Harivamsha 112

English (machine translation) 112

Language: English

112.1

Vaiśaṃpāyana said:
Then all three of them together, like the three fires,
mounting the son of Vinatā, stood fighting in the battle.

112.2

Then, standing on the son of Vinatā, those exceedingly mighty ones, roaring with immense strength,
afflicted all the battle ranks with showers of arrows in the fight.

112.3

Afflicted by the blows of the discus and the plow, and by showers of arrows,
the great army of the great-souled Dānavas grew enraged.

112.4

Like a fire flared up in dry grass, stirred by dry firewood,
the fire of Kṛṣṇa's arrows that had arisen grew ever greater.

112.5

Burning thousands of Dānavas in the forefront of that battle,
it blazed like the radiant fire at the end of a yuga.

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Eighty thousand elephants were struck down there,

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and a host of a hundred thousand chariots was destroyed by Keśava's arrows,

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a hundred thousand horses, and likewise ten thousand foot-soldiers;

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then, reduced to nothing, that army took to flight.

112.6

Approaching that great army as it was breaking, though raised up with diverse weapons,
Bāṇa checked them and spoke these words:

112.7

"Having incurred disgrace, why, distressed by fear,
do you who are born of the Daitya lineage flee thus in the great battle?

112.8

Throwing off your armor, swords, clubs, darts, scimitars, shields, and axes,
why are you sky-farers departing?

112.9

Respecting your own kind, your dwelling, and your union with Hara,
you must not go, for here I stand!"

112.10

Hearing the words thus uttered, paying no heed to them,
all those Dānavas, overwhelmed by fear, fled away.

112.11

Then the remnant of the Pramātha host, leading that vanguard,
the survivors of the broken force, set their minds again on fighting.

112.12

The heroic friend and minister of Bāṇa, named Kumbhāṇḍa,
seeing the army broken, spoke these words:

112.13

"Here Bāṇa stands in battle, and here is Śaṃkara, and likewise Guha;
why, leaving the fight, are you bewildered by fear?

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Casting away your lives, fight on, all you bulls among Dānavas!"

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Even while being thus exhorted by the great-souled Kumbhāṇḍa,

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the Daityas could not be checked at all, and fled in all directions.

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Hearing Kumbhāṇḍa's words thus, trembling with terror,

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terrified by fear of the fire of the discus, they all fled in the ten directions.

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Then seeing the army broken by Kṛṣṇa of boundless splendor,

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Sthāṇu, his eyes blood-red, turned to fight,

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mounting a chariot of splendid radiance to protect Bāṇa,

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and the god Kumāra likewise, in a chariot resembling fire.

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Vaiśaṃpāyana [said]:
Then Hara himself in anger, roaring, sword in hand, axe in hand,

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holding a trident, holding a quiver, armored, arrow in hand, holding a bow, Śiva,

112.14

the heroic Rudra, mounting his chariot joined with Nandīśvara,
biting his lip, rushed forward to where Hari was.

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Vetālas and Piśācas garlanded with moons followed him,

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drinking blood again, fearsome, sunken-bellied.

112.15

As though drinking the sky, loud-sounding, yoked with lions,
his chariot shone like the full moon released from clouds.

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Then, with thousands of Gaṇas of various shapes, bringing terror,

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roaring diverse roars, that chariot of the god advanced fearlessly.

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Some there had lion-faces, and some had tiger-faces;

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having elephant-, horse-, and camel-faces, they trembled as they pressed forward;

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some there, of great strength, wore snakes as sacred threads;

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others stood with donkey-, camel-, and elephant-faces, and horse-necks;

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others had goat- and cat-faces, and others sheep-faces;

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others wore bark garments, crested, with matted locks and hair standing erect.

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broken, they rushed about amid the sounds of conches and drums.

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Some there had gentle faces, adorned with celestial weapons,

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wearing chaplets of various flowers, bearing various weapons of assault,

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dwarfs and deformed beings, clad in lion and tiger skins,

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with large fangs wet with blood, fond of offerings of great flesh.

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Surrounding the god, the crusher of mighty enemies,

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they stood sporting, eagerly facing the battle.

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Then, seeing the celestial chariot of Rudra of untiring deeds,

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Kṛṣṇa mounted Garuḍa and advanced against Rudra in the encounter.

Seeing him shooting as he approached, seated upon the son of Vinatā, Hara the leader, / enraged and proud with arrogance, said, “Halt, halt!” / Lord Govinda also stood firm, smiling as it were: / “Here I stand in your battle; do as you please.” / Enraged, he pierced Hari with a hundred iron arrows.

112.17

Afflicted by those arrows of Hara, the slayer of foes, / Hari, enraged, seized the supreme weapon of Parjanya.

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Then the earth trembled, oppressed by Viṣṇu and Rudra.

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The serpents there, their faces turned upward, shook under the affliction.

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The mountains there were streaming, washed over by torrents of water.

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Some shed their peaks on every side.

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The cardinal and intermediate directions, the earth, and the sky

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appeared as if blazing at the clash of Sthāṇu and Kṛṣṇa.

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Thunderbolts fell on all sides upon the surface of the earth.

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Fierce-looking jackals howled inauspicious cries,

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and Vāsava roared dreadfully, and it rained blood.

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Meteors stood enveloping the faces of Bāṇa's army.

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The wind did not blow, and the luminaries fell into confusion.

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The plants were devoid of luster, and sky-farers ceased to move.

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In the meantime, Brahmā, surrounded by all the hosts of gods,

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approached Rudra, knowing that the destroyer of Tripura was ready.

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Gandharvas and apsarases, yakṣas and vidyādharas,

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and throngs of siddhas and cāraṇas stood in the sky watching.

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Then that weapon of Parjanya, hurled by Viṣṇu at Rudra,

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advanced blazing to where Rudra stood on his chariot.

112.18

Then hundreds of thousands of straight-jointed arrows / rushed forth from all quarters to where Hara’s person was.

112.19

Then the enraged Rudra, foremost among masters of weapons, / unleashed the fiery weapon, exceedingly terrible; it was like a marvel.

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Then those four, their bodies shattered on all sides,

112.20

then those four, their bodies shattered on all sides, / were no longer seen, covered by arrows and burned by fire.

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Then the creatures trembled, and the gods were overcome with fear.

112.21

Then all the chief asuras raised a lion-roar, / believing, “He is slain,” when Hari was obscured by the fiery [weapon].

112.22

Then, having endured that weapon in battle, the foremost among masters of weapons, / enraged, Hṛṣīkeśa repelled the mass of fire; / glorious Vāsudeva seized the watery weapon.

112.23

When the watery weapon was raised by wise Vāsudeva, / and when the immensely radiant watery weapon was employed by Vāsudeva, / the fiery weapon was subdued by the fiery energy of the watery weapon.

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When that weapon had been countered by Vāsudeva in battle,

112.24

Bhava unleashed four weapons resembling the fire at the end of the yuga: / the Paiśāca, the Rākṣasa, the Raudra, and the Āṅgirasa.

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And seeing those weapons dispatched, Vāsudeva

112.25

unleashed the Vāyavya, the Sāvitra, the Vāsava, and the Mohana, / in order to ward off those weapons, Vāsudeva released them.

112.26

Having checked the four with four weapons, Keśava / seized the Vaiṣṇava weapon, resembling the god of death with gaping mouth.

112.27

When the Vaiṣṇava weapon was loosed, all the foremost asuras, / the hosts of bhūtas and yakṣas, and Bāṇa’s entire army, / all fled in every direction, their eyes confounded by terror.

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Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / When his army, consisting largely of Pramātha hosts, was broken, the great asura

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Bāṇa then came forth in haste, facing the battle,

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with very mighty daitya lords wielding terrifying weapons,

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surrounded by heroic great chariot-warriors, like the thunderbolt-wielder by the best of gods.

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With recitations, mantras, and herbs,

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they performed benedictory rites for the great-souled one.

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There he gave garments, auspicious cows,

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fruits, flowers, and also gold coins;

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the son of Bali, to the best of brahmins,

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swiftly gave wealth, like the lord of riches.

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Shining with a thousand suns, adorned with many tiny bells,

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variegated with priceless Jāmbūnada gold,

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having a thousand moons and ten thousand stars,

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the great chariot shone like fire.

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Mounted upon it, which was handled by dānavas,

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the great-bannered Bāṇa, bearing a bow,

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intending to overthrow [the army] of the bulls of the Yadus,

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He bore an exceedingly terrible form;

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swift, packed with an ocean of heroes’ chariots,

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that ocean of Daityas marched out against them,

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dense with waves risen from a great ocean,

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like the sea [surging] for the destruction of the world.

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Terrifying, with bodies that struck dread,

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his forces shone in the forefront,

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with great chariots and upraised bows,

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like mountains with forests, O king,

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emerged from their dwelling in the waters of the sea,

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eager to behold a most wondrous battle.

112.28

When the world was shrouded in darkness and Tryambaka was ablaze, then / neither Nandī, nor the chariot, nor Rudra could be seen.

112.29

With his body doubly ablaze from rage and might, / the Trident-bearer, the inner self of beings, wishing to kill Nārāyaṇa, grasped the weapon named Nārāyaṇa while the gods looked on. / And Rudra, born of Brahmā's self, loosed it with all his strength; / and loosed by him, that weapon went near. / Laughing then, Keśava effortlessly grasped that weapon of Śaṅkara, / Viṣṇu cast it into his quivers. / Rudra, the embodiment of destruction, was enraged in his Rudra form. // Then, taking up the trident that rends all enemies, / terrifying to gods, Dānavas, Gandharvas, / Yakṣas, serpents, and Rākṣasas, / Śaṅkara loosed it aiming at Kṛṣṇa. // Seeing that trident, Hari warded it off by his own power. // Then the three-eyed god, enraged, like Yama the end-maker of Time, / grasped the Pāśupata weapon, famous in the world for its power, / equal to himself, directly to slay Keśava by his might. // Perceiving this, Viṣṇu then took up that very same weapon. // Both weapons having been brought to rest when sustained by both of them then, / the four-faced god grasped an arrow that destroys Tripura.

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Arisen from the fiery energy of Agni, the Wind, Soma, and Viṣṇu,

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[thinking,] "With this I shall kill him in battle along with his kin and son,"

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thinking thus, the deformed-eyed destroyer of Dakṣa’s sacrifice,

112.30

fitting it to his bow and wishing to shoot it, the three-eyed god / was understood by the great-souled Vāsudeva, who knows the mind:

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"With this arrow the Lord of beings has resolved indeed to slay me."

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Thinking thus, Kṛṣṇa then undertook a countermeasure.

112.31

That Puruṣottama took up the weapon named yawning-inducing; / with that weapon consecrated by mantras, Kṛṣṇa Keśava, / swift in action and of great might, caused Hara to yawn.

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Keśava then grasped the weapon named gaping-inducing;

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of great might, he made Hara yawn with that weapon.

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With his arrow and bow, Hara was swiftly made to yawn by it;

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the Lord, conqueror of Asuras and Rākṣasas, lost his consciousness.

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Seeing him made to yawn with his arrow and bow,

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that Bāṇa, maddened with strength, repeatedly urged Śarva:

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"Emit another creation!" then, to increase his pride,

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emitting another power then to increase his pride.

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Then the inner self of beings roared with a smooth, deep sound;

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Kṛṣṇa of great might then blew his conch;

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and when Hara was yawning, that Keśava blew his conch,

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and he made Śārṅga twang and sounded a lion's roar.

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The Trident-bearer fell into helplessness through the fiery energy of the yawning weapon;

112.32

at the roar of Pāñcajanya and the twang of Śārṅga, / seeing the god yawning, all beings were terrified.

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And the Dānavas fled in all the cardinal and intermediate directions;

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and Bāṇa too, O king, utterly terrified, caught his breath.

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Then, while the Trident-bearer looked on, the army cried out in distress:

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"What shall we do? Where shall we go?" said the best of Dānavas,

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and stood turned away, O king, their minds confounded as to what should be done.

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Then even Rudra, suddenly bewildered by the yawning weapon,

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his mind confounded as to what should and should not be done, could comprehend nothing.

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Having meditated in his mind on the Father, accessible by devotion, beyond the senses,

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higher than the highest, Viṣṇu, Lord of the lords of all the worlds,

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Nārāyaṇa, the Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the infinite Puruṣottama,

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[thinking,] "If dharma is superior, my withdrawal is proper,"

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having meditated thus, Hara swiftly departed from that place.

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Janamejaya said: / When the god had departed and the great-souled Kṛṣṇa [remained],

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how did the battle, hair-raising to their foes, arise again?

112.33

Standing on a chariot whose horses were held by Kumbhāṇḍa, Guha then / rushed against Kṛṣṇa, Bala, and Pradyumna.

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Then Guha pierced them in battle with hundreds of fierce arrows;

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enraged with intolerance and fury, the foremost of youths, roaring,

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Guha pierced [them] in combat with hundreds of thousands of arrows;

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Guha struck Vāsudeva with a thousand, Bala with a hundred,

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and Pradyumna with thousands of arrows in battle.

112.34

Their bodies covered with showers of arrows, like the three fires, / with bodies bathed in torrents of blood, they then fought back against Guha.

112.35

Then the three, knowing the ways of war, of blazing splendour, / pierced [him] with three peerless [weapons]: the Vāyavya, Āgneya, and Pārjanya.

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Warding off those weapons with three weapons of his own, the son of Pāvaka,

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with the Śaila, Vāruṇa, and Sāvitra arrows, pierced them.

112.36

Of him who possessed blazing showers of arrows and held a blazing bow, / the showers of arrows they swallowed up with weapon-sorceries, those great-souled ones.

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When that shower of arrows was uncovered, inflamed with supreme wrath,

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Then enraged, blazing as if with brilliance, Guha,

112.37

biting his lips in battle, Guha seized then the weapon named Brahmaśiras, / resembling Time itself, difficult to approach.

112.38

When the Brahmaśiras was employed, brilliant as the thousand-rayed sun, / fierce, supremely invincible, and causing the destruction of worlds,

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all living beings fled, burning on all sides.

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While all great elements ran to and fro, / and the world was confounded by the weapon's glare and despondent, the lord, / Keśava, crusher of Keśin, powerful, grasped his discus.

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For averting and striking down the power of all weapons, / the discus of the great-souled one, without rival in discuses, is renowned in the world.

112.41

By its might, the Brahmaśiras weapon was rendered lusterless by him, / as the great orb of the sun is veiled by clouds at the end of the hot season.

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Then, when that weapon Brahmaśiras had lost its luster, its power extinguished, / he of great splendor seized a golden spear,

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his eyes reddened with rage.

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Guha blazed in battle like a fierce fire fed with oblations.

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Slaying enemies, blazing, divine,

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unfailing, beloved, terrible, bringing terror to all the worlds,

112.43

like a blazing great meteor, with luster equal to the fire at the end of a yuga, / adorned with a garland of bells, that spear the enraged Guha hurled,

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and he roared mightily, with a roar that struck terror into enemies.

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And when hurled then by that great-souled devotee of brahman,

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as if expanding in the sky, its mouth ablaze, / rushing swiftly, desiring Kṛṣṇa's death, that great spear—

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then all the Vidyādharas, the Gandharvas, and likewise the seers,

112.45

along with Indra, leading all the immortals, grew deeply despondent, / seeing the blazing spear and crying out: “Kṛṣṇa is burnt!”

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Rebuking with a mere roar of “huṃ” that great spear / that had come near in the great battle, he felled it to the earth.

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When that great spear had been felled, “Bravo! Bravo!” on all sides, / all the gods along with Indra raised a lion's roar.

112.48

Then, as the gods roared, radiant Vāsudeva / seized once more the discus that puts an end to beings.

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And enraged Bala took up his pestle and plough.

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Then the terrible god Guha became oblivious to what should be done.

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As the discus was whirled by Kṛṣṇa of immeasurable splendor, / in order to protect Kumāra, dividing her own body then, / seeing him, Kauṭavī stood right in front of him. / Sky-clad, Kauṭavī stood there according to the god's command. / She was the illustrious Lambā, the eighth portion of the goddess. / But the varied golden spear [fell], and she stood naked in between. / Then seeing the goddess standing between him and Kumāra, the mighty-armed / Madhusūdana turned his face away and spoke these words. / Sky-clad, hideous, dark-hued, dreadful, with hollow belly, / stretching forth her arms, as if suddenly devouring the vast sky, / “Begone, begone! Fie on you! Fie!” he said.

Linked texts (1)

Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit