence and tore it apart. Then formidable Kaurava warriors challenged him. In separate battles, Abhimanyu defeated Duryodhana, Dushashana, Drona, Ashvathama, Karna, Shakuni. He also slew numerous enemy warriors, including the son of King
Asmaka, the brothers of Shalya, Rukmaratha,
Lakshmana, Vrindaka,
Brihatbala, Asvaketu, and the Bhoja prince Martikavata. Duryodhana, outraged at his son's murder, instructed Drona to alter the original plan to assassinate Abhimanyu. The Pandavas forces were stopped by Jayadratha, who ultimately vanquished all four of them, leaving Abhimanyu all by himself.
Shakuni, Duryodhana's infamous uncle, devised a strategy to attack him simultaneously that violated the rules of war. Abhimanyu was immediately assailed by the six
maharathis—
Duryodhan,
Dushasan,
Dronacharya,
Kripacharya,
Karna and
Shakuni. They demolished his chariot, killed the horses of his chariot, broke his weapons, and shot him with numerous arrows. He continued to fight using a chariot wheel even though he was exhausted and hopeless at this point, killing numerous
Gandhara soldiers. A blow to the head from Dushashana's son ultimately caused him to succumb to his wounds and he died as a hero. ==In derivative works==