Shloka 40
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
उस शक्तिमें सोनेका डंडा लगा हुआ था। वह अत्यन्त वेगशालिनी थी। उसे सहसा आती देख राजा भगदत्तने उसके तीन टुकड़े कर डाले। फिर वह पृथ्वीपर बिखर गयी ।। शक्ति विनिहतां दृष्टवा हैडिम्ब: प्राद्रवद् भयात् । यथेन्द्रस्य रणात् पूर्व नमुचिर्देत्यसत्तम:,अपनी शक्तिको कटी हुई देखकर हिडिम्बाकुमार घटोत्कच भगदत्तके भयसे उसी प्रकार भाग गया, जैसे पूर्वकालमें देवराज इन्द्रके साथ युद्ध करते समय दैत्यराज नमुचि रणभूमिसे भागा था
śaktiṁ vinihatāṁ dṛṣṭvā haiḍimbaḥ prādravad bhayāt | yathendrasya raṇāt pūrvaṁ namucir daityasattamaḥ ||
Seeing his śakti weapon shattered, Haiḍimba’s son (Ghaṭotkaca) fled in fear, just as in ancient times Namuci, foremost of the Dānavas, once fled the battlefield before Indra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological reality of warfare: when a decisive weapon is broken and confidence collapses, even a formidable fighter may retreat. By comparing Ghaṭotkaca’s flight to Namuci’s legendary retreat before Indra, the text uses an exemplum to mark fear-driven withdrawal as a recognized (though not celebrated) battlefield response.
After Bhagadatta breaks the incoming śakti into pieces, Ghaṭotkaca (called Haiḍimba) sees his weapon destroyed and runs away in fear. Sañjaya narrates this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, adding a mythic comparison: Namuci once fled the battlefield before Indra.