Shloka 4
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
विष्टभ्य सलिलं शेते नास्य मानुषतो भयम् । दैवीं मायामिमां कृत्वा सलिलान्तर्गतो हायम्
viṣṭabhya salilaṃ śete nāsya mānuṣato bhayam | daivīṃ māyām imāṃ kṛtvā salilāntargato hāyam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dengan menyokong dirinya, dia berbaring di atas air; dia tidak gentar akan apa-apa kuasa manusia. Setelah mengambil māyā yang bersifat ketuhanan ini, dia pun menyelam ke tengah-tengah perairan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the contrast between ordinary human power and extraordinary, divinely-enabled stratagems: some dangers cannot be met by merely human means, and fearlessness here is grounded in supernatural protection or illusion rather than physical strength alone.
Sañjaya reports that a certain person, using a ‘divine māyā’, is able to lie upon the water and then submerge into it, remaining beyond the reach of human threat—an episode emphasizing marvel and tactical elusiveness amid the war narrative.