Harivamsha 88

English (machine translation) 88

Language: English

88.1

Vaiśaṃpāyana said:
Hearing that Rukmiṇī was being carried away by Kṛṣṇa, the enraged Rukmin
made a vow in the presence of Bhīṣmaka:

88.2

“Without slaying Govinda in battle and bringing back Rukmiṇī,
I will not enter Kuṇḍina; this is the truth I speak to you!”

88.3

Mounting his chariot that had lofty weapons and flags,
the enraged hero set forth in haste, accompanied by a great army.

88.4

Kings who dwelled in the southern region followed him:
Krātha, Aṃśumat, Śrutarvan, and the valorous Veṇudāri,

88.5

and the son of Bhīṣmaka, best among chariot warriors, on his chariot,
and all the chiefs of the Krathakaiśikas, all great chariot warriors.

88.6

Having traversed a long distance along the Narmadā river,
the enraged warriors saw Govinda stationed there with his beloved.

Halting that army, Rukmin, intoxicated with the pride of his might,
took up a sharp arrow and addressed Janārdana thus:
“Hey, heir of cowherds, violator of another's wife!
Release this maiden and stand firm for a moment!
I will sever your head with arrows if you stand before me!”
Having spoken thus, O lord, he fitted a sharp arrow to his bow,
and, desiring single combat in chariots, rushed at Madhusūdana.

88.8

He pierced Govinda with sixty-four sharp arrows;
Janārdana pierced him in return with seventy arrows in the combat.

88.9

As he strove, the mighty one cut down his banner, / and the valiant one severed his charioteer's head from the body.

88.10

Perceiving him fallen into distress, / all those southern kings surrounded Janārdana, seeking to kill him.

88.11

Mighty-armed Aṃśumat pierced him with ten arrows, / the enraged Śrutarvan with five, and Veṇudāri with seven.

88.12

Then valiant Govinda pierced Aṃśumat in the chest; / afflicted, that lord of men sank down on the floor of his chariot.

88.13

He struck down Śrutarvan's four horses with four arrows, / cut down Veṇudāri's banner, and pierced his right arm.

88.14

In the same way, he pierced Śrutarvan with five arrows; / exhausted, he leaned against the flagstaff and sank down, overcome with pain.

88.15

Then, showering rains of arrows, the leaders of the Krathakaiśikas / advanced on all sides against Vāsudeva with a line of chariots.

88.16

Janārdana cut down their arrows with his own arrows in battle; / enraged, he struck down their arrows as they strove.

88.17

Again, the mighty one struck down the others with sixty-four sharp arrows, / rushing against the enraged warriors as they rushed at him.

88.18

Seeing his army put to flight, Rukmin fell under the sway of rage; / he pierced Keśava in the chest with five sharp arrows.

88.19

He pierced his charioteer with three sharp missiles, / and struck his banner with a straight-jointed arrow.

88.20

Enraged, Keśava also pierced him with sixty shafts, / and cut down the bow of Rukmin as he strove.

88.21

Then, seizing another bow in his desire to kill Kṛṣṇa, / the valiant Rukmin manifested blazing divine missiles:

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the Vāyavya, the Vāruṇa, the Māhendra, and the Nairṛta,

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the Paiśāca, the Rākṣasa, the Raudra, and likewise the Māheśvara.

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He discharged these divine missiles against Keśava in battle.

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Janārdana Govinda struck them down with the very same [missiles].

88.22

Warding off his missiles with [his own] missiles, the mighty Kṛṣṇa / again severed his bow and his chariot pole with three arrows.

88.23

With his bow cut and deprived of his chariot, seizing a sword and a shield, / the valiant hero leaped from his chariot like Garuḍa.

88.24

As he rushed forward, Keśava cut through his sword in battle, / and, enraged, pierced him in the chest with three iron shafts.

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Enraged, he then pierced him in the chest with five arrows.

88.25

Making the earth resound, the mighty-armed king fell, / senseless and fainting, like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt.

88.26

Keśava pierced all those kings again with arrows, / along with their horses, banners, chariots, charioteers, and foot-soldiers; / seeing Rukmin fallen, the lords of men fled,

88.26x1015

their limbs pierced by Kṛṣṇa's arrows, looking at one another.

88.27

Seeing her brother writhing upon the ground, Rukmiṇī, / desiring her brother's life, fell at the feet of her husband.

88.28

Lifting her up and embracing her, Keśava consoled her; / granting safety to Rukmin, he then set out for his own city.

88.29

The Vṛṣṇis, having broken Jarāsaṃdha and those kings— / the hero Sātyaki having conquered the mighty Śiśupāla, / the Vṛṣṇi Baladeva having conquered the bull of the Magadhas, / and those foremost Yādavas, having conquered them according to their stations— / joyfully set out for Dvārakā, placing the plow-weaponed [Balarāma] at their head.

88.30

When the lotus-eyed one had departed, Śrutarvan approached in the battle, / mounted Rukmin onto his chariot, and then set out for his own city.

88.31

Not having brought back his sister, Rukmin, filled with the pride of valour, / his vow unfulfilled, did not wish to enter the city of Kuṇḍina.

88.32

He built another great city in Vidarbha for his residence; / it became renowned on earth as Bhojakaṭa.

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[It was] the birthplace of the blessed, high-souled son of Bhṛgu.

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Rukmin of great valour ruled it while he lived there.

88.33

There, endowed with great splendor, he ruled the southern quarter by his might, / while the high-minded King Bhīṣmaka dwelt in Kuṇḍina.

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Regaining his senses, Jarāsaṃdha reached his own city,

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together with all the kings, his face bowed down with shame.

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The base-minded Śiśupāla as well, filled with shame, accompanied by his kinsmen,

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was seen by the citizens and countrymen: 'There is the husband of the Bhoja maiden!

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Things have now turned out otherwise!' and he departed for his own city.

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'Who indeed is capable here, while Kṛṣṇa is alive today,

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of altering Rukmiṇī's fate, when he is accompanied by his army and by Sātyaki?'

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Thus the citizens, seeing that Sunītha whose prowess was confounded,

88.33x1018-9

all said to one another, as the king was going to his own city.

88.34

When Rāma arrived at Dvārakā accompanied by the Vṛṣṇi army, / the lord Keśava took Rukmiṇī's hand according to rule.

88.35

Then he sported with that beloved woman who rejoiced, / as did Rāma with Sītā in ancient times, or Puraṃdara with Paulomī,

88.35x1019

or the king of fair renown, Nala, with Damayantī.

88.36

For she became Kṛṣṇa's senior passionate wife, / devoted to her husband, endowed with virtues, possessing beauty, good conduct, and excellence.

88.37

Upon her, the valiant one begot ten sons who were great chariot-warriors: / Cārudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, the mighty Pradyumna,

88.38

Suṣeṇa, Cārugupta, Cārubāhu, / Cāruvinda, Sucāru, and likewise Bhadracāru,

88.39

and Cāru, the foremost of the strong, as well as a daughter, Cārumatī; / they were skilled in dharma and worldly affairs, trained in missiles, and furious in battle.

88.40

Then the mighty-armed slayer of Madhu married seven other auspicious / chief wives, who were endowed with virtues and born of noble lineage:

88.41

Kālindī, Mitravindā, Satyā the daughter of Nagnajit, / the daughter of Jāmbavat, Rohiṇī who could assume any form at will,

88.42

and the daughter of the Madra king, well-behaved and of auspicious eyes, / Satyabhāmā the daughter of Satrājit, Lakṣmaṇā of charming smile, / and Sudattā Śaibyā, who in beauty and splendor was like an apsaras.

88.43

Hṛṣīkeśa of unequalled prowess married sixteen thousand other women; / he attended to all of them equally, / adorned with the most precious garments and jewels, prosperous in all desires.

88.44

And there were born to him by them heroic sons by the thousands, / eighty thousand and sixteen more, O Bhārata, / all skilled in every weapon, all mighty, great chariot-warriors, / sacrificers, doers of meritorious deeds, fortunate and of great strength.

Linked texts (1)

Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit