Shloka 20
Parāśara’s Counsel on बुद्धि (Discernment), Karma-Consequences, and Avoidance of Pāpānubandha Actions
वृत्रस्तु कुरुशार्दूल महामायो महाबल: । मोहयामास देवेन्द्र मायायुद्धेन सर्वश:
vṛtras tu kuruśārdūla mahāmāyo mahābalaḥ | mohayāmāsa devendraṃ māyāyuddhena sarvaśaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai harimau di antara kaum Kuru, Vṛtra yang sangat perkasa dan mahir dalam ilusi besar, membingungkan Indra, raja para dewa, dari segala penjuru melalui perang tipu-daya magis.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of moha (bewilderment) produced by māyā (deceptive appearances): even the most powerful can lose discernment in conflict, so right action (dharma) requires clarity, vigilance, and often the corrective guidance of the wise.
Bhīṣma narrates that Vṛtra, endowed with great power and illusion, engages Indra in a deceptive, illusion-filled mode of battle and thereby confuses him on all sides, setting up the need for Indra’s reawakening through counsel (as the surrounding prose tradition notes).