Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 18
Ikṣvāku Dynasty: Vikukṣi’s Offense, Purañjaya’s Victory, Māndhātā’s Birth, and Saubhari’s Fall and Renunciation
तस्येषुपाताभिमुखं युगान्ताग्निमिवोल्बणम् । विसृज्य दुद्रुवुर्दैत्या हन्यमाना: स्वमालयम् ॥ १८ ॥
tasyeṣu-pātābhimukhaṁ yugāntāgnim ivolbaṇam visṛjya dudruvur daityā hanyamānāḥ svam ālayam
To save themselves from the blazing arrows of Indravāha, which resembled the flames of devastation at the end of the millennium, the demons who remained when the rest of their army was killed fled very quickly to their respective homes.
FAQs
This verse describes the Daityas retreating in fear when confronted with an overwhelming shower of arrows, illustrating how adharma collapses when faced with superior, divinely-backed power.
The comparison emphasizes the unbearable intensity of the hero’s arrow-shower—so fierce that it feels like cosmic destruction—forcing the Daityas to abandon the fight.
When destructive habits or unethical choices are confronted by strong discipline and righteous resolve, they tend to “flee”; the verse inspires steadiness in dharma even when opposition is intense.