Shloka 216
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
चक्रे विमुखमासाद्य मयं शक्र इवाहवे । जैसे इन्द्र युद्धस्थलमें मयासुरको विमुख कर देते हैं
cakre vimukham āsādya mayaṁ śakra ivāhave |
Sañjaya said: Confronting Maya, he forced him to turn away—just as Indra (Śakra) in battle makes the demon Maya retreat. Thus Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā, struck that rākṣasa with knotted arrows and drove him from the fight, showing valor and battlefield discipline by breaking the enemy’s will rather than seeking slaughter alone.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as controlled valor: a warrior’s excellence is shown by decisively neutralizing an opponent’s threat—here by forcing retreat—mirroring the divine standard exemplified by Indra.
Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu confronts Maya and, likened to Indra facing Maya in battle, strikes him so effectively (traditionally with knotted arrows) that the rākṣasa turns away and withdraws from combat.