बाणयुद्धम्, हरिहरसंवादः, ज्वरप्रकरणम्, अनिरुद्धमोचनम्
Bāṇa’s War, the Jvara Episode, Hari–Hara Dialogue, and Aniruddha’s Release
हतेषु तेषु बाणो ऽपि रथस्थस् तद्वधोद्यतः युध्यमानो यथाशक्ति यदा वीर्येण निर्जितः
hateṣu teṣu bāṇo 'pi rathasthas tadvadhodyataḥ yudhyamāno yathāśakti yadā vīryeṇa nirjitaḥ
ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਮਾਰੇ ਜਾਣ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਬਾਣ ਵੀ ਰਥ ਉੱਤੇ ਚੜ੍ਹ ਕੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਸ ਲਈ ਤਤਪਰ ਹੋਇਆ ਅਤੇ ਜਿੰਨੀ ਤਾਕਤ ਸੀ ਲੜਿਆ; ਪਰ ਅੰਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਉੱਚੇ ਪਰਾਕ੍ਰਮ ਨਾਲ ਹਾਰ ਗਿਆ।
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
The verse frames political power as contingent: even a determined, capable warrior can be subdued when confronted by greater heroic force, reinforcing the Purāṇic theme that sovereignty is not merely personal strength.
Parāśara narrates it as a straightforward contest of strength and resolve—Bāṇa fights to his utmost, yet is ultimately defeated by superior valor—typical of the dynastic-chronicle style of Ansha 4.
Even in a primarily historical-war passage, the Vishnu Purana’s broader lens implies that worldly might rises and falls within the higher order upheld by Vishnu, the supreme ground of dharma and kingship.