Shloka 21
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
महातेजस्वी महाबली राजा दिवोदासने पुरीसे बाहर निकलकर उन राजकुमारोंके साथ युद्ध किया। उनका वह युद्ध देवासुर-संग्रामके समान भयंकर था ।।
mahātejasvī mahābalī rājā divodāsaḥ purīṣaḥ bahiḥ nirgatyātha taiḥ rājaputraiḥ saha yuddham akarot | tasya tad yuddhaṃ devāsura-saṅgrāma-sadṛśaṃ bhayaṅkaram āsīt || sa tu yuddhe mahārāja dinānāṃ daśatīr daśa | hata-vāhana-bhūyiṣṭhas tato dainyam upāgamat ||
Bhishma dit : Le roi Divodāsa, rayonnant d’un grand éclat et puissant en force, sortit de sa cité et combattit ces princes. Ce combat fut effroyable, tel la guerre des dieux contre les asuras. Ô grand roi, il se battit durant une très longue suite de jours ; mais, la plupart de ses montures et de ses chars ayant été détruits, il tomba dans la misère. Beaucoup de ses soldats, de ses éléphants de guerre et de ses chevaux furent tués, ses ressources s’épuisèrent, et finalement il abandonna sa capitale et prit la fuite.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the fragility of royal power in prolonged warfare: even a mighty king can be reduced to misery when his forces, mounts, and resources are steadily destroyed. It implicitly warns that war drains both material strength and political stability, and that prudence and dharmic governance must account for the true costs of conflict.
Divodasa comes out from his city and fights alongside (or against) princes in a terrifying battle likened to the Deva–Asura war. After fighting for a very long time, he suffers heavy losses—especially of vehicles/mounts—falls into a pitiable condition, and ultimately abandons his capital and flees.