| Abhimanyu | |
|---|---|
 Abhimanyu fighting with a chariot wheel after his weapons were shattered by enemy troops, illustration by Pratap Mullick, c. 1970 | |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | Kshatriya, Kuru Descendant |
| Weapon | Bow and arrows, sword |
| Family | |
| Spouse | Uttarā[a] |
| Children | Parikshit (from Uttara) |
| Relatives | Paternal uncles Maternal uncles Half-brothers Paternal Cousins |
Abhimanyu (Sanskrit: अभिमन्यु, IAST: Abhimanyu) is a warrior in the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He was a young and valiant warrior of the Kuru lineage, born to Arjuna—the third Pandava brother—and Subhadra—the sister of the deities Krishna and Balarama. He was also one of the few individuals, along with his father, who knew the technique to enter the Chakravyuha, a powerful military formation. Abhimanyu was raised by his maternal family in Dvārakā because the Pandavas had been exiled for thirteen years by their cousins, the Kauravas. After his father's return, his marriage was arranged with Uttarā, the princess of the Matsya Kingdom.
Abhimanyu played a significant role on the Pandava side during the Kurukshetra War. The Kaurava soldiers banded together on the thirteenth day of the battle to build the Chakravyuha in an effort to defeat the Pandavas. With Arjuna diverted to another part of the battlefield, Abhimanyū was the only one who was able to burst through the formation and take on the Kaurava soldiers. At that point, seven maharathis (powerful warriors)— Karna, Duryodhan, Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Dushasan, Jayadratha and Shakuni, launched simultaneous attacks on him while violating several kshatriya codes, and he was unfairly killed at the age of sixteen. His death remains one of the most tragic events in the epic.
Abhimanyū's posthumous son Parikshit saved the Kuru lineage from extinction, and became a well known monarch celebrated both in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana.
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