Shloka 29
इन्द्रप्रशंसा, दिव्योपकरणदानं, गन्धमादनसमागमश्च
Indra’s Commendation, Bestowal of Divine Insignia, and the Gandhamādana Reunion
शतधा भिन्नदेहास्ते क्षीणप्रहरणौजस: । ततो निवातकवचा मामयुध्यन्त मायया,उन दैत्योंके शरीरके सौ-सौ टुकड़े हो गये थे। उनके अस्त्र-शस्त्र कट गये और उत्साह नष्ट हो गया था। ऐसी अवस्थामें निवातकवचोंने मेरे साथ माया-युद्ध आरम्भ कर दिया
arjuna uvāca | śatadhā bhinnadehās te kṣīṇapraharaṇaujasaḥ | tato nivātakavacā mām ayudhyanta māyayā ||
Arjuna said: “Their bodies were shattered into a hundred fragments; their weapons and the force of their assault were spent, and their ardor had collapsed. Then the Nivātakavacas, unable to prevail by straightforward combat, began to fight me through māyā—deceptive, illusory stratagems.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts direct, honorable combat with victory-seeking deception: when strength and weapons fail, the adversary turns to māyā. Ethically, it highlights the kṣatriya ideal of straightforward valor and the need for discernment and steadiness when confronted by illusion and unfair stratagems.
Arjuna reports that he has grievously damaged the Nivātakavaca Daityas—splintering their bodies and breaking their weapons—so their physical power and morale are depleted. In response, they shift tactics and initiate a ‘māyā-war,’ attacking him through illusory and deceptive means rather than open battle.