Shloka 4
Koṭikāśya’s Inquiry to the Radiant Woman near the Kadamba (कोटिकाश्यप्रश्नः)
परंतु जब मायाके कारण अधिक शक्तिशाली शूरवीर गन्धर्व आकाशमें खड़े होकर युद्ध करने लगे, तब उनके साथ हमलोगोंका युद्ध समान स्थितिमें नहीं रह सका ।। पराजयं च प्राप्ता: स्मो रणे बन्धनमेव च । सभृत्यामात्यपुत्राश्न सदारबलवाहना:,युद्धमें हमारी पराजय हुई और हम सेवक, सचिव, पुत्र, स्त्री, सेना तथा सवारियोंसहित बंदी बना लिये गये
parantu yad māyā-kāraṇād adhika-śaktiśālinaḥ śūrā gandharvā ākāśe sthitvā yuddhaṃ kartuṃ pravavṛtuḥ, tadā taiḥ saha asmākaṃ yuddhaṃ samāna-sthitau naivāvatasthe || parājayaṃ ca prāptāḥ smo raṇe bandhanam eva ca | sa-bhṛtya-mātya-putra-striyaḥ sa-dāra-bala-vāhanāḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “But when, by the force of their magical power, the Gandharva heroes—mightier than we—stood in the sky and began to fight, our battle with them could no longer remain on equal footing. In that combat we suffered defeat, and we were taken captive—together with our attendants, ministers, sons, and women, along with our wives, troops, and vehicles.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical and psychological lesson that pride in worldly power collapses when confronted by forces beyond one’s control; unequal means (here, māyā and aerial advantage) can overturn conventional martial expectations, reminding a ruler to cultivate humility, prudence, and restraint.
Duryodhana recounts how the Gandharvas, empowered by māyā and fighting from the sky, gained a decisive advantage. As a result, Duryodhana’s party could not maintain an equal contest, was defeated, and was taken captive along with their entourage, family members, troops, and conveyances.