Shloka 5
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
मायया निर्जिता देवैरसुरा इति न: श्रुतम् । विरोचनस्तु शक्रेण मायया निर्जित: स वै,हमने सुना है कि देवताओंने पूर्वकालमें मायासे ही असुरोंपर विजय पायी थी और इन्द्रने मायासे ही विरोचनको परास्त किया था
māyayā nirjitā devair asurā iti naḥ śrutam | virocanas tu śakreṇa māyayā nirjitaḥ sa vai ||
婆苏提婆说道：“我等曾闻，往昔诸天以摩耶（权谋之幻）战胜阿修罗；同样，释迦（因陀罗）也确曾以摩耶降伏毗罗遮那。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that victory is not always achieved by sheer force; māyā—understood as tactical ingenuity or deceptive stratagem—has been used even by the Devas. Ethically, it raises the tension between straightforward righteousness and the pragmatic use of cunning in conflict.
Vāyu cites a remembered tradition: the Devas once overcame the Asuras through māyā, and Indra similarly defeated Virocana by māyā. The statement functions as an illustrative precedent to justify or explain the role of stratagem in the present context.