The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 7.2: dvitīyo'dhyāyaḥ

7.2.1

saṃjaya uvāca |
hataṃ bhīṣmamādhirathirviditvā bhinnāṃ nāvamivātyagādhe kurūṇām |
sodaryavadvyasanātsūtaputraḥ saṃtārayiṣyaṃstava putrasya senām || 1 ||

"Sanjaya said, 'Then Adhiratha's son of the Suta caste, knowing that Bhishma had been slain, became desirous of rescuing, like a brother, thy son's army from the distress into which it had fallen, and which then resembled a boat sunk in the fathomless ocean. [Indeed], O king, having heard that that mighty car-warrior and foremost of men, that hero of unfading glory, viz., Santanu's son, had been thrown down (from his car), that grinder of foes, that foremost of all wielders of bows, viz., Karna, soon came (to the field of battle). When the best of car-warriors, viz., Bhishma, was slain by the foe, Karna speedily came there, desirous of rescuing the Kuru host which resembled a boat sunk in the ocean, like a sire desirous of rescuing his children.'

7.2.2

śrutvā tu karṇaḥ puruṣendramacyutaṃ nipātitaṃ śāṃtanavaṃ mahāratham |
athopāyāttūrṇamamitrakarśano dhanurdharāṇāṃ pravarastadā vṛṣaḥ || 2 ||

7.2.3

hate tu bhīṣme rathasattame parairnimajjatīṃ nāvamivārṇave kurūn |
piteva putrāṃstvarito'bhyayāttataḥ saṃtārayiṣyaṃstava putrasya senām || 3 ||

7.2.4

karṇa uvāca |
yasmindhṛtirbuddhiparākramaujo damaḥ satyaṃ vīraguṇāśca sarve |
astrāṇi divyānyatha saṃnatirhrīḥ priyā ca vāganapāyīni bhīṣme || 4 ||

"And Karna (addressing the soldiers) said, 'That Bhishma who possessed firmness, intelligence, prowess, vigour, truth, self-restraint, and all the virtues of a hero, as also celestial weapons, and humidity, and modesty, agreeable speech, and freedom from malice, that ever-grateful Bhishma, that slayer of the foes of Brahmanas, in whom were these attributes as permanently as Lakshmi in the moon, alas, when that Bhishma, that slayer of hostile heroes, hath received his quietus, I regard all other heroes as already slain. In consequence of the eternal connection (of all things) with work, nothing exists in this world that is imperishable. When Bhisma of high vows hath been slain, who is there that would take upon himself to say with certitude that tomorrow's sun will rise? When he that was endued with prowess equal to that of the Vasus, he that was born of the energy of the Vasus, when he, that ruler of the earth, hath once more been united with the Vasus, grieve ye, therefore, for your possessions and children for this earth and the Kurus, and this host.'

7.2.5

brahmadviṣaghne satataṃ kṛtajñe sanātanaṃ candramasīva lakṣma |
sa cetpraśāntaḥ paravīrahantā manye hatāneva hi sarvayodhān || 5 ||

7.2.6

neha dhruvaṃ kiṃcana jātu vidyate asmim̐lloke karmaṇo'nityayogāt |
sūryodaye ko hi vimuktasaṃśayo bhāvaṃ kurvītādya mahāvrate hate || 6 ||

7.2.7

vasuprabhāve vasuvīryasaṃbhave gate vasūneva vasuṃdharādhipe |
vasūni putrāṃśca vasuṃdharāṃ tathā kurūṃśca śocadhvamimāṃ ca vāhinīm || 7 ||

7.2.8

saṃjaya uvāca |
mahāprabhāve varade nipātite lokaśreṣṭhe śāṃtanave mahaujasi |
parājiteṣu bharateṣu durmanāḥ karṇo bhṛśaṃ nyaśvasadaśru vartayan || 8 ||

"Sanjaya continued, 'Upon the fall of that boon-giving hero of great might, that lord of the world, viz., Santanu's son of great energy, and upon the (consequent) defeat of the Bharatas, Karna, with cheerless heart and eyes filled with tears, began to console (the Dhartarashtras). Hearing these words of Radha's son, thy sons, O monarch, and thy troops, began to wail aloud and shed copious tears of grief corresponding with the loudness of those wails. When, however, the dreadful battle once more took place and the Kaurava divisions, urged on by the Kings, once more set up loud shouts, that bull among mighty car-warriors, viz., Karna, then addressed the great car-warriors (of the Kaurava army) and said words which caused them great delight: In this transient world everything is continually flitting (towards the jaws of Death). Thinking of this, I regard everything as ephemeral. When, however, all of you were here, how could Bhishma, that bull among the Kurus, immovable as a hill, be thrown down from his car? When that mighty car-warrior, viz., the son of Santanu, hath been overthrown, who even now lieth on the ground like the Sun himself dropped (from the firmament), the Kuru kings are scarcely competent to bear Dhananjaya, like trees incapable of bearing the mountain-wind. I shall, however, now protect, as that high-souled one did, this helpless Kuru host of cheerless mien, whose foremost warriors have already been slain by the foe. Let this burden now devolve on me.

7.2.9

idaṃ tu rādheyavaco niśamya te sutāśca rājaṃstava sainikāśca ha |
parasparaṃ cukruśurārtijaṃ bhṛśaṃ tadāśru netrairmumucurhi śabdavat || 9 ||

7.2.10

pravartamāne tu punarmahāhave vigāhyamānāsu camūṣu pārthivaiḥ |
athābravīddharṣakaraṃ vacastadā ratharṣabhānsarvamahāratharṣabhaḥ || 10 ||

7.2.11

karṇa uvāca |
jagatyanitye satataṃ pradhāvati pracintayannasthiramadya lakṣaye |
bhavatsu tiṣṭhatsviha pātito raṇe giriprakāśaḥ kurupuṃgavaḥ katham || 11 ||

7.2.12

nipātite śāṃtanave mahārathe divākare bhūtalamāsthite yathā |
na pārthivāḥ soḍhumalaṃ dhanaṃjayaṃ giripravoḍhāramivānilaṃ drumāḥ || 12 ||

7.2.13

hatapradhānaṃ tvidamārtarūpaṃ parairhatotsāhamanāthamadya vai |
mayā kurūṇāṃ paripālyamāhave balaṃ yathā tena mahātmanā tathā || 13 ||

7.2.14

samāhitaṃ cātmani bhāramīdṛśaṃ jagattathānityamidaṃ ca lakṣaye |
nipātitaṃ cāhavaśauṇḍamāhave kathaṃ nu kuryāmahamāhave bhayam || 14 ||

I see that this universe is transient, since that foremost of heroes hath been slain in battle. Why shall I then cherish any fear of battle? Coursing, therefore, on the field I shall despatch those bulls of Kuru's race (viz., the Pandavas) to Yama's abode by means of my straight shafts. Regarding fame as the highest object in the world, I shall slay them in battle, or, slain by the foe, shall sleep on the field. Yudhishthira is possessed of firmness, intelligence, virtue, and might. Vrikodara is equal to a hundred elephant in prowess, Arjuna is young and is the son of the chief of the celestials. The Pandava host, therefore, is not capable of being easily defeated by the very celestials. That force in which are the twins, each resembling Yama himself, that force in which are Satyaki and the son of Devaki, that force is like the jaws of Death. No coward, approaching it, can come back with life. The wise oppose swelling ascetic power with ascetic austerities, so should force be opposed by force. Verily, my mind is firmly fixed upon opposing the foe and protecting my own party, O charioteer, I shall today certainly resist the might of the enemy, and vanquish him by repairing only to the field of battle. I will not tolerate this intestine feud. When the troops are broken, he that cometh (for aiding) in the endeavour to rally is a friend. I shall either achieve this righteous feat worthy of an honest man, or casting off my life shall follow Bhishma.

7.2.15

ahaṃ tu tānkuruvṛṣabhānajihmagaiḥ praverayanyamasadanaṃ raṇe caran |
yaśaḥ paraṃ jagati vibhāvya vartitā parairhato yudhi śayitātha vā punaḥ || 15 ||

7.2.16

yudhiṣṭhiro dhṛtimatidharmatattvavānvṛkodaro gajaśatatulyavikramaḥ |
tathārjunastridaśavarātmajo yato na tadbalaṃ sujayamathāmarairapi || 16 ||

7.2.17

yamau raṇe yatra yamopamau bale sasātyakiryatra ca devakīsutaḥ |
na tadbalaṃ kāpuruṣo'bhyupeyivānnivartate mṛtyumukhādivāsakṛt || 17 ||

7.2.18

tapo'bhyudīrṇaṃ tapasaiva gamyate balaṃ balenāpi tathā manasvibhiḥ |
manaśca me śatrunivāraṇe dhruvaṃ svarakṣaṇe cācalavadvyavasthitam || 18 ||

7.2.19

evaṃ caiṣāṃ budhyamānaḥ prabhāvaṃ gatvaivāhaṃ tāñjayāmyadya sūta |
mitradroho marṣaṇīyo na me'yaṃ bhagne sainye yaḥ sahāyaḥ sa mitram || 19 ||

7.2.20

kartāsmyetatsatpuruṣāryakarma tyaktvā prāṇānanuyāsyāmi bhīṣmam |
sarvānsaṃkhye śatrusaṃghānhaniṣye hatastairvā vīralokaṃ gamiṣye || 20 ||

7.2.21

saṃprākruṣṭe ruditastrīkumāre parābhūte pauruṣe dhārtarāṣṭre |
mayā kṛtyamiti jānāmi sūta tasmācchatrūndhārtarāṣṭrasya jeṣye || 21 ||

I shall either slay all my foes united together, or slain by them proceed to the regions reserved for heroes. O charioteer, I know that even this is what I should do, when women and children cry for help, or when Duryodhana's prowess sustains a check. Therefore, I shall today conquer the foe. Reckless of my very life in this terrible battle, I shall protect the Kurus and slay the sons of Pandu. Slaying in battle all my foes banded together, I shall bestow (undisputed) sovereignty on Dhritarashtra's son. Let my armour, beautiful, made of gold, bright, and radiant with jewels and gems, be donned; and my head-gear, of effulgence equal to that of the sun; and my bows and arrows that resemble fire, poison, or snakes. Let also sixteen quivers be tied (to my car) at the proper places, and let a number of excellent bows be procured. Let also shafts, and darts and heavy maces, and my conch, variegated with gold, be got ready. Bring also my variegated, beautiful, and excellent standard, made of gold, possessed of the effulgence of the lotus, and bearing the device of the elephant's girth, cleaning it with a delicate cloth, and decking it with excellent garlands and a network of wires. O charioteer's son, bring me also, with speed, some fleet steeds of the hue of tawny clouds, not lean, and bathed in water sanctified with mantras, and furnished with trappings of bright gold.

7.2.22

kurūnrakṣanpāṇḍuputrāñjighāṃsaṃstyaktvā prāṇānghorarūpe raṇe'smin |
sarvānsaṃkhye śatrusaṃghānnihatya dāsyāmyahaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrāya rājyam || 22 ||

7.2.23

nibadhyatāṃ me kavacaṃ vicitraṃ haimaṃ śubhraṃ maṇiratnāvabhāsi |
śirastrāṇaṃ cārkasamānabhāsaṃ dhanuḥ śarāṃścāpi viṣāhikalpān || 23 ||

7.2.24

upāsaṅgānṣoḍaśa yojayantu dhanūṃṣi divyāni tathāharantu |
asīṃśca śaktīśca gadāśca gurvīḥ śaṅkhaṃ ca jāmbūnadacitrabhāsam || 24 ||

7.2.25

etāṃ raukmīṃ nāgakakṣyāṃ ca jaitrīṃ jaitraṃ ca me dhvajamindīvarābham |
ślakṣṇairvastrairvipramṛjyānayasva citrāṃ mālāṃ cātra baddhvā sajālām || 25 ||

7.2.26

aśvānagryānpāṇḍurābhraprakāśānpuṣṭānsnātānmantrapūtābhiradbhiḥ |
taptairbhāṇḍaiḥ kāñcanairabhyupetāñśīghrāñśīghraṃ sūtaputrānayasva || 26 ||

7.2.27

rathaṃ cāgryaṃ hemajālāvanaddhaṃ ratnaiścitraṃ candrasūryaprakāśaiḥ |
dravyairyuktaṃ saṃprahāropapannairvāhairyuktaṃ tūrṇamāvartayasva || 27 ||

Bring me also, with speed, an excellent car decked with garlands of gold, adorned gems, bright as the sun or the moon, furnished with every necessary, as also with weapons, and unto which are yoked excellent animals. Bring me also a number of excellent bows of great toughness, and a number of excellent bow-strings capable of smitting (the foe), and some quivers, large and full of shafts and some coats of mail for my body. Bring me also, with speed, O hero, every (auspicious) article needed for occasions of setting out (for battle), such as vessels of brass and gold, full of curds. Let garlands of flowers be brought, and let them be put on the (proper) limbs of my body. Let drums also be beaten for victory! Go, O charioteer, quickly to the spot where the diadem-decked (Arjuna), and Vrikodara, and Dharma's son (Yudhishthira), and the twins, are. Encountering them in battle, either I shall slay them, or, being slain by them, my foes, I shall follow Bhishma. Arjuna, and Vasudeva, and Satyaki, and the Srinjayas, that force, I think, is incapable of being conquered by the kings. If all-destroying Death himself with unremitting vigilance, were to protect Kiritin, still shall I slay him, encountering him in battle, or repair myself to Yama's abode by Bhishma's track. Verily, I say, that I will repair into the midst of those heroes. Those (kings) that are my allies are not provokers of intestine feuds, or of weak attachment to me, or of unrighteous souls.'

7.2.28

citrāṇi cāpāni ca vegavanti jyāścottamāḥ saṃhananopapannāḥ |
tūṇāṃśca pūrṇānmahataḥ śarāṇāmāsajya gātrāvaraṇāni caiva || 28 ||

7.2.29

prāyātrikaṃ cānayatāśu sarvaṃ kanyāḥ pūrṇaṃ vīrakāṃsyaṃ ca haimam |
ānīya mālāmavabadhya cāṅge pravādayantvāśu jayāya bherīḥ || 29 ||

7.2.30

prayāhi sūtāśu yataḥ kirīṭī vṛkodaro dharmasuto yamau ca |
tānvā haniṣyāmi sametya saṃkhye bhīṣmāya vaiṣyāmi hato dviṣadbhiḥ || 30 ||

7.2.31

yasminrājā satyadhṛtiryudhiṣṭhiraḥ samāsthito bhīmasenārjunau ca |
vāsudevaḥ sātyakiḥ sṛñjayāśca manye balaṃ tadajayyaṃ mahīpaiḥ || 31 ||

7.2.32

taṃ cenmṛtyuḥ sarvaharo'bhirakṣetsadāpramattaḥ samare kirīṭinam |
tathāpi hantāsmi sametya saṃkhye yāsyāmi vā bhīṣmapathā yamāya || 32 ||

7.2.33

na tvevāhaṃ na gamiṣyāmi teṣāṃ madhye śūrāṇāṃ tattathāhaṃ bravīmi |
mitradruho durbalabhaktayo ye pāpātmāno na mamaite sahāyāḥ || 33 ||

7.2.34

saṃjaya uvāca |
sa siddhimantaṃ rathamuttamaṃ dṛḍhaṃ sakūbaraṃ hemapariṣkṛtaṃ śubham |
patākinaṃ vātajavairhayottamairyuktaṃ samāsthāya yayau jayāya || 34 ||

"Sanjaya continued, Riding on an excellent and costly car of great strength, with an excellent pole, decked with gold, auspicious, furnished with a standard, and unto which were yoked excellent steeds that were fleet as the wind, Karna proceeded (to battle) for victory. Worshipped by the foremost of Kuru car-warriors like Indra by the celestials, that high-souled and fierce bowman, endued with immeasurable energy like the Sun himself, upon his car decked with gold and jewels and gems, furnished with an excellent standard, unto which were yoked excellent steeds, and whose rattle resembled the roll of the clouds, proceeded, accompanied by a large force, to that field of battle where that bull of Bharata's race (Bhishma) had paid his debt to nature. Of beautiful person, and endued with the splendour of fire, that great bowman and mighty car-warrior, viz., the son of Adhiratha, then mounted on his own beautiful car possessed of the effulgence of fire, and shone like the lord of the celestials himself riding on his celestial car.'"

7.2.35

saṃpūjyamānaḥ kurubhirmahātmā ratharṣabhaḥ pāṇḍuravājiyātā |
yayau tadāyodhanamugradhanvā yatrāvasānaṃ bharatarṣabhasya || 35 ||

7.2.36

varūthinā mahatā sadhvajena suvarṇamuktāmaṇivajraśālinā |
sadaśvayuktena rathena karṇo meghasvanenārka ivāmitaujāḥ || 36 ||

7.2.37

hutāśanābhaḥ sa hutāśanaprabhe śubhaḥ śubhe vai svarathe dhanurdharaḥ |
sthito rarājādhirathirmahārathaḥ svayaṃ vimāne surarāḍiva sthitaḥ || 37 ||