Abimanyu

Abimanyu



Abimanyu (Sanskerta: अभिमन्यु, abhiman'yu) adalah seorang tokoh dalam wiracarita Mahabharata. Ia adalah putera Arjuna dari salah satu istrinya yang bernama Subadra. Ditetapkan bahwa Abimanyu-lah yang akan meneruskan Yudistira. Dalam wiracarita Mahabharata, ia dianggap seorang pahlawan yang tragis. Ia gugur dalam pertempuran besar di Kurukshetra sebagai kesatria termuda dari pihak Pandawa, karena baru berusia enam belas tahun. Abimanyu menikah dengan Utara, puteri Raja Wirata dan memiliki seorang putera bernama Parikesit, yang lahir setelah ia gugur.

Abimanyu terdiri dari dua kata Sanskerta, yaitu abhi (berani) dan man'yu (tabiat). Dalam bahasa Sansekerta, kata Abhiman'yu secara harfiah berarti "ia yang memiliki sifat tak kenal takut" atau "yang bersifat kepahlawanan".

Saat belum lahir karena berada dalam rahim ibunya, Abimanyu mempelajari pengetahuan tentang memasuki formasi mematikan yang sulit ditembus bernama Chakrawyuha dari Arjuna. Mahabharata menjelaskan bahwa dari dalam rahim, ia menguping pembicaraan Kresna yang sedang membahas hal tersebut dengan ibunya, Subadra. Kresna berbicara mengenai cara memasuki Chakrawyuha dan kemudian Subadra (ibu Abimanyu) tertidur maka sang bayi tidak memiliki kesempatan untuk tahu bagaimana cara meloloskan diri dari formasi itu.

Abimanyu menghabiskan masa kecilnya di Dwaraka, kota tempat tinggal ibunya. Ia dilatih oleh ayahnya yang bernama Arjuna yang merupakan seorang ksatria besar dan diasuh di bawah bimbingan Kresna. Ayahnya menikahkan Abimanyu dengan Uttara, puteri Raja Wirata, untuk mempererat hubungan antara Pandawa dengan keluarga Raja Wirata, saat pertempuran Bharatayuddha yang akan datang. Pandawa menyamar untuk menuntaskan masa pembuangannnya tanpa diketahui di kerajaan Raja Wirata, yaitu Matsya.

Sebagai cucu Dewa Indra, Dewa senjata ajaib sekaligus Dewa peperangan, Abimanyu merupakan ksatria yang gagah berani dan ganas. Karena dianggap setara dengan kemampuan ayahnya, Abimanyu mampu melawan ksatria-ksatria besar seperti Drona, Karna, Duryodana dan Dursasana. Ia dipuji karena keberaniannya dan memiliki rasa setia yang tinggi terhadap ayahnya, pamannya, dan segala keinginan mereka.

Pada hari ketiga belas Bharatayuddha, pihak Korawa menantang Pandawa untuk mematahkan formasi perang melingkar yang dikenal sebagai Chakrawyuha. Para Pandawa menerima tantangan tersebut karena Kresna dan Arjuna tahu bagaimana cara mematahkan berbagai formasi.

Namun, pada hari itu, Kresna dan Arjuna sibuk bertarung dengan laskar Samsaptaka. Oleh karena Pandawa sudah menerima tantangan tersebut, mereka tidak memiliki pilihan namun mencoba untuk menggunakan Abimanyu yang masih muda, yang memiliki pengetahuan tentang bagaimana cara mematahkan formasi Chakrawyuha namun tidak tahu bagaimana cara keluar dari dalamnya. Untuk meyakinkan bahwa Abimanyu tidak akan terperangkap dalam formasi tersebut, Pandawa bersaudara memutuskan bahwa mereka dan sekutu mereka akan mematahkan formasi itu bersama Abimanyu dan membantu sang pemuda keluar dari formasi tersebut.

Pada hari penting itu, Abimanyu menggunakan kecerdikannya untuk menembus formasi tersebut. pandawa bersaudara dan sekutunya mencoba untuk mengikutinya di dalam formasi, namun mereka dihadang oleh Jayadrata, Raja Sindhu, yang memakai anugerah Siwa agar mampu menahan para Pandawa kecuali Arjuna, hanya untuk satu hari. Abimanyu ditinggal sendirian untuk menangkis serangan pasukan Korawa.

Abimanyu membunuh dengan bengis beberapa ksatria yang mendekatinya, termasuk putera Duryodana, yaitu Laksmana. Setelah menyaksikan putera kesayangannya terbunuh, Duryodana marah besar dan menyuruh segenap pasukan Korawa untuk menyerang Abimanyu. Karena gagal menghancurkan baju zirah Abimanyu, atas nasihat Drona, Karna menghancurkan busur Abimanyu dari belakang. Kemudian keretanya dihancurkan, kusir dan kudanya dibunuh, dan seluruh senjatanya terbuang. Putera Dursasana mencoba untuk bertarung dengan tangan kosong dengan Abimanyu. Namun tanpa menghiraukan aturan perang, pihak Korawa menyerang Abimanyu secara serentak. Abimanyu mampu bertahan sampai pedangnya patah dan roda kereta yang ia pakai sebagai perisai hancur berkeping-keping. Tak berapa lama kemudian, Abimanyu dibunuh oleh putera Dursasana dengan cara menghancurkan kepalanya dengan gada.

Berita kematian Abimanyu membuat Arjuna sangat sedih dan sakit hati. Ia sadar, bahwa seandainya Jayadrata tidak menghalangai para Pandawa memasuki formasi Chakrawyuha, Abimanyu pasti mendapat bantuan. Ia kemudian bersumpah akan membunuh Jayadrata pada hari berikutnya sebelum matahari tenggelam. Menanggapi hal itu, pihak Korawa menempatkan Jayadrata sangat jauh dari Arjuna. Ribuan prajurit dan ksatria mengelilingi dan melindungi Jayadrata. Arjuna berusaha menjangkau Jayadrata, namun ribuan pasukan Korawa mengahalanginya. Hingga matahari hampir terbenam, Jayadrata masih jauh dari jangkauan Arjuna. Melihat hal ini, Kresna menggunakan kecerdikannya. Ia membuat gerhana matahari, sehingga suasana menjadi gelap seolah-olah matahari sudah tenggelam. Pihak Korawa maupun Pandawa mengira hari sudah malam, dan sesuai aturan, mereka menghentikan peperangan dan kembali ke kubu masing-masing. Dengan demikian, pihak Korawa tidak melanjutkan pertarungan dan Jayadrata tidak dalam perlindungan mereka lagi. Saat kereta Arjuna dekat dengan kereta Jayadrata, matahari muncul lagi dan Kresna menyuruh Arjuna agar menggunakan kesempatan tersebut untuk membunuh Jayadrata. Arjuna mengangkat busurnya dan meluncurkan panah, memutus leher Jayadrata. Tepat pada saat tersebut, hari sudah sore, matahari sudah tenggelam dan Arjuna berhasil menuntaskan sumpahnya untuk membunuh Jayadrata.

Abimanyu adalah inkarnasi dari putera Dewa bulan. Ketika Sang Dewa bulan ditanya oleh Dewa yang lain mengenai kepergian puteranya ke bumi, ia membuat perjanjian bahwa puteranya tinggal di bumi hanya selama 16 tahun sebagaimana ia tak dapat menahan perpisahan dengan puteranya. Abimanyu berusia 16 tahun saat ia terbunuh dalam pertempuran.

Putera Abimanyu, yaitu Parikesit, lahir setelah kematiannya, dan menjadi satu-satunya kesatria Keluarga Kuru yang selamat setelah Bharatayuddha, dan melanjutkan garis keturunan Pandawa. Abimanyu seringkali dianggap sebagai kesatria yang terberani dari pihak Pandawa, yang sudi melepaskan hidupanya saat peperangan dalam usia yang masih sangat muda.

Dalam khazanah pewayangan Jawa, Abimanyu, sebagai putra Arjuna, merupakan tokoh penting. Di bawah ini dipaparkan ciri khas tokoh ini dalam budaya Jawa yang sudah berkembang lain daripada tokoh yang sama di India.

Dikisahkan Abimanyu karena kuat tapanya mendapatkan Wahyu Makutha Raja, wahyu yang menyatakan bahwa keturunannyalah yang akan menjadi penerus tahta Para Raja Hastina. Abimanyu dikenal pula dengan nama Angkawijaya, Jaya Murcita, Jaka Pangalasan, Partasuta, Kirityatmaja, Sumbadraatmaja, Wanudara dan Wirabatana. Ia merupakan putra Arjuna, salah satu dari lima ksatria Pandawa dengan Dewi Subadra, putri Prabu Basudewa, Raja Mandura dengan Dewi Dewaki. Ia mempunyai 13 orang saudara lain ibu, yaitu: Sumitra, Bratalaras, Bambang Irawan, Kumaladewa, Kumalasakti, Wisanggeni, Wilungangga, Endang Pregiwa, Endang Pregiwati, Prabakusuma, Wijanarka, Anantadewa dan Bambang Sumbada. Abimanyu merupakan makhluk kekasih Dewata. Sejak dalam kandungan ia telah mendapat "Wahyu Hidayat", yang mamp membuatnya mengerti dalam segala hal. Setelah dewasa ia mendapat "Wahyu Cakraningrat", suatu wahyu yang dapat menurunkan raja-raja besar.

Abimanyu mempunyai sifat dan watak yang halus, baik tingkah lakunya, ucapannya terang, hatinya keras, besar tanggung jawabnya dan pemberani. Dalam olah keprajuritan ia mendapat ajaran dari ayahnya, Arjuna. Sedang dalam olah ilmu kebathinan mendapat ajaran dari kakeknya, Bagawan Abiyasa. Abimanyu tinggal di kesatrian Palangkawati, setelah dapat mengalahkan Prabu Jayamurcita. Ia mempunyai dua orang istri, yaitu:
Dewi Siti Sundari, puteri Prabu Kresna, Raja Negara Dwarawati dengan Dewi Pratiwi;
Dewi Utari, puteri Prabu Matsyapati dengan Dewi Ni Yutisnawati, dari negara Wirata, dan berputera Parikesit.

Abimanyu gugur dalam perang Bharatayuddha setelah sebelumnya seluruh saudaranya mendahului gugur, pada saat itu kesatria dari Pihak Pandawa yang berada dimedan laga dan menguasai strategi perang hanya tiga orang yakni Bima, Arjuna dan Abimanyu. Gatotkaca menyingkir karena Karna merentangkan senjata Kuntawijayandanu. Bima dan Arjuna dipancing oleh kesatria dari pihak Korawa untuk keluar dari medan pertempuran, maka tinggalah Abimanyu.

Ketika tahu semua saudaranya gugur Abimanyu menjadi lupa untuk mengatur formasi perang, dia maju sendiri ketengah barisan Korawa dan terperangkap dalam formasi mematikan yang disiapkan pasukan Korawa. Tak menyiakan kesempatan untuk bersiap-siap, Korawa menghujani senjata ke tubuh Abimanyu sampai Abimanyu terjerembab dan jatuh dari kudanya (dalam pewayangan digambarkan lukanya arang kranjang = banyak sekali). Abimanyu terlihat seperti landak karena berbagai senjata di tubuhnya. Konon tragedi itu merupakan risiko pengucapan sumpah ketika melamar Dewi Utari, bahwa dia masih belum punya istri dan apabila telah beristri maka dia siap mati tertusuk berbagai senjata ketika perang Bharatayuddha. Abimanyu berbohong karena ketika itu sudah beristrikan Dewi Siti Sundari.

Dengan senjata yang menancap diseluruh tubuhnya sehingga dia tidak bisa jalan lagi tidak membuat Abimanyu menyerah dia bahkan berhasil membunuh putera mahkota Hastinapura (Laksmanakumara putera Duryodana) dengan melemparkan keris Pulanggeni setelah menembus tubuh empat prajurit lainnya. Pada saat itu pihak Korawa tahu bahwa untuk membunuh Abimanyu, mereka harus memutus langsang yang ada didadanya, kemudian Abimanyu pun gugur oleh gada Kyai Glinggang atau Galih Asem milik Jayadrata, ksatria Banakeling.

Pada saat itu Yudistira tercengang melihat formasi perang Raja Korawa, sebab Bima dan Arjuna tak ada padahal merekalah yang dapat menghancurkannya. Hanya Putera Arjuna, yaitu Abimanyu yang bersedia merusak formasi yang disusun pendeta Drona itu. Ia berkata bahwa ia yakin dapat menggempur dan memasuki formasi tersebut, hanya saja ia belum tahu bagaimana cara keluar dari formasi tersebut.

Setelah demikian, mereka segera membelah dan menyerang formasi pendeta Drona tersebut dengan dahsyat. Sang Abimanyu merupakan kekuatan yang membinasakan formasi tersebut dengan tembakan panah. Sebagai akibat serangan Abimanyu, formasi tersebut hancur sampai ke pertahanan Duryodana. Dengan ini Dona dan Krepa mengadakan serangan balasan, sehingga Duryodana dapat melarikan diri dan tidak dikejar lagi.

Dengan ini tak dapat dipungkiri lagi musuh yang sakti mulai berkurang seperti Kretasuta dan keluarga Wrehadbala. Juga Satyaswara yang berani dan gila bertarung tertembak sebelum dapat menimbulkan kerusakan sedikit pun karena dihujani panah. Putera Raja Korawa yang berani juga gugur setelah ia tertusuk panah. Putera tersebut sangat terkenal di antara keluarga Korawa, yaitu Laksmanakumara, yang disayangi Suyodhana.

Pada waktu itu seluruh keluarga Korawa menjadi marah, dan dengan tiada hentinya mereka memanahkan senjatanya. Baik kuda maupun kusirnya, badan, tangan, kaki, punggung, dada, dan muka Abimanyu terkena ratusan panah. Dengan ini Abimanyu makin semangat. Ia memegang cakramnya dan dengan panah yang patah ia mengadakan serangan. Dengan ketetapan hati ia mengamuk untuk mencari keharuman nama. Dengan hati yang penuh dendam, ia gugur di tangan Suyodhana.

Ketika Abimanyu terbunuh dalam pertempuran, badannya hancur. Indah untuk dilihat bagaikan lumut dalam periuk emas. Mayatnya terlihat dalam sinar bulan dan telah tercabik-cabik, sehingga menjadi halus seperti mentimun.


Abhimanyu (Sanskrit: अभिमन्यु, abhimanyu) (lit." Excessive Anger")is a tragic hero in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata. He is the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, the half-sister of Lord Krishna. He is an unparalleled archer and is considered to be greater than his father in prowess with the bow and arrow. He was a partial incarnation of Chandra.

As an unborn child in his mother's womb, Abhimanyu learned the knowledge of entering the deadly and virtually impenetrable Chakravyuha (see Wars of Hindu Mythology) from Arjun. The epic explains that he overheard Arjun talking about this with his mother Subhadra from the womb. Arjun explains to Subhadra in detail, the technique of attacking and escaping from various vyoohs (an array of army formation) such as Makaravyoha, Kurmavyooha, Sarpavyuha etc. After explaining all the vyoohs, he explains about the technique of cracking Chakravyuha. Arjun tells how to enter the Chakryavyuha. When he was about to explain how to exit from the Chakravyuha, he realises that Subadra is asleep and stops explaining about the Chakravyuha further. In return, the baby Abhimanyu in the womb did not get a chance to learn how to come out of it.

Abhimanyu spent his childhood in Dwaraka, his mother's city. He was trained by Pradyumna, the son of Sri Krishna and his great warrior father Arjuna and brought up under the guidance of Lord Krishna. His father arranged his marriage to Uttara, daughter of king Virata to seal an alliance between the Pandavas and the royal family of Virata, in light of the forthcoming Kurukshetra War. The Pandavas had been hiding in cognito to live through the final year of their exile without being discovered, in Virata's kingdom of Matsya.

Being the grandson of Lord Indra, god of mystical weapons and wars, Abhimanyu was a courageous and dashing warrior. Considered an equal to his father owing his prodigious feats, Abhimanyu was able to hold at bay great heroes like Drona, Karna, Duryodhana and Dushasana. He was praised for his audacious bravery and absolute loyalty to his father, his uncles and to their cause. Abhimanyu took part in the war of Mahabharat and killed important personalities such as Lakshman, the son of Duryodhana and Brihadbala, the king of Kosala of the Ikshwaku dynasty.

On the 13th day of battle, the Kauravas challenged the Pandavas to break a circular battle formation known as the Chakravyuha (see Wars of Hindu Mythology). The Pandavas accepted the challenge since the knowledge of how to defeat such a formation was known to Krishna and Arjuna.

However, on that day, Krishna and Arjuna were dragged into fighting a war on another front with the Samsaptakas. Since the Pandavas had already accepted the challenge, they had no choice but to attempt to use the young brave warrior Abhimanyu, who had knowledge on how to break into the formation but none whatsoever regarding how to break out of it. To make sure that Abhimanyu did not get trapped in this endeavour, the remaining Pandava brothers decided that they and their allies would also break into the formation along with Abhimanyu and assist the boy in breaking out of it. It is important to note that the plan was hatched well after Arjuna and Krishna had been distracted away by the Samsaptaka army led by Susarma.

Using his knowledge of the Chakravyuvha Abhimanyu successfully broke into the formation. The Pandava brothers and allies attempted to follow him inside the formation, but they were effectively cut off by Jayadratha, the Sindhu king, who made use of a boon from Shiva to that enabled him to hold off all Pandavas except Arjuna for a day. Abhimanyu was left to fend for himself against the entire Kaurava army.

Abhimanyu commanded his charioteer to lead his chariot towards Drona. The charioteer, thinking it was not wise to do so, raised objections and requested the sixteen-year-old to take time to think about it before he began the battle. He pointed out that Abhimanyu had grown up amidst great love and comforts and he was not a master of the battle arts as Drona was. Laughing aloud, Abhimanyu said to his charioteer: “What is this Drona or even the entire world of kshatriyas to me? I can fight Indra himself, mounted on his Airavata, along with all the gods! Why, I can fight in a battle even Lord Rudra himself, to whom the entire world of beings pays homage! This battle that I am going wage today does not bewilder me in the least. This entire army of enemies is not equal to one sixteenth of my power.

With no great joy in his mind, the charioteer took his master forward and Abhimanyu broke into the Chakravyuvha. In a mighty battle that followed, he slaughtered ordinary enemy warriors and mighty heroes alike. Abhimanyu fought valiantly single-handedly slaying several warriors who came in his way including Duryodhana's son Laxman.Among the others who were killed were Ashmaka’s son, Shalya younger brother, Shalya’s son Rukmaratha, Drighalochana, Kundavedhi, Sushena, Vasatiya, Kratha and numerous other great warriors. He wounded Karna and made him flee, making Dushshasana faint in the battlefield such that he had to be carried off by others. Upon witnessing the death of his beloved son, Duryodhana was incensed and ordered the entire Kaurava force to attack Abhimanyu. Continually frustrated in attempts to pierce Abhimanyu's armor, Karna on Dronacharya's advice shattered Abhimanyu's bow by firing arrows from behind him. His chariot broke shortly after, the charioteer and horses were killed, and all his weapons were laid to waste. He attempted then to fight off the bow wielding warriors sitting on horses and elephants with a sword and using a chariot wheel as a shield.

Dushasana's son engaged in fierce hand to hand combat with Abhimanyu. Ignoring all rules of war, the Kauravas all fought simultaneously with him. He held his own until his sword broke and the remaining chariot wheel shattered into pieces. Abhimanyu was killed shortly thereafter when Dushasana's son crushed his skull with a mace. However, Abhimanyu killed him with his own mace before dying.

It is said that it is Abhimanyu's death that marks the end of the adherence to the rules of war. Krishna cited the despicable manner in which Abhimanyu was killed to incite Arjuna to kill Karna. This said Krishna was a reason to kill Duryodhana.

News of the despicable acts committed on Abhimanyu reached his father Arjuna at the end of the day, who vows to kill Jayadratha the very next day by sunset, and failing to do so, commit suicide by self-immolation immediately.

The Kaurava army the next day places Jayadratha furthest away from Arjuna, and every warrior including the Samshaptakas (mercenaries to vow only to return from battle fields only upon victory else death) attempts to prevent Arjuna from reaching anywhere close to Jayadratha. Arjuna literally hacks through the Kaurava army and kills more than a hundred thousand soldiers and warriors in a single day. However, almost by sundown, Arjuna's chariot is still nowhere near Jayadratha's. Arjuna becomes despondent because he realizes that failure is imminent, and starts getting mentally prepared to self-immolate. Krishna being the almighty god uses his powers to temporarily to create an eclipse. The Kauravas and Pandavas alike believe that indeed the sun has set and the war stops according to the rules. Both sides come to watch Arjuna self-immolate. In his haste to see Arjuna's death, Jayadratha also comes to the front. Krishna sees the opportunity that he has effectively created, and the sun comes out again. Before the Kauravas can take corrective action, Krishna points out to Arjuna and asks him to pick up his Gandiva and behead Jayadratha. Arjuna's unerring arrows decapitate Jayadratha, and his vow to kill Jayadratha by sunset that day and avenge Abhimanyu's death is fulfilled. The reason for creating eclipse is also suggested at many places as a plot to save Arjuna from death, because Jayadratha had got a boon from his father that whoever would cause Jayadratha's head to fall onto earth would also die immediately. So Lord Krishna wanted everything to happen in this way so that Jayadratha would be on an easy aim. When Arjuna beheads Jayadratha, he does it so skillfully that the head falls straight into the lap of his father who was sitting under a tree. His father is shocked and stands up, causing Jayadratha's head to fall to earth. Thus his father is killed immediately.

Abhimanyu is the reincarnation of Varchas, the son of the moon god. When the moon god was asked to let his son incarnate himself on earth by the other devas, he made a pact that his son will only remain on earth for 16 years as he could not bear to be separated from him. Abhimanyu was 16 years old when he died in the war.

His son, Parikshita, born after his death, remains the sole survivor of the Kuru clan at the conclusion of the Mahābhārata war, and carries on the Pandava lineage. Abhimanyu is often thought of as a very brave warrior on the Pandava side, willingly giving up his life in war at a very young age.

The demonic element in Abhimanyu is understood and highlighted in the Draupadi cult popular in northern Tamil Nadu and its neighboring areas in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Speaking of this, Alf Hiltebeitel in The Cult of Draupadi speaks of how in South Indian folklore Abhimanyu is an incarnate demon and Krishna, who knows this, schemes the death of his own sister’s son by seeing that he is left alone to protect Yudhishthira while Drona attacks him with the chakravyuha. According to one South Indian folk tradition, it is a curse from Durvasa that makes Abhimanyu a Rakshasa in his current birth. In a former life he was a gatekeeper at Rama’s palace and Durvasa curses him to be born as a Rakshasa in his future life because he refused entry to the sage into Rama’s court. The reason for Krishna desiring Abhimanyu’s death is not exactly because he is a Rakshasa though, but because Abhimanyu is capable of killing the entire Kauravas all alone(except Bhishma & Drona because Drona was scheduled to be killed by Drishtadumya). and that would make it impossible for the Pandava brothers who have taken vows of killing individual Kauravas. According to yet another tale mentioned in the Glossary to Michael Madhusudan Dutt’s Meghanadavadha Kavya, Abhimanyu’s birth again is a result of a curse, though a different curse. According to this tale, the moon failed to pay due deference to the sage Garga, and sage cursed him to be born as a human being on the earth and Abhimanyu is this accursed moon god. He dies at the young age of sixteen because the sage, moved by the moon’s begging for forgiveness, reduced the severity of the curse by saying that he would be killed in battle at the age of sixteen and could then go back to heaven. However, one must not dismiss the compassionate qualities of Abhimanyu. A romantic at an early age, he questioned everything. Something often mistaken as being arrogant. He was know to have a certain inborn quality of trusting people, a kind of trust that came from deep within. As few as there would have been to gain his trust, he remained forever faithful to them as they did to him, with humility.

Abhimanyu is often quoted as an example for his partial knowledge about Chakravyooh. Since, he knew how to penetrate the Chakravyooh, but did not know how to exit from it during the time of danger contributed to his death. Similarly, Ashwatthama too had a partial knowledge in the context of Brahmastra. He only knew how to invoke it. But did not know how to withdraw it. This contributes for him to get cursed by Krishna during the end of Mahabharatha war. It was only Arjuna who had complete knowledge of both Chakravyooh (to break and exit from it) and Brahmastra (to invoke and withdraw it).
Abhimanyu was believed to be an incarnation of Kalayavan . The thing was, he has now taken birth in a very good family. Hence, Krishna who was aware of this and being the guru of Abhimanyu (via Pradyumna) in Dwaraka, sees to it that Abhimanyu is ignorant about "how to exit from Chakravyooh". Hence, even though Abhimanyu was curious to know the way to exit from a Chakravyooh, Krishna does not tell this secret, but instead insists him to seek that knowledge from Arjuna. It so happens that Abhimanyu never gets a chance from his father as he was in exile. Further, Abhimanyu is such a hero that none from the Kaurava side (except Bhisma) can kill him in a one on one combat (dwandva yudha). Hence, on the 13th day of the battle field, when the Chakravyooha is launched by Dronacharya, he defeats all the Maharatis on a one on one battle. And Abhimanyu really proves very expensive for the entire Kaurva forces on that particular day. Hence, sensing the danger by his presence, the Kaurava Maharatis merge together to kill him after making him weaponless. This was the only way by which Abhimanyu can attain Moksha. Hence, he plays a very great role on the 13th day of Mahabharata war.
In case of Ashwatama, Dronacharya does not trust Ashwatama the manner in which he trusts Arjuna. Hence, he teaches Ashwatama only to invoke Brahmastra, but does not teach him how to withdraw it. If an archer is aware of both the invocation and withdrawal of Brahmastra, then he can invoke it as many times as he wants. Hence, to avoid Ashwatama from invoking Brahmastra multiple times, Dronacharya only gives a partial knowledge about it.

Shashirekha was a daughter of Balarama. Balarama has soft corner towards Duryodana. Before the birth of Abhimanyu, he wants his sister Subhadra to marry Duryodana instead of Arjuna. Hence, Krishna who is aware of this sees to it that Arjuna abducts Subhadra and they get married. The same scenario repeats one generation below.

Lakshmana is the son of Duryodana. Now, Balarama wants his daughter Shashirekha to marry Lakshmana instead of Abhimanyu. Hence, Krishna advises Subhadra and Abhimanyu to seek help from Ghatothkacha to solve this problem. Ghatothkacha abducts Shashirekha and sees to it that Abhimanyu weds Shashirekha. The moral of this story is "history repeats itself".

Factors that contributes for Abhimanyu's death
1) Abhimanyu's partial knowledge of Chakravyooh
2) Krishna who does not teach Abhimanyu as 'how to exit from Chakravyooh'
3) Absence of Krishna and Arjuna when Dronacharya launches the Chakravyooh
4) The boon granted to Jayadrath by Lord Shiva to hold all the Pandavas except Arjuna for one day
5) The Kaurava maharathis violation of the war rules
6) The ignorance of the remaining Pandavas to enter Chakravyooh
7) Abhimanyu's soul belonged to rakhshas
8) Abhimanyu kills dhuryodhana's son Lakshmana

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhimanyu




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