Shloka 76
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
मायया भक्षिते तस्मिन्नन्वये तस्य मातृके । विमोहितमिरावन्त न््यहनद् राक्षसोडसिना,जब उस राक्षसने इरावानके मातृकुलके सब नागोंको भक्षण कर लिया, तब मोहित हुए इरावान्को तलवारसे मार डाला
sañjaya uvāca | māyayā bhakṣite tasminnanvaye tasya mātṛke | vimohitam irāvantaṃ nyahanad rākṣaso 'sinā ||
Sañjaya said: When that rākṣasa, by māyā—deceptive stratagem—had devoured the entire maternal lineage connected with him, Irāvān, bewildered and overcome by delusion, was then struck down by the rākṣasa with a sword.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how deception (māyā) and the shock of loss can generate moha (delusion), weakening discernment; in such a state, even a capable warrior becomes vulnerable to destruction. Ethically, it points to the corrosive effects of deceit and the peril of acting while mentally overwhelmed.
Sañjaya reports that a rākṣasa, using deceit, devoured the members of Irāvān’s maternal kin-group; Irāvān became bewildered, and in that confused state the rākṣasa struck him down with a sword.