Skandapurana 1.4.16

English (machine translation) 1.4.16

Language: English

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Nārada said: / The directions were blocked and the army was severely afflicted / by the enraged Jambha with arrows piercing the vitals of the Lord of Wealth.

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Seeing that deed of the Daitya, the glorious overseer of wealth, / drawing his bow up to his ear, [shot] at the mighty Jambha in battle.

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He pierced him in the heart with a thousand arrows having the brilliance of fire. / Then that hero laughed aloud, and in an instant hurled / thirty thousand arrows,

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and likewise a hundred thousand, ten million, and a hundred million arrows. / Seeing his lightness of hand, the enraged [Lord of Wealth] took up a great mace,

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and the overseer of wealth hurled it, just as one desiring heaven gives away his wealth. / When it was released, a roar arose like that at the dissolution of the world.

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Terrifying roars of creatures arose in many ways in the sky; / a tremendous wind arose, and the sky became filled with clouds.

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For that mace of Vaiśravaṇa was worshipped throughout the three worlds. / Seeing it approaching, terrible to behold like a cluster of lightning flashes,

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the Daitya released a shower of weapons to thwart the mace: / discs, clubs, darts, centuple-killers, and cleavers,

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iron bars, pestles, trees, and mountains, being of matchless prowess. / Frustrating all those weapons, that mace,

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like the sun at the end of an aeon, struck down upon the Daitya's chest. / Deeply pierced by it, vomiting frothy blood,

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Jambha fell unconscious from his chariot onto the ground. / Seeing Jambha fallen, Kujambha of terrible resolve,

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furious at the Lord of Wealth, filling the directions with his roar, / created a cage of arrows like a cage around a bird.

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Shattering that snare of arrows, which was fierce like a snare of illusions, / the mighty lord of the yakṣas released other arrows at him.

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The Daitya casually cut them down, as an angry man rejects good counsel. / Seeing those arrows rendered futile, the enraged Lord of Wealth

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seized an irresistible spear resounding loudly with a hundred bells. / Flung at that time, that spear pierced him in the chest,

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just as sorrow arising from worldly existence pierces a man of little understanding; / thus having pierced his heart, it went into the earth's surface.

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Composing himself in a moment, that fierce-looking Dānava, / that Daitya, seized a cleaver capable of splitting even mountains.

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With that cleaver in battle, between Dhanada's breasts, / just as a wicked man pierces the heart of a noble person / with harsh speech that spreads words striking the vitals,

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he pierced him. / Deeply swooning from that blow of the cleaver,

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the Lord of Wealth sank down onto the floor of his chariot, like a good man [crushed] by malicious words. / Seeing the Lord of Wealth reduced to such a state, as if dead,

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the rākṣasa lord Nirṛti, followed by a force of night-wanderers, / charged swiftly against Kujambha of terrible prowess.

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Then, seeing the exceedingly unassailable lord of the rākṣasas, / Kujambha urged his Daityas toward the chariot of the rākṣasa lord.

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Seeing that dreadful army with mighty weapons urged against him, / leaping down swiftly from his chariot, Nirṛti, the lord of the rākṣasas,

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ran with a shield in his hand and a sharp-edged sword. / Entering the Dānava host like an elephant into a lotus lake,

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he threw it into turmoil in many ways, tearing [them] apart by the thousands. / He cut down some by the hundreds and pierced others with his excellent sword.

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He covered the earth with the faces of Daityas whose lips were bitten [in anger]. / Then, seeing his army practically annihilated at that time,

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the Daitya Kujambha left the Lord of Wealth and went against Nirṛti. / Having regained consciousness, Jambha also captured alive

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the followers of the overseer of wealth, binding them a thousandfold with nooses, / along with jewels personified, treasures like the Padma,

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and all the divine vehicles and aerial chariots. / The Lord of Wealth, having regained consciousness and seeing that state of affairs,

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sighing long and hot, with eyes copper-red from anger, / meditated on the divine Gāruḍa weapon and, fitting an arrow to his bow,

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discharged that arrow tearing foes into the Dānava army. / First, his bow appeared as a flame of fire,

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and tens of millions of sparks flew out from the bow; / then the weapon filled the sky all around with flames.

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Suddenly seeing that weapon, Jambha of terrible prowess / released the Saṃvarta weapon; by it the Gāruḍa [weapon] was quenched.

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Then the Dānava, seeing Kubera, agitated with rage, / rushed swiftly on foot toward Dhanada, roaring loudly.

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Then, seeing the Daitya coming face-to-face, the Lord of Wealth / was seized by panic and became intent on flight.

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Then, as he was fleeing, his gem-studded diadem, / brilliant like the disc of the sun, fell to the earth from the sky.

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The noble yakṣas suffered a rout from the battle, / [thinking]: 'It is fitting to die at the vanguard of battle, not for [mere] adornment.'

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Having thus resolved, those irresistible yakṣas, weapons and missiles in hand, / wishing to fight, surrounding the diadem—

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those heroes whose wealth was their honor, the followers of Dhanada— / seeing them with anger, the Dānava of fierce prowess,

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taking up a dreadful bhuśuṇḍī with the weight of a mountain, / crushed those night-wanderers who were guarding the diadem.

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Having crushed a hundred thousand of them, placing that diadem on his chariot, / the enemy of the immortals, having conquered Dhanada in battle,

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and having seized the wealth and treasures, surrounded by his army, / put the gods to flight on all sides with a tremendous roar.

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And Dhanada, all his wealth seized, his hair disheveled, / terrified, alone on foot, stood in this condition like a wretched beggar.

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Then, having clashed with Kujambha, the delight of the night-wanderers, / the lord of the rākṣasas, having resorted to an unerring, dark illusion...

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The lord of the Daityas bewildered [them], turning the world into darkness; / and then the eyes of the Dānavas' forces became useless. 18.45

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They were unable then to move even a step from that spot. / Then, with a shower of various missiles, the great army of the Dānavas, 18.46

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completely enveloped in darkness, was slain by god Nirṛti. / As the Daityas were being slain and Kujambha was bewildered in mind, 18.47

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Mahiṣa, the lord of the Dānavas, resembling a cloud at the end of the kalpa, / discharged the Sāvitra missile adorned with a mass of meteors. 18.48

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As the supreme Sāvitra missile expanded in blazing heat, / the intense, terrible darkness immediately went to destruction. 18.49

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Then, marked by sparks from the missile, the darkness became bright, / like a clear lake in autumn with a mass of blooming red lotuses. 18.50

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Then, when the darkness was quieted and the lords of the Daityas regained their sight, / they made a great wonder against the army of the gods with cruel gloom. 18.51

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Then, taking up a terrible bow and an arrow like a venomous serpent, / Kujambha quickly ran toward the army of the Rākṣasas and gods. 18.52

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Seeing him approaching thus on foot, the lord of the Rākṣasas / pierced him with sharp arrows that sounded like the thunderbolt of Time. 18.53

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Neither his taking [an arrow], nor aiming, nor releasing could be perceived; / with very great dexterity, he cut off those arrows with masses of fierce arrows. 18.54

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With a sharp arrow he cut down the enemy of the immortals' flag, / and with a broad-headed arrow he knocked his charioteer from the chariot's seat. 18.55

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And with an arrow equal to Death he struck him on the chest; / and he, afflicted exceedingly by that blow, trembled, 18.56

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the lord of the Daityas [shaken] by the lord of the Rākṣasas like a mountain by an earthquake. / Having recovered after a moment and considering him hard to conquer in battle, 18.57

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the Rākṣasa, going on foot and approaching the chariot, / seized Nirṛti by the hair with his left hand and pinned him down with his knee. 18.58

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Then, intolerant, he wished to cut off his head with a sword. / Then a very great uproar arose among the gods, / seeing Nirṛti fallen into the power of Kujambha in battle. 18.59

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In the meantime, the god Varuṇa, the noose-bearer, held fast / and quickly bound the two arms of the Dānava lord with a noose. 18.60

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Then the noose-bearer, abandoning mercy, struck with a mace / the Daitya whose arms were bound and whose prowess was rendered futile. 18.61

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Streaming blood in torrents from that blow, / he assumed the appearance of a dark cloud bearing streaks of lightning. 18.62

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Seeing Kujambha brought to that state, Mahiṣāsura, / roaring with a gaping mouth, wished to devour both gods, 18.63

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Nirṛti and Varuṇa, his face fierce with sharp fangs. / Perceiving that Daitya's wicked intention, 18.64

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both of them, frightened, abandoned their chariots and quickly fled on foot; / terrified of Mahiṣa, they went to Pākaśāsana for refuge. 18.65

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Then the enraged Daitya Mahiṣa ran toward Varuṇa. / Seeing him near the mouth of Death, the moon, cool-rayed, 18.66

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discharged indeed a terrifying weapon consisting of a mass of snow, / and the Moon discharged a second incomparable missile, the Vāyavya. 18.67

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By that fierce wind, by the dry frost, / by the great fall of snow, and by weapons impelled by the Moon, 18.68

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the limbs of the Asura armies were burned on all sides. / All the Dānavas were distressed, their prowess enveloped by the cold. 18.69

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They were unable to move there, nor could they take up weapons. / And Mahiṣa became motionless, his face trembling from the cold. 18.70

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Embracing his shoulder with both hands, he sat down with his face downward. / All those Daityas, helpless, were defeated by the Moon. 18.71

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Having cast far away the desire for battle, they stood there seeking life. / There Kālanemi, inflamed with wrath, spoke to the Daityas: 18.72

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‘O fierce proud warriors, masters of all weapons and missiles! / Each one of you alone is capable of lifting the entire world with his arms! 18.73

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Each one alone is capable of swallowing the entire world, moving and unmoving! / Not even all the sky-dwellers combined are a match for each one alone! 18.74

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Why then are your eyes terrified and you completely defeated in battle? / This is not fitting for heroes, especially for those born as Daityas! 18.75

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And what face will you show to King Tāraka? / For, enraged, he will take the lives of those who have ceased from battle!’ 18.76

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Even when spoken to thus, the great Asuras said nothing; / their hearing was lost from the cold, and their speech was likewise gone. 18.77

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Thus the Daityas became dumb, like dead men in the great battle. / Seeing those Daityas deprived of their senses and afflicted by the cold, 18.78

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the great Asura Kālanemi, considering the action suited to the moment, / resorted to the Mānavī illusion, and expanding his vast form, 18.79

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filled the sky and the intermediate quarters too. / That lord of the Dānavas created ten thousand suns in his body. 18.80

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He filled the directions and intermediate quarters with fires. / Then in a moment the entire three worlds became filled with flames. 18.81

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Before that mass of flames, the moon quickly fled. / Then by degrees the day of foul cold weather vanished, and there shone 18.82

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that army of the Dānava lords by Kālanemi's illusion. / Seeing that Dānava host having regained consciousness, the sun, / the corners of his eyes extremely red with anger, spoke to Aruṇa: 18.83

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The Sun said: / ‘Drive the chariot quickly, Aruṇa, to where Kālanemi is. 18.84

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In that dreadful clash, the destruction of living beings will occur. / This moon, whose power we relied upon, has now been conquered.’ 18.85

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Thus addressed, the elder brother of Garuḍa urged on the chariot; / and standing on the chariot with those horses bearing white chowries, 18.86

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the blessed light of the world took up his drawn bow. / A flood of arrows indeed, O son of Pāṇḍu, quickly became blazing like poison. 18.87

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Fastening one arrow with the Śambara missile, he released it; / and he discharged a second combined with the missile of Indra’s net. 18.88

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In an instant, the weapon of Śambara reversed their appearances: / [it gave] the gods the form of Dānavas, and the Dānavas the divine form.

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Believing [them] to be gods, Kālanemi, overcome with rage, / slaughtered his own people with the swiftness of his dreadful weapons, like the End-Maker at the cosmic destruction.

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[He killed] some with a sharp sword, some with showers of iron arrows, / some with dreadful maces, and some with terrifying battle-axes.

From their chariots he felled the heads of some, the arms [of others], and swift charioteers; / some he crushed with the speed of his chariot, and others with exceedingly marvelous blows of his fists.

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Thus ends the eighteenth chapter, titled "Description of the Battle Between the Army of Tāraka and the Army of the Gods," in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit