Harivamsha 75

English (machine translation) 75

Language: English

75.1

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / As lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa entered swiftly, his garments fluttering in the wind, / placing his elder brother in front—

75.2

Devakī’s son, his handsome arms marked with scratches from elephant tusks, / a hero sporting armlets fashioned from [its] rut and blood,

75.3

prancing like a lion, roaring like a cloud, / shaking the earth with the sound and slap of his arms—

75.4

seeing Kṛṣṇa with the elephant's tusk raised as a weapon, / the son of Ugrasena, his face deeply troubled, looked upon him with fury.

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All those standing in the arena, with unblinking eyes,

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beheld the lotus-eyed one with a joyful heart within.

75.5

Keśava shone with the elephant tusk clasped in his arm, / like a single-peaked mountain joined with the crescent disk of the moon.

75.6

As Govinda pranced, the entire ocean of the arena / seemed to be filled with the resounding roar of the multitude of people.

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Then Kaṃsa, his eyes copper-red with anger, extremely enraged,

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commanded the mighty Cāṇūra to fight against Kṛṣṇa,

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and the Andhra wrestler, deceitful and of great strength, Muṣṭika,

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resembling a mass of mountains, he angrily directed against Baladeva.

75.7

Now Cāṇūra had already been commanded beforehand by Kaṃsa: / 'You must fight against Kṛṣṇa with all your might.'

75.8

And Cāṇūra, his eyes reddened with fury, / advanced to the fight like a cloud filled with water.

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And he said to Govinda: 'I will destroy your arrogance!

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Soon, cowherd, you will see [the realm of] Yama by my force!'

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Hearing this, Govinda spoke to him whose life was at its end:

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'I shall see such capability of yours, your supreme strength;

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soon, wrestler, you will see [it], vile one, whether by you or by me!

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Show it if you are capable, [or] say what your strength is, vile one!'

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Having spoken thus, Govinda roared in many varied ways.

75.9

When the shout ceased in the assembly and the people fell silent and still, / the Yādavas gathered there spoke these words:

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'Having set aside the party of arrows and viewed the fight impartially:

75.10

this wrestling match in the arena, with umpires, without fear, / governed by technique and strength, without weapons, was designed in ancient times.

75.11

Exertion must always be dispelled with water by those observing the rounds; / and rubbing with dry powdered cow-dung is remembered as the wrestler's regular procedure.

75.12

Whether standing or on the ground, each according to his proper method, / standing and on the ground as the two follow the rules; / and the sequence of fighting has been declared by the umpires.

75.13

Whether young, middle-aged, old, or lean, / or fully strong, one standing in the arena should be known by his weight-class.

75.14

The rule of wrestling in combat depends on strength and technique; / after a knockout blow, an expert must do nothing further.

75.15

So here is this fight prepared in the arena between Kṛṣṇa and the Andhra wrestler; / Kṛṣṇa is a boy, the Andhra is massive; in this matter there can be no question.'

75.16

Then a roar of shouts arose in the assembly, / and Govinda pranced forth and spoke these words:

75.17

'I am a boy, [and] the Andhra is huge, mountain-like in body; / a fight with this strong-armed one pleases me.

75.18

No violation of the rules of combat will be committed by me; / for I will not corrupt what is recognized by wrestlers.

75.19

The rule of cow-dung powder and the rule of water belonging to the arena, / and the application of astringent powder—this is the agreed convention.

75.20

Restraint, steadiness, heroism, exertion, skilled action, and strength, / and certain victory in the arena: this is the vow at the opening of battle.

75.21

Since he is prepared to fight with his arms out of enmity, / here indeed restraint must be applied; I will gratify the world.

75.22

Born among the Karūṣas, this wrestler is named Cāṇūra; / consider him as a wrestler in body and in deeds.

75.23

Many wrestlers arrogant in battle have been slain by him; / desiring glory in the arena, he has corrupted the path of wrestling.

75.24

The success of armed warriors in battle comes from weapons; / but the success of wrestlers in the arena arises from striking down an opponent.

75.25

Eternal fame belongs to one who conquers in battle; / even for one slain by weapons in battle, the vault of heaven is ordained.

75.26

For in battle success comes both ways, whether slain or slaying; / indeed, that fatal departure is honored well by the great.

75.27

But this path proceeds from strength and technique; / what heaven is there for one dead in the arena, or what pleasure for the victor?

Those who, by their own fault, fancy themselves wise before the king, / say: "We boys will fight with the strong-armed in close combat!"
Having spoken thus, Kṛṣṇa then engaged Cāṇūra.
Slapping his arms, O king of kings, Cāṇūra advanced toward Kṛṣṇa.
Both of them, valorous as lions, like two rutting great elephants,
fought each other with these wrestling exercises;
wrestlers were killed for the sake of glory, for that is the death of a wrestler-killer.'

Linked texts (1)

Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit