Harivamsha 81

English (machine translation) 81

Language: English

81.1

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / The Vṛṣṇis, placing Janārdana at their head, / saw all those kings who had arrived and encamped in the garden around Mathurā.

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Those arrived kings, O king, the foremost kings [allied with] the king of Magadha—

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then Kṛṣṇa, joyful in mind, said these words to Rāma: / "The business of the gods is indeed pressing; there is no doubt.

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As this King Jarāsaṃdha is drawing near, / the tops of the standards of his wind-swift chariots are visible.

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These white umbrellas, moon-like, raised high / for men eager for victory, shine forth, O noble one.

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Behold the pure rows of umbrellas, towering above the royal chariots, / advancing toward us like flocks of swans in the sky.

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In good time indeed has the king, the lord of earth, Jarāsaṃdha, arrived; / he is the touchstone for our battle, our first guest in combat.

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O noble one, let us stand together now that the lord of earth has arrived. / The battle must be joined; let the army be surveyed first."

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Having spoken thus, Kṛṣṇa, composed and eager for battle, / desiring to face Jarāsaṃdha, surveyed the army.

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Looking upon all those kings, that best of the Yadus, imperishable, / knowing secret plans, spoke these words to himself in his heart:

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"These rulers of the earth who walk the path of kings / will meet destruction here through deeds prescribed by scripture.

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I think these bulls among kings are indeed consecrated by Death; / for their bodies shine as if destined for heaven.

Fittingly, this earth, wearied under her burden, went to heaven; / oppressed by the floods of troops belonging to these foremost kings, / this earth has become continuous, covered with armies and realms.

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In a very short time, the surface of the earth / will become emptied, with hundreds of floods of rulers felled."

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As Kṛṣṇa of wondrous deeds was reflecting thus,

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having reflected thus, the Blessed One, resolved upon battle,

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stood firm together with Saṃkarṣaṇa, like an immovable mountain.

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Then the enraged Jarāsaṃdha, the lord of all rulers of earth, / followed by streams of thousands of kings, of great splendour,

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with chariots equipped for battle, harnessed to tall and powerful horses, / fully outfitted with engines, their course nowhere obstructed,

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with elephants equipped for battle, resembling rain clouds, / having golden girths and great bells, mounted by the best drivers,

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with cloud-like horses leaping as if flying, / controlled by well-mounted riders who were vigilant and trotting swiftly,

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and with towering foot soldiers bearing swords and shields, / their garments fluttering, numbering in thousands, leaping like serpents—

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thus with fourfold armies like trembling clouds, / the mighty King Jarāsaṃdha, firm in his vow, advanced.

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He [advanced] with chariots roaring like clouds, / with rut-dripping elephants, with neighing horses, and shouting foot soldiers.

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Making all quarters and the forests of that city resound, / followed by twenty akṣauhiṇīs, the king of men, / that monarch, appeared with his army like the ocean.

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That army of the lords of the earth, crowded with proud warriors, / resounded with war cries and clapping of arms, shining like a host of clouds.

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With chariots swift as the wind, with elephants resembling storm-clouds, / with horses endowed with speed, and with foot soldiers like birds,

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mingled on all sides, crowded with rutting elephants and chariots, / it shone like an army of clouds resting upon the ocean at summer's end.

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Accompanied by their forces, those rulers of the earth, led by Jarāsaṃdha, / surrounded the city on all sides and set about pitching camp.

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The splendour of that army encamped there truly shone, / like the appearance of the great ocean filled to its white shores.

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Then, when the night had passed, the rulers of the earth arose; / eager for battle, they assembled to assault the city.

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All gathered together along the Yamunā, / those kings sat and deliberated, eager for the hour of battle.

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A most tumultuous sound was heard from those rulers of the earth, / like the roar of the oceans bursting forth at the end of the yuga.

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Old men in tunics and turbans, holding canes in their hands, / moved about shouting 'Silence!' at the king's command.

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The appearance of that army, hushed and motionless, / was indeed like that of the silent great ocean when its fish and sea-monsters lie hidden.

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When it was hushed and motionless like the great ocean in yoga, / Jarāsaṃdha began his weighty speech like Bṛhaspati:

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'Let the armies of the rulers of the earth advance swiftly, / and let this city be surrounded on all sides by surges of men!

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Let stone-hurling engines be prepared, and clubs to be flung! / Let all the ground be made level and flooded with surges of water! / Let bows be raised upward, and darts as well as javelins!

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Let the city be breached quickly with heaps of chisels and picks, / and let kings skilled in the methods of battle be stationed close at hand!

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Beginning today, let the siege of the city proceed with my forces, / until I slay both those cowherds, the sons of Vasudeva, / Saṃkarṣaṇa and Kṛṣṇa, in battle with sharp arrows, / so that even the sky is made impassable with torrents of arrows!

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Let the rulers of earth stand on the city grounds as instructed by me; / in each of those places, let the city be swiftly scaled!

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Let the king of Madra, the ruler of Kaliṅga, Cekitāna with Bāhlika, / the king of Kaśmīra, Gonarda, and the ruler of Karūṣa,

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Druma, the Kiṃpuruṣa, and Dāmana the mountaineer, / swiftly scale the western gate of the city!

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The Paurava and Veṇudāri, the Vaidarbha and Somaka, / Rukmin the ruler of Bhoja, Sūryākṣa the Mālava,

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and the mighty king of the Pāñcālas and the Drupadāḥ—

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and let the two Avanti princes, Vinda and Anuvinda, and the valiant Dantavaktra / swiftly blockade the southern gate of the city; / [and also] Chāgali, Purumitra, and King Virāṭa.

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The king of Kauśāmbī, the Mālava, Śatadhanvan, Vidūratha, / Bhūriśravas, the king of Trigarta, Bāṇa, and the lord of Pañcanada—

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let these kings capable of storming forts, heavy as thunderbolts, / scale and crush the northern gate of the city!

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Ulūka, the Kaitaveya, the heroic son of Aṃśumat, / Ekalavya, Bṛhatkṣatra, Kṣatradharman, Jayadratha,

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Uttamaujas, Śalya, the Kauravas and Kaikayas, / the ruler of Vidiśā, Vāmadeva, the king of Sāketa, and the lord of the Śinis—

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let the eastern rampart of the city depend upon these [kings] of yours; / rushing forward, let them charge like winds against clouds!

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I, the king of Darada, and the king of Cedi, united, / will protect the southern gate of the city, armed in mail.

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Thus surrounded swiftly on all sides by our forces, / let this city encounter a tumultuous terror like the strike of a thunderbolt!

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Let those who wield maces strike with maces, those with iron clubs with clubs, / and let others breach this city with various weapons!

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This very day let this city, rugged with heights and ravines, / be made completely level with the ground by you, lords of earth!'

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Having spoken thus, Jarāsaṃdha, equal in valour to Indra,

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arrayed his fourfold army and took his stand. / Then, enraged, he advanced against the Yādavas together with all the rulers of men. / The Daśārhas, skilled warriors with deployed ranks, advanced against him.

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Seeing those two Yādavas then arrive, marching at the head of the army,

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the king of Magadha looked [at them] in anger and said: 'O Kṛṣṇa, lowest of men!

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Out of shame, I do not wish to fight with you, who are just a boy!

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If you have faith in battle, Rāma, hold your ground!

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Either, pierced by my arrows, with body covered, go to heaven, or slay me!'

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The Blessed Lord said: / 'Heroes do not boast; they only show their valour!

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We pay no heed, O king, to the words of an agitated man about to die!'

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That battle between them was terrible, like one between gods and asuras, / of the few against the many, chariots and elephants intertwined.

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Placing Ugrasena at their head, Vāsudeva and the plow-wielding [Balarāma],

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standing in their chariots, skilled in battle, advanced to fight.

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Seeing both sons of Vasudeva sally forth from the city, / the army of supreme men was agitated, their mounts terrified and confused.

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Standing in their chariots and clad in mail, the two Yādavas ranged there, / like two enraged sea-monsters churning the ocean.

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As the two Yādavas engaged in battle, a thought arose: / as they fought in the fray, the resolve of the steadfast pair / was formed to take up their ancient weapons.

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Then blazing, divine, enormous, and exceedingly firm [weapons], / licking their lips, fell from the sky onto the tumult of battle,

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followed by flesh-eating beasts, embodied and huge, / exceedingly thirsty to feed upon the flesh of kings in battle,

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wearing divine garlands and wreaths, terrifying the sky-dwellers, / shining with brilliance, mail-clad, [lighting up] the ten directions:

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the plow named Saṃvartaka, the pestle Saunanda, / the foremost of bows, Śārṅga, and the mace Kaumodakī.

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These four fiery powers, the weapons of Viṣṇu, / descended for the two Yādavas in the great battle.

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First, Rāma seized his ploughshare of peerless excellence, / which, adorned with celestial garlands, crawled like a snake in battle.

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Then, the glorious [hero], the best of the Sātvatas, / seized with his left hand the excellent club Saunanda, which brings despair to foes.

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And powerful Viṣṇu took up the bow, beautiful in the worlds, / resounding like a rain-cloud, famed by the name Śārṅga.

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In the other hand of that lotus-eyed [god], whose purpose was spoken of by the gods, / rested the mace named Kaumodakī.

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Those two heroes, equipped with weapons, resembling the embodied form of Viṣṇu himself, / Rāma and Govinda, fought back against those enemies in battle.

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Holding their weapons, the two heroes, one in spirit with each other, / designated elder and younger brother, marked as Rāma and Govinda, / retaliating against their enemies, valiant like the sovereign lords,

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both sons of Vasudeva roved about like two gods.

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Raising his ploughshare like an enraged king of serpents, / the heroic Rāma moved about in battle like the ender of his enemies.

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Dragging down legions of chariots of the high-souled kṣatriyas, / he brought his wrath to bear upon the elephants and horses.

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Elephants hurled by his ploughshare and struck by blows of his club, / Rāma, shining in battle, churned them as though they were mountains.

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Pierced by Rāma in battle, those bull-like kṣatriyas, / heroic [warriors] afflicted by the conflict, fled into the presence of Jarāsaṃdha.

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Jarāsaṃdha, steadfast in the dharma of the kṣatriya, said to them: / “Fie upon this conduct of a kṣatriya shown by you, whose minds are faint-hearted in battle!

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Wise men speak of [the deed] of one who turns back, is deprived of his chariot, and flees in battle / as being like intolerable foeticide.

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Terrified, why do you turn back? Fie upon such conduct of a kṣatriya! / Turn around swiftly, urged by my word! / Or else, stand in your chariots as stationed spectators, / while in battle I send these two cowherds to the realm of Yama!

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Incensed, I stand ready in battle, for kṣatriyas [fight] for victory!”

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Then all those kṣatriyas, urged by Jarāsaṃdha, / raining showers of arrows, stood ready, gladdened to fight.

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With horses adorned with gold diadems, and chariots rumbling like clouds, / and elephants resembling rain-clouds, urged on by drivers,

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clad in armor, bearing swords, with banners, weapons, and standards, / having strung their bows, with good quivers and with javelins,

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all beneath elevated umbrellas, fanned by handsome chowries, / those rulers of the earth, standing on chariots, shone as they advanced into battle.

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Keen for battle, those chariot-warriors, the best of fighters, plunged in / with heavy maces and throwing clubs.

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In the meantime, the enhancer of the joy of the gods,

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[and] at that moment the majestic king Jarāsaṃdha,

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blew his loud-sounding conch, making all the directions echo.

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Hearing that, the god of gods also [blew] the peerless Pāñcajanya,

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by whose sound all the deities residing in heaven were terrified—

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what then of all the armies being terrified? What need to say!

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Mounting his excellent chariot marked by the banner of the fair-feathered one, / Kṛṣṇa then advanced against Jarāsaṃdha and pierced him with eight arrows.

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He too, having pierced Viṣṇu with eight [arrows], beheld Ugrasena,

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and standing beside Hari, he said: “Listen, king, to my words!

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How have you become the king of the Vṛṣṇis now, O king? Speak!

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You are the foremost among the ignorant; who else on earth is like you?

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For whatever funeral cake has been given by this slayer of his own family,

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that you consume constantly; speak, blind man, what is more degraded than this?

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And having mercilessly killed your son, this descendant of Śūra, petty king,

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has installed you alone in the kingdom, and is now lusting for battle.

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You have entered his servitude while still bearing the title of king;

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you are grown old only in years, petty king, but not in wisdom!

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Shameless one, addicted to pleasures, vile creature, lowest of kings!

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Go away from here, old man in vain; I cannot bear to look upon you!

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Or, if you desire to fight, stand for a moment before me.

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For I will kill you along with your army, and along with Hari and Bala!”

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Having spoken thus and taken up his bow, he then stood before him.

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Hearing that, Hari, his eyes red with rage, said to the king of Magadha:

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“[You who] disappeared from that excellent mountain Gomanta,

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now you arrive accompanied by all your armies.

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Eager for battle, I stand ready, bringing destruction to the kṣatriyas.

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I am that very same youth, O king, and you are indeed that very same [man].

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It is not fitting, O king, to address Ugrasena in vain.

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Speak to me alone, lord of kings, for I am your enemy, O lord!

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You shall see what deed will be done by me now, O king!

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Or what need is there of much talk? I will sever your head, O king,

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if you do not take flight today, lord of kings!”

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Having spoken thus, Keśava pierced the king with twenty-five [arrows].

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And he pierced his charioteer with five sharp arrows; / and the valiant [hero] slew the horses of him who was striving in battle.

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Keśava cut off the bow of Jarāsaṃdha, O lord of kings,

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and cut down his standard, and indeed slew his charioteer.

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And he shattered his chariot while all the kṣatriyas looked on.

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Deprived of his chariot and deprived of his bow, he stood resting on the surface of the earth.

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Perceiving him fallen into distress, the great chariot-warrior Citrasena / and the general Kauśika pierced Kṛṣṇa with arrows.

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And Kauśika pierced Baladeva, who was engaged [in combat], with three [arrows]. / With a broad-headed arrow, Baladeva cut his bow in two in battle, / and with speed he also oppressed those enemies with showers of arrows,

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in many ways, with many gold-adorned [arrows] on all sides, the hero [struck them].

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Citrasena, enraged, pierced him with nine arrows, / Kauśika with five, and Jarāsaṃdha with seven.

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Janārdana pierced them, each with three iron shafts. / Taking another bow, the lord of Magadha, the king, / struck Ugrasena with a sharpened arrow. / O great king, that arrow struck the king. / The father of Kaṃsa, O king of kings, pierced Jarāsaṃdha with seven arrows, / and with seventy, and again with nine arrows. / Jarāsaṃdha struck the king, the delight of the Yadus, / with ten thousand arrows before the very eyes of Mādhava. / Holding his bow in hand, Ugrasena cut his bow in two. / But taking another bow, the majestic Jarāsaṃdha, / with twenty very sharp arrows, / pierced the king of kings before the eyes of Baladeva, / and likewise cut his bow in two at the grip, O king. / Taking a sharpened arrow, the majestic Jarāsaṃdha, / the king of kings, the lord, pierced the king in the chest, O king. / And with a straight-jointed arrow he cut down his horses, / and the king broke his chariot in two and destroyed his standard. / Then the best of kings among the Vṛṣṇis fled from the chariot. / Kauśika, Citrasena, and King Jarāsaṃdha, / O great king, struck Janārdana, each with three arrows. / Jarāsaṃdha was broken with arrows before the eyes of Vasudeva, / and Baladeva [struck] each with five sharp arrows.

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The valiant Baladeva also cut the chariot pole of Citrasena, / and in battle he cut his bow in two with a broad-headed arrow.

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His bow broken and his chariot gone, the valiant [Citrasena] seized a mace, / and furiously rushed forward, seeking to kill the one armed with the pestle.

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As he wished to release iron shafts, desiring to slay Citrasena, / the mighty Jarāsaṃdha cut Rāma's bow, / and in wrath the lord of Magadha struck his horses with a mace.

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The mighty hero Jarāsaṃdha rushed at Rāma.

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Seizing his pestle, Rāma ran toward Jarāsaṃdha; / then a duel took place between the two, each seeking to kill the other.

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Citrasena, seeing the king of Magadha locked in combat with Rāma,

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mounted another chariot and held back Jarāsaṃdha.

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Then, with a great force and a division of elephants,

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a tumultuous clash occurred between the two [sides].

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Then the mighty Jarāsaṃdha, surrounded by a great army, / approached the Bhojas marching in front of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa.

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Then, like that of an agitated ocean, a great roar, / a tumult arose between those two armies.

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From thousands of flutes, kettle-drums, mṛdaṅgas, and conches, / a great noise arose in both armies, O king.

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Tumult broke out on all sides with war-cries, arm-slaps, and shouts, / and dust rose up, stirred by hooves and chariot wheels.

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With great weapons raised and bows in hand, / the heroes stood there roaring at one another.

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Chariot-warriors, horsemen, and foot-soldiers by the thousands, / and exceedingly powerful elephants rushed together fearlessly there.

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Then, O great king, among those kings eager for victory,

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that dreadful, tumultuous combat of the warriors of Jarāsaṃdha / with the Vṛṣṇis took place, heedless of their lives.

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Then Śini, Anādhṛṣṭi, Babhru, Vipṛthu, and Āhuka, / placing Baladeva at their head, armoured, with half the army,

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advanced upon the right wing of the enemy army, O Bhārata, / protected by the king of Cedi and by Jarāsaṃdha, O lord,

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and by the high-spirited northerners, the kings led by Śalya and Sālva, / casting down showers of arrows, completely heedless of their lives.

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Āgāvaha, Pṛthu, Kahva, Śatadyumna, and Vidūratha, / placing Hṛṣīkeśa at their head, armoured, with half the army,

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[advanced upon the wing] guarded by Bhīṣmaka and the high-souled Rukmin, / and by Devaka, O king of kings, as well as the lord of Madra, / and by the easterners and southerners, possessed of concealed strength and might.

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A great, tumultuous battle took place between them, completely heedless of life, / as they unleashed floods of javelins, spears, lances, and arrows.

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Sātyaki, Citraka, Śyāma, the valiant Yuyudhāna, / Rājādhideva, Mṛdura, and the mighty Śvaphalka,

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and Satrājit and Prasena, surrounded by a great host, / attacked the left wing of the enemy's battle array in the fight.

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They attacked half of the battle array guarded by Mṛdura. / A great combat took place there, resembling that between gods and asuras, / of the few against the many, because of their reliance on Vāsudeva. / Thus the battle of those heroes unfolded, enhancing joy, / producing terror in the timid, and enlarging the realm of Yama, / against many kings headed by Veṇudārin,

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and guarded by the westerners, fierce in strength, and the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Linked texts (1)

Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit