Shloka 48
Aṃśāvataraṇa-kathana (Catalog of Divine/Asuric Portions in Human Births) — Chapter 61
इषुधी चाक्षयैर्बाणै रथं च कपिलक्षणम् | मोक्षयामास बीभत्सुर्मयं यत्र महासुरम्,तदनन्तर अग्निदेवने संतुष्ट हो अर्जुनको उत्तम गाण्डीव धनुष, अक्षय बाणोंसे भरे हुए दो तूणीर और एक कपिध्वज रथ प्रदान किया। उसी समय अर्जुनने महान् असुर मयको खाण्डव वनमें जलनेसे बचाया था
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
iṣudhī cākṣayair bāṇaiḥ rathaṃ ca kapilakṣaṇam |
mokṣayāmāsa bībhatsur mayaṃ yatra mahāsuram ||
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: Arjuna (Bībhatsu) le otorgó dos carcajes llenos de flechas inagotables y un carro marcado con el emblema de un mono. Después, en el bosque de Khāṇḍava, Arjuna rescató al gran asura Maya de ser devorado por el fuego: un acto que enmarca el poder marcial como legítimo cuando se une a la gratitud, a la protección del suplicante y a la contención en medio de la destrucción.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and victory are ethically grounded when accompanied by restraint and gratitude: even amid sanctioned destruction (the Khāṇḍava conflagration), Arjuna protects one who seeks refuge (Maya), showing that dharma includes compassion and honoring reciprocal bonds.
In the Khāṇḍava episode, after divine assistance and gifts (inexhaustible arrows, quivers, and a monkey-emblem chariot), Arjuna saves the Asura Maya from the forest fire, which later leads to Maya’s association with the Pāṇḍavas (notably through his craftsmanship).