Skandapurana 3.3.13
English (machine translation) 3.3.13
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Sūta said:
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Against that king of Daśārṇa, the mighty-armed Vajrabāhu,
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there arose a powerful enemy, the king who ruled Magadha. (1)
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Indeed, named Hemaratha, mighty-armed and formidable in battle,
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that strong king, surrounding Daśārṇa with a great army, laid siege to it. (2)
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His unassailable army commanders, having reached the Daśārṇa country,
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plundered wealth and gems; others burned down the houses. (3)
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Some seized riches; some took children; others took women;
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others seized herds of cattle; some took grain and household goods;
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others destroyed the crops in the groves and the household gardens. (4)
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Having thus ruined that kingdom, desiring to seize women and herds of cattle,
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the Magadha king surrounded that city of Vajrabāhu. (5)
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Seeing the city thus thrown into turmoil,
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King Vajrabāhu quickly went out with his soldiers to fight. (6)
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King Vajrabāhu and his ministers at the fore,
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fought together with the Magadhas and struck down the enemy army. (7)
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The great archer Vajrabāhu, clad in mail, mounted his chariot;
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scattering showers of arrows, he wrought a great slaughter. (8)
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Seeing the king of Daśārṇa fighting, hard to withstand in battle,
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all the Magadha soldiers quickly surrounded him alone. (9)
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Having fought for a very long time, the Magadhas of firm valour
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destroyed his army and gained the glory of victory. (10)
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Some struck down his chariot; some cut down his bow;
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one killed his charioteer, while another shattered his sword. (11)
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With his sword and bow shattered, deprived of chariot, his charioteer killed,
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the mighty warriors seized the king by force and bound him in fury. (12)
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Having defeated all his council of ministers and his army,
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those Magadhas entered his city, shining with victory. (13)
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Horses, men, elephants, camels, cattle, and treasures—
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they seized all the young women and the lovely-limbed maidens. (14)
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They bound the king's queens and thousands of female slaves;
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and those violent marauders carried off the treasury full of gems. (15)
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Having thus ravaged the city and carried off women, cattle, wealth, and the rest,
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having bound Vajrabāhu by force and placed him on a chariot, they set out. (16)
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When such an uproar had arisen, and there was terrible destruction in the realm,
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the powerful prince Bhadrāyus then heard that report. (17)
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Hearing of his father bound by the enemy, of his father's wives carried off,
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and of the kingdom of Daśārṇa destroyed, he roared like a lion. (18)
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Taking up the sword and the conch, assisted by the merchant's son,
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clad in mail and mounting a horse with a desire for victory, the prince, (19)
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arriving swiftly in that country filled with the Magadhas,
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which was burning, weeping, its women, sons, cattle, and wealth carried off, (20)
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and seeing all the royal folk, and the kingdom desolate and overwhelmed by fear,
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his mind inflamed with rage, quickly entered the enemy host;
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drawing his bow up to his ear, he rained down showers of arrows. (21)
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Those enemies, being struck down by the prince with arrows,
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ran at him with speed and pierced him with fierce shafts. (22)
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Though struck by a barrage of weapons by the enemies drunk with battle,
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the steadfast prince did not flinch in battle, protected by Śiva's armor. (23)
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Enduring the hail of weapons and advancing quickly with the grace of an elephant,
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he swiftly struck down numerous chariots, elephants, and foot soldiers. (24)
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Having killed one charioteer there together with his driver, the prince,
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Mounting that very chariot, with the merchant's son as his charioteer,
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the steadfast [prince] moved about the battle like a lion among a herd of deer.
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Then all the furious heroes with raised bows,
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the mighty army commanders, rushed against him alone.
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Raising a terrible sword before those who were charging,
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he advanced against the great warriors, as if displaying his manly prowess.
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His dazzling sword resembled the dreadful tongue of Antaka [the god of death];
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merely upon seeing it, the army commanders suddenly died by its power.
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Whosoever beheld that sword flashing on the battlefield
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all met destruction, like an insect struck by a thunderbolt.
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Then, for the destruction of the entire army, the mighty-armed hero
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blew his conch with a great roar, as if filling heaven and earth.
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By that immense sound of the conch, which was as if smeared with poison,
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the enemies fainted and fell to the ground the moment it was heard.
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Those on horseback, those on chariots, and those mounted on elephants—
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their vigour shattered by the sound of the conch, fell unconscious in an instant.
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All those who had fallen to the ground, senseless and weaponless,
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he, knowing the treatises on righteousness, deemed as good as corpses and did not kill.
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Having released his father who was bound on the battlefield,
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he immediately freed all [his father's] wives who had fallen into the enemy's power.
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And the wives of the chief ministers, as well as of other citizens,
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women, children, maidens, and numerous cattle and wealth—
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having freed [them] from fear of the enemy, he, overcome with emotion, comforted him.
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Then, moving through the enemy ranks, he seized their women,
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horses swift as the wind or thought, mountain-like elephants,
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golden chariots, and maidservants with radiant faces.
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[A pair of verses:]
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Having swiftly taken everything and seized that abundant wealth,
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he bound fast Hemaratha, the defeated king of Magadha.
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Capturing his ministers, kings, and the chief commanders there,
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and swiftly binding them, he made them enter the city at once.
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Those chief ministers and leaders who had earlier been broken in battle
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and had fled in all directions returned, having regained confidence.
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Seeing the valorous deeds of the prince, all were struck with wonder in their minds;
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they considered him the foremost of gods, descended to the earth for some purpose.
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“Ah, what great good fortune is ours! Ah, the fruit of our austerity!
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Indeed, we who were dead have been brought back to life by this unknown hero!
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Is he one perfected through yoga, one perfected through austerity, or an immortal?
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Superhuman is this great deed that he has performed!
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Surely that Gaurī must be his mother, and Śiva his father,
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for, possessing infinite power, he conquered nine akṣauhiṇīs!”
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As they praised [him] to one another, filled with wonder and delighted,
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he was questioned by the ministers and told them the truth about himself.
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Approaching his father, who was overwhelmed with wonder and joy,
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and shedding tears of delight, he bowed down, overcome with love.
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Greeted with affection by his son,
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the king embraced him tightly and spoke with haste, distressed with love:
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“Who are you, noble-minded one—a god, a man, or a gandharva?
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Who is your mother, or who is your father? What is your country, and what is your name?
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Why have you, having arrived here out of compassion,
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released me along with my wives, who were bound by enemies and drained of strength like dead men?
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From where did you obtain this heroism, steadfastness, splendor, and towering might?
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You seem to wish to conquer the three worlds along with gods, asuras, and humans!
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Even in a thousand lifetimes, O you of great majesty,
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I am not able, together with these wives and kin, to repay my debt to you.
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Leaving aside these sons, these wives, this kingdom, and this city—
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everything—my heart is bound in love to you alone.
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Tell me everything, my dear child, protector of my life!
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For the life of these wives of mine is indeed dependent on you.”
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Sūta said:
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Questioned thus by his father, that Bhadrāyus spoke to him:
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"O king, this is a son of a vaiśya named Sunaya, my friend.
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I live in his charming house together with my mother.
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My name is Bhadrāyus; I will tell you my story later.
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Enter the city, may good befall you, along with your wives and your friends;
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casting aside fear of your enemies, take your pleasure as you please.
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Do not release these enemies until my return.
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I will go quickly to my own abode today."
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Having spoken thus and taken leave of the king, Bhadrāyus, the prince,
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went to his own house and reported everything to his mother.
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She too, overjoyed, embraced her son with tears in her eyes,
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and that chief of vaiśyas embraced him with love and honored him.
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And King Vajrabāhu, having entered his own palace
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along with his wives, sons, and ministers, experienced incomparable delight.
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When that night had dawned, Ṛṣabha, the foremost of yogins,
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came to King Candrāṅgada, the husband of Sīmantinī,
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and told him in secret of the birth of Bhadrāyus, his superhuman feat,
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and with love [said]: "Your daughter Kīrtimālinī
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give to Bhadrāyus." Having thus advised the king of Niṣadha,
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Ṛṣabha, who knew the truth of place, time, and purpose, departed.
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[The preceding is] a unit of three verses.
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Then King Candrāṅgada, at an auspicious astrological moment,
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summoned Bhadrāyus and gave him Kīrtimālinī.
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Having married her, the prince, together with his wife,
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seated on a golden throne, shone like the moon with Rohiṇī.
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The king of Niṣadha, having invited Vajrabāhu, his father,
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brought him into the city and, accompanied by his ministers, went out to meet and honor him.
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There he saw the tamer of foes, Bhadrāyus, now married,
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fallen at his feet; with love and joy he embraced him.
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"He is the hero who gave me my life; he is the destroyer of enemies;
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yet his lineage is unknown to me, although his valor is endless.
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This mighty one is your son-in-law, O King Candrāṅgada;
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I wish to hear his lineage and origin in truth."
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Requested thus by the king of Daśārṇa, the ruler of Niṣadha,
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approaching in private, smiled and said this:
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"O king, this is your son, afflicted with disease in his childhood,
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abandoned by you in the forest along with his mother, who was tormented by illness.
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Wandering in the forest with this child,
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that woman by fortune reached a vaiśya's house and was protected by that vaiśya.
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Then this boy of yours, afflicted by many diseases, died;
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dead, he was brought back to life again by a certain king of yogins.
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Through the power of that very Śiva-yogin named Ṛṣabha,
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both mother and child attained a divine-like appearance.
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With the sword given by him, and the enemy-slaying conch,
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protected by the armor of Śiva, he conquered his enemies in battle.
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He alone possesses the strength of twelve thousand elephants;
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accomplished in all sciences, he has become my son-in-law.
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Therefore, taking him and his virtuous mother,
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go to your city, O king; you will attain supreme auspiciousness."
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Having related everything thus, Candrāṅgada called his chief queen,
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who was staying in the inner chamber, and showed her adorned before him.
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Hearing all this and seeing [them], that lord of the earth,
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greatly ashamed due to his folly, censuring the deed done by himself, / attained supreme joy from the wondrous sight of both of them,
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and, his whole body thrilled with horripilation, embraced them both.
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[The preceding is] a pair of verses.
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Thus honored and congratulated by the king of Niṣadha,
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having fed him well, and himself together with the ministers,
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taking that principal queen of his, that son, and that daughter-in-law,
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Vajrabāhu set out for his city accompanied by his retinue.
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With great agitation, that Bhadrāyus, [entering] his father's house...
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having reached it, brought supreme joy to all the city's inhabitants.
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When in time his father ascended to heaven, having attained his youth,
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Bhadrāyu, possessing wonderful prowess, ruled the entire earth.
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He released Hemaratha, the lord of Magadha, from bondage,
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having established supreme friendship [with him] in the presence of the brahmin seers.
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Having thus performed the worship of Śiva-yogins honored in the three worlds even in a previous existence, that prince,
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having crossed over a multitude of unbearable misfortunes and obtained the kingdom, took noble delight together with Candrāṅgada's daughter.
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Thus ends the thirteenth chapter, named 'The Account of Bhadrāyu's Marriage', in the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa of the third [part of the] glorious Skandapurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit