Mahabharata 1.217: saptadaśādhika dviśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ

1.217.1

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tau rathābhyāṃ naravyāghrau dāvasyobhayataḥ sthitau |
dikṣu sarvāsu bhūtānāṃ cakrāte kadanaṃ mahat || 1 ||

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then those foremost of car-warriors (Krishna and Arjuna), riding in their cars and placing themselves on opposite sides of that forest, began a great slaughter, on all sides, of the creatures dwelling in Khandava. At whatever point any of the creatures residing in Khandava could be seen attempting to escape, thither rushed those mighty heroes (to prevent its flight). Indeed those two excellent cars seemed to be but one, and the two warriors also therein but one individual. And while the forest was burning, hundreds and thousands of living creatures, uttering frightful yells, began to run about in all directions. Some had particular limbs burnt, some were scorched with excessive heat, and some came out, and some ran about from fear. And some clasping their children and some their parents and brothers, died calmly without, from excess of affection, being able to abandon these that were dear to them. And many there were who biting their nether lips rose upwards and soon fell whirling into the blazing element below. And some were seen to roll on the ground with wings, eyes, and feet scorched and burnt. These creatures were all seen to perish there almost soon enough. The tanks and ponds within that forest, heated by the fire around, began to boil; the fishes and the tortoises in them were all seen to perish. During that great slaughter of living creatures in that forest, the burning bodies of various animals looked as if fire itself had assumed many forms. The birds that took wings to escape from that conflagration were pierced by Arjuna with his shafts, and cut into pieces, they fell down into the burning element below. Pierced all over with Arjuna's shafts, the birds dropped down into the burning forest, uttering loud cries. The denizens of the forest, struck with those shafts, began to roar and yell. The clamour they raised was like unto the frightful uproar heard during the churning of the ocean (in days of yore). The mighty flames of the blazing fire reaching the firmament, caused great anxiety to the celestials themselves. Then all the illustrious dwellers in heaven went in a body unto him of a hundred sacrifices and thousand eyes, viz., their chief, that grinder of Asuras. Approaching Indra, the celestial said, 'Why, O lord of immortals, doth Agni burn these creatures below? Hath the time come for the destruction of the world?'

1.217.2

yatra yatra hi dṛśyante prāṇinaḥ khāṇḍavālayāḥ |
palāyantastatra tatra tau vīrau paryadhāvatām || 2 ||

1.217.3

chidraṃ hi na prapaśyanti rathayorāśuvikramāt |
āviddhāviva dṛśyete rathinau tau rathottamau || 3 ||

1.217.4

khāṇḍave dahyamāne tu bhūtānyatha sahasraśaḥ |
utpeturbhairavānnādānvinadanto diśo daśa || 4 ||

1.217.5

dagdhaikadeśā bahavo niṣṭaptāśca tathāpare |
sphuṭitākṣā viśīrṇāśca viplutāśca vicetasaḥ || 5 ||

1.217.6

samāliṅgya sutānanye pitṝnmātṝṃstathāpare |
tyaktuṃ na śekuḥ snehena tathaiva nidhanaṃ gatāḥ || 6 ||

1.217.7

vikṛtairdarśanairanye samutpetuḥ sahasraśaḥ |
tatra tatra vighūrṇantaḥ punaragnau prapedire || 7 ||

1.217.8

dagdhapakṣākṣicaraṇā viceṣṭanto mahītale |
tatra tatra sma dṛśyante vinaśyantaḥ śarīriṇaḥ || 8 ||

1.217.9

jalasthāneṣu sarveṣu kvāthyamāneṣu bhārata |
gatasattvāḥ sma dṛśyante kūrmamatsyāḥ sahasraśaḥ || 9 ||

1.217.10

śarīraiḥ saṃpradīptaiśca dehavanta ivāgnayaḥ |
adṛśyanta vane tasminprāṇinaḥ prāṇasaṃkṣaye || 10 ||

1.217.11

tāṃstathotpatataḥ pārthaḥ śaraiḥ saṃchidya khaṇḍaśaḥ |
dīpyamāne tataḥ prāsyatprahasankṛṣṇavartmani || 11 ||

1.217.12

te śarācitasarvāṅgā vinadanto mahāravān |
ūrdhvamutpatya vegena nipetuḥ pāvake punaḥ || 12 ||

1.217.13

śarairabhyāhatānāṃ ca dahyatāṃ ca vanaukasām |
virāvaḥ śrūyate ha sma samudrasyeva mathyataḥ || 13 ||

1.217.14

vahneścāpi prahṛṣṭasya khamutpeturmahārciṣaḥ |
janayāmāsurudvegaṃ sumahāntaṃ divaukasām || 14 ||

1.217.15

tato jagmurmahātmānaḥ sarva eva divaukasaḥ |
śaraṇaṃ devarājānaṃ sahasrākṣaṃ puraṃdaram || 15 ||

1.217.16

devā ūcuḥ |
kiṃ nvime mānavāḥ sarve dahyante kṛṣṇavartmanā |
kaccinna saṃkṣayaḥ prāpto lokānāmamareśvara || 16 ||

1.217.17

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tacchrutvā vṛtrahā tebhyaḥ svayamevānvavekṣya ca |
khāṇḍavasya vimokṣārthaṃ prayayau harivāhanaḥ || 17 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of the gods, and himself beholding what Agni was doing, the slayer of Vritra set out for the protection of the forest of Khandava. And Vasava, the chief of the celestials soon covering the sky with masses of clouds of every kind began to shower upon the burning forest. Those masses of clouds by hundreds and thousands, commanded by Indra began to pour rain upon Khandava in showers thick as the flag-staffs of battle-cars. But the showers were all dried up in the sky itself by the heat of the fire and could not, therefore, reach the fire at all! Then the slayer of Namuchi, getting angry with Agni, collected huge masses of clouds and caused them to yield a heavy downpour. Then with the flames contending with those heavy showers, and with masses of clouds overhead, that forest, filled with smoke and flashes of lightning, became terrible to behold.'"

1.217.18

mahatā meghajālena nānārūpeṇa vajrabhṛt |
ākāśaṃ samavastīrya pravavarṣa sureśvaraḥ || 18 ||

1.217.19

tato'kṣamātrā visṛjandhārāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ |
abhyavarṣatsahasrākṣaḥ pāvakaṃ khāṇḍavaṃ prati || 19 ||

1.217.20

asaṃprāptāstu tā dhārāstejasā jātavedasaḥ |
kha eva samaśuṣyanta na kāścitpāvakaṃ gatāḥ || 20 ||

1.217.21

tato namucihā kruddho bhṛśamarciṣmatastadā |
punarevābhyavarṣattamambhaḥ pravisṛjanbahu || 21 ||

1.217.22

arcirdhārābhisaṃbaddhaṃ dhūmavidyutsamākulam |
babhūva tadvanaṃ ghoraṃ stanayitnusaghoṣavat || 22 ||