Shloka 21
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
महातेजस्वी महाबली राजा दिवोदासने पुरीसे बाहर निकलकर उन राजकुमारोंके साथ युद्ध किया। उनका वह युद्ध देवासुर-संग्रामके समान भयंकर था ।।
mahātejasvī mahābalī rājā divodāsaḥ purīṣaḥ bahiḥ nirgatyātha taiḥ rājaputraiḥ saha yuddham akarot | tasya tad yuddhaṃ devāsura-saṅgrāma-sadṛśaṃ bhayaṅkaram āsīt || sa tu yuddhe mahārāja dinānāṃ daśatīr daśa | hata-vāhana-bhūyiṣṭhas tato dainyam upāgamat ||
毗湿摩说道：提婆陀娑王光辉炽盛、力大无比，出城与那些王子交战。那场战斗凶险可怖，宛如天神与阿修罗的大战。噢，大王，他鏖战经久；然而当他的坐骑与战车多被毁坏之后，便陷入困厄。军士、战象与战马多遭杀戮，资财耗尽；最终他弃都而逃。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the fragility of royal power in prolonged warfare: even a mighty king can be reduced to misery when his forces, mounts, and resources are steadily destroyed. It implicitly warns that war drains both material strength and political stability, and that prudence and dharmic governance must account for the true costs of conflict.
Divodasa comes out from his city and fights alongside (or against) princes in a terrifying battle likened to the Deva–Asura war. After fighting for a very long time, he suffers heavy losses—especially of vehicles/mounts—falls into a pitiable condition, and ultimately abandons his capital and flees.