Shloka 86
Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve
Gandharva Encounter
कार्तिकेयके द्वारा महिषासुरका वध तमापततन्तं महिषं दृष्टवा सेन्द्रा दिवौकस: । व्यद्रवन्त रणे भीता विकीर्णायुधकेतना:,उस महिषासुरको आते देख इन्द्र आदि सब देवता भयभीत हो अपने अस्त्र-शस्त्र और ध्वजा फेंककर युद्धभूमिसे भागने लगे
tam āpatatantaṃ mahiṣaṃ dṛṣṭvā sendrā divaukasaḥ | vyadravanta raṇe bhītā vikīrṇāyudha-ketanāḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Seeing the buffalo-demon rushing upon them, the gods—Indra at their head—were seized by fear. In the midst of battle they fled, scattering their weapons and casting away their banners. The passage shows how even the mighty can falter before overwhelming force, and thus calls for steadfast courage and righteous power to restore order.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral vulnerability of even powerful beings: fear can cause loss of resolve and abandonment of duty. It implicitly points to the need for steadfastness and righteous strength (dharma-bala) when confronting destructive forces.
As the buffalo-demon (Mahiṣa/Mahiṣāsura) charges toward them, Indra and the other gods panic and flee the battlefield, dropping their weapons and standards—signaling a moment of divine defeat and disorder.