Skandapurana 7.14
English (machine translation) 7.14
- Language
- English
7.14.p1
Previous page (Chapters 121–130) | Next page (Chapters 141–150)
7.14.p2
Sanatkumāra said: / Then the Lord saw the leaders of the gaṇas who had arrived, / fully equipped with their own numerous forces, eager for battle: / Diṇḍin, Bhārabhūti, and Somaśarman, / Karika, Meghanāda, and Udaremaṇi, / Āsatti, Dhūtapāpa, and Candramaulin, / the valorous Ādityamāla, and Sukeśa of great might, / Tālaketu, Jvara, and mighty Daṇḍapāṇi, / these and other renowned and hidden leaders of the gaṇas, / and Mahāgaṇapati, and Khoṭhāmudgara. / Having honored them all and gratified them again and again, / […]
7.14.p3
[…] / he spoke with a voice rumbling like a cloud, resounding like a hundred kettledrums: / "You, O best of beings, are fit to fight with the Dānavas for me. / You alone, leaders of the gaṇas, are sufficient to oppress them. / Therefore, O beings of great vigor, along with your hosts and your followers, / march forth for their destruction; I am pleased [with you], O beings of great might!"
7.14.p4
Thus addressed by the God, bowing with their heads to Hara, / the great-souled ones departed, and the God also set forth. / Then a roar arose like an ocean being cleft open, / as the army of the asura Andhaka approached Mandara. / Hearing the roar of the Dānavas, which intensely strained the ears, / the Pramathas roared dreadfully like clouds at the end of an age. / Those two oceanic armies, stirred up by each other's might, / became like two great oceans stirred and cleft open at the end of dissolution.
7.14.p5
The God of gods said: / "Offer oblations for the destruction of the enemies, O priest, and for our victory! / And you too, Nandin, preserve [him], surrounded by all these gaṇas! / And those who stand in the sky roaring like clouds, / let them strike down these Dānavas, enemies who move in the sky!" / Sanatkumāra said: / Thus addressed, the two began to carry out the Lord's command; / Bṛhaspati offered oblations into the fire, and Nandin guarded him.
7.14.p6
With the mighty Pramathas struggling, Mount Mandara / appeared as if setting out, its elephants and lions shaken loose. / Then, seeing the haughty army of Andhaka climbing swiftly / like an army of lions, they shook it as if it were a mountain. / […]
7.14.p7
Then a tumult of halahalā cries arose from the Pramathas / who checked the Daityas in battle with arrows of trees and stones.
7.14.p8
The Dānavas, though checked by the Pramathas who seemed victorious, / broke through the Pramatha army and then quickly climbed up.
7.14.p9
The Pramathas, having resolved that battle must be fought without attachment, / slashed, pierced, and split the enemies of the gods. / "Seize! Release! Stand! What will you do standing there?"— / thus words arose between the armies of Pramathas and asuras. / With excellent trees, roots and all, and with mountains complete with trees, / the merciless Pramathas and asuras crushed one another.
7.14.p10
Then, by the sons of Dākṣāyaṇī, the destroyers of Dakṣa's sacrifice, / unwavering in their devotion, could not be turned back. / Sanatkumāra said: / Perceiving that the enemies, defeated, were unable / to climb the summit of the mountain, the God restrained the Pramathas completely. / The God of gods said: / "Let the sons of Danu climb Mandara with its lovely caves. / For my sport, O lords of the gaṇas, fight together with them!" / They saw [the mountain] where a terrible roar was uttered by the king of beasts standing in many lovely bowers, / whose ground was strewn with the flowers of trees broken by the charges of herds of roaming elephants, / where the darkness of lovely rock caverns was dispelled by the lamps of the crest jewels of serpent kings, / and whose clefts were seen among networks of great rocks split by the speed of cool, clear torrent water.
7.14.p11
where in some places the rays of the morning sun were blocked by the tips of fresh copper-colored sprouts; / where in some places distinct, beautiful leaf-patterns were drawn on the moon-like faces of celestial beauties;
7.14.p12
726 / where in some places the forest tracts were adorned with clusters of lovely flowers shaken by the wind; / where troops of monkeys sitting on slabs of crystal stones gazed at their own bodies; / where hosts of Siddhas were awakened to the pleasant sound of the calls of peacocks residing near the young celestial women; / charming with the soft chirping of Kalahaṃsa swans staying in water fragrant with the pollen of lotus petals; / where the gold mineral was melted by fire that poured forth from sunstones heated by the rays of the sun; / where the waters of mountain streams flowed and scattered, issuing from moonstones struck by fallen moonbeams; / with its broad slopes adorned in some places with pearl-heaps from the shattered frontal globes of great elephants, broken by the thunderbolt-blows of the paws of great lions, as if scattered with heaps of white flowers; / with its interior filled with a loud roar emanating from the terrifying boisterous laughter of the joyful Gaṇas;
7.14.p13
delightful with the dancing of joyful Siddha wives hidden within the arbor-interiors of thick trees and creepers; / where rutting elephants roamed along many ridges, and the water of waterfalls was drunk by many fawns; / with many rugged slopes, precipices, and bowers, and various kinds of shrubs, creepers, canopies, and trees; / where the summits of trees were variegated with the luster of emeralds and ruby peaks; / with its lovely woodland depths resounding abundantly with the chirping of cuckoos and the buzzing of swarms of bees; / where, ever rejoicing, having overcome death and grief, / accomplished in the treasures of gorocanā, añjana, and śilājatu, / the Siddhas, ever joyous with their women companions,
7.14.p14
abide wearing beautiful necklaces resembling rays of the moon; / where Vidyādharas, bound in love to their beloveds, / on their plump, elevated breasts resembling high slopes, / paint various floral ornaments / with heaps of minerals of green, red, and yellowish hues; / where apsarases, their slender bodies ever wearied by sexual union, / their lotus-hands placed in the fore-hands of their lovers,
7.14.p15
greatly delighted, enjoy the arriving breeze / exceedingly cool from its contact with the water of the mountain torrents; / -------------------------------------------------------------
7.14.p16
727 / where swans were awakened by the tinkling of anklets; where lotuses were brushed by the swan-feathers; / where the pure water was reddened by lotus pollen; where the golden peaks were adorned by the water;
7.14.p17
where sandalwood trees rose upon the peaks; where flocks of cuckoos perched upon the trees; / where trumpeting was uttered by herds of great elephants; where bears and hyenas were frightened by that roar;
7.14.p18
where bears and hyenas lurked in bowers; where lions emerged from the mouths of cave-bowers; / where the frontal lobes of elephants were torn by lions; where pearls and jewels came forth from the frontal lobes; / where the ridges were illuminated by the rays of the gems; where the feet of Śaṅkara rested upon the ridges; / where groves of trees grew from the foot [of the mountain]; where pathways were covered with masses of flowers from clusters of creepers;
7.14.p19
where every path was adorned with gemmed archways; where the lintels of the archways were fashioned of diverse precious stones; / where flowers were arranged upon every lintel; where every flower was kissed by bees; / whose slopes were variegated with various minerals; charming with diverse flower-bower dwellings; / resounding with the cries of diverse intoxicated birds; with Siddhas dwelling on its diverse peaks;
7.14.p20
That Mount Mandara, delightful with various assemblies of Cāraṇas and Siddhas, where the Three-eyed Lord himself had made his dwelling— / all those Daityas, granted entrance by the Lord and desiring victory for themselves, then climbed it.
7.14.p21
Then, being let through by the Pramathas, the sons of Diti climbed up, / thinking that the Pramathas, terrified, had quickly retreated. / Then on the top of Mandara, thick with various trees, / the Daityas stood, massed together, possessing the radiance of the sun.
7.14.p22
Mount Mandara, with its terrible rocks, stones, and trees, its grown tigers, hyenas, and elephants, / was violently overwhelmed by the great Asuras with their proud steeds and elephants, like a cloud by the winds.
7.14.p23
In some places they hurled stones resembling white clouds; tearing up trees, they roared like clouds; / when opposed, they crushed the Pramathas, as lions [crush] the leaders of herds of deer in the forests.
7.14.p24
Then, covered with the elephants, chariots, horses, and Dānavas, [the mountain] resembled an agitated great ocean; / protected by the arms of the sons of Diti, it shone like a forest protected by the paws of the lord of beasts. / Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-first chapter, entitled “Description of Mandara at the Outset of the War with Andhaka,” in the Skandapurāṇa.
7.14.p25
Sanatkumāra said:
Reaching the slopes of Mandara, Andhaka, the lord of the Dānavas,
with folded hands addressed Śukra, who possessed splendour like Indra and the sun: // 1
Andhaka said:
"O Lord, we have reached Mount Mandara with its lovely caves,
whose rocky surfaces are barred by frightful Pramathas. // 2
Moving through the air, masters of illusion, and yogins of great might,
these leaders of the gaṇas cannot be overcome by the Dānavas by brute force alone. // 3
7.14.p26
Usually, even powerful good men proceed in their undertakings
first by means of strategy, and only later otherwise. // 4
Therefore, resorting to a strategy, particularly focused,
let us harass the Pramathas, or whatever pleases you. // 5
7.14.p27
Desiring our victory and for the triumph of the Dānavas,
O divine one, form the mountain array that cleaves the enemy array. // 6
And who are these beings bearing the radiance, colour, and form of ten million suns,
who stand amidst the ranks of the Pramathas and gaze repeatedly at me?" // 7
Sanatkumāra said:
Then, hearing Andhaka's words, the priest of the Daityas became angry,
and spoke to the lord of the Daityas, as though pointing out Śiva, lord of the bull: // 8
Śukra said:
"He who has tawny eyes like honey, three eyes, and the moon as an ornament,
wearing a tiger-skin garment, is the god holding the Pināka bow. // 9
7.14.p28
The one with the face of a monkey and a lion, clad in blue robes, having four arms,
shining like the morning sun, is Nandin, leader of the gaṇas. // 10
He who is slender, tall, resembling fire, and blazing like a flame,
is indeed Bṛhaspati of vast intellect, the lord of brahmins. // 11
7.14.p29
He who stands not far off from the bull-bannered god, holding a trident,
he, O Andhaka, is the immense-bodied Mahāgaṇapati, the foremost. // 12
7.14.p30
He who, having mounted a calling peacock with variegated plumage,
shines with the radiance of the morning sun, holding a spear in his hand, of great might, // 13
beneficent to brahmins, devoted to the sacred knowledge, a celibate observing his vows—
this is Skanda, the leader of the gods, O Dānavas, in battle. // 14
He who stands on a red-crested rooster, radiant like a red-crested mountain stone,
brandishing a spear, shines like a raincloud [brandishing] lightning, // 15
this one wearing youthful sidelocks, with a face resembling the full moon,
is named Viśākha, a youth observant of youthful celibacy. // 16
7.14.p31
Youthful, possessed of fresh intelligence, like a tree endowed with branches,
this son of Svāhā, endowed with great splendour, is named Śākha. // 17
And the one who stands flanking his right side,
repeatedly pointing his forefinger at me and at you, // 18
mounted on a ram, a mighty child standing firm—
he is known as Naigameṣa, O Andhaka, the son of Hara. // 19
7.14.p32
Surrounded by these four sons, the slayer of asuras is seen,
just as the Grandfather is joined by the four gods. // 20
Fight against that lord, the divine wielder of the great bow, preceded by Nandi's son,
O best of asuras, protected by my mantras. // 21
The Daityas slain by hundreds and thousands by the Pramathas,
I shall revive, just as a cloud revives crops." // 22
7.14.p33
Sanatkumāra said:
Having spoken thus to the Dānava lord and the Dānavas, the descendant of Bhṛgu
then began to marshal that army into the mountain array. // 23
7.14.p34
Having placed Andhaka's chariot at the base, along with Andhaka, his horses, and his charioteer,
he made its foothills out of many thousands of foot soldiers. // 24
7.14.p35
Along those thousands of feet of the mountain array, the descendant of Bhṛgu
had heaps of trees, rocks, and boulders made by the Dānavas. // 25
7.14.p36
With a hundred million of those high-souled Dānavas
with copper-coloured eyes, the lord of planets fashioned its slopes. // 26
7.14.p37
Upon the slopes variegated by mineral streams, the descendant of Bhṛgu
stationed Dānavas like grass and shrubs. // 27
7.14.p38
And with three hundred million of those enemies of the lord of the thirty gods,
he whose radiance equalled the sun fashioned the peaks of the mountain array. // 28
7.14.p39
On those lofty peaks, the delight of the Bhṛgus designated
those armed Dānavas, saying: "These are the precipices." // 29
7.14.p40
Those Daityas stationed on the precipices, possessing the splendour of dark clouds,
stood joyfully as though shedding streams of weapon-water. // 30
7.14.p41
Those Daityas stationed in the ranks, endowed with swiftness, the thorns of the gods,
after circling like hawks, would lie concealed in the mountain passes. // 31
7.14.p42
All the Nivātakavacas, bearing diverse weapons,
the divine descendant of Bhṛgu placed like the tablelands of the mountain array. // 32
Then Prahrāda, Saṃhrāda, Anuhrāda, and Śini,
Jambha, Kujambha, Tāra, Maya, and Namuci— // 33
7.14.p43
[Apparatus readings for verses 25–36]
7.14.p44
731 / [And he deployed] Virocana, Bali, Bāṇa, Vāta, Kārtasvana, Kuśa, / and Śambhu, Bhāvayatya, Ilvaka, and Vilvaka,
7.14.p45
Vita, Vṛtta, Tuhuṇḍa, Huṇḍa, and the Dānava Daṇḍa, / Añjana, Ruṣaṇa, Rāhu, Svarbhānu, Ajaka, Gaja,
7.14.p46
Hasti and Duryodhana, and Pāka and the Dānava Dhundhu— / these and other mighty Daityas, thorns to the gods—
7.14.p47
‘Protect the battle-array! Fight!’ so spoke the lord of the Asuras. / Like Himavān, the king of mountains, or the Vindhya with its wondrous caverns,
7.14.p48
that mountain-array shone forth, its trees bristling with weapons, / like darkness gathered into one place, like a mass of clouds. / Seeing again and again the mountain-array, the Pramathas were astonished, / looking upon the mountain-array while stationed in their own mountain-array.
7.14.p49
Those tigers among the Asuras roared like clouds at the destruction of the world, / and they said: ‘This [array] cannot be broken even by the gods together with Indra!
7.14.p50
What will the Pramathas do, having little vigor and prowess? / Śukra will revive us even if we are slain, of this there is no doubt. / Fight, best of Dānavas, with hearts free of doubt!’ / Sanatkumāra said: / Then, seeing the mountain-array devised by the best of Bhṛgus’ lineage, / the divine Kapardin said this to Bṛhaspati of vast intellect:
7.14.p51
‘O Vācaspati, behold the mountain-array fashioned by Śukra, / having peaks and caverns like the Himavān mountain. / It would swallow the worlds together with the waters, Pātāla, / Viṣṇu, and Brahmā the grandfather, if neglect is shown.
7.14.p52
732 / Neither gods nor Gandharvas, neither Nāgas nor mountains, / could break it though striving, without these lords of the Gaṇas. / O best of brahmins, I see no other means of breaking this mountain-array / except the thunderbolt-array, O wise one, which shatters all arrays. / Therefore, O best of knowers of brahman, tear open the mountain-array: / form today the thunderbolt-array, surrounded by ten thousand Pramathas.’ / Thus addressed by Śambhu, Bṛhaspati, chief of brahmins,
7.14.p53
then deployed against that new array with a thunderbolt-array. / Many thousands of kṣatriyas and devoted lords of the Gaṇas, / the wise one stationed in the center of the thunderbolt-array. / With Kumāra's heroic attendants, destroyers of gods and Asuras, / he formed a thousand joints for that thunderbolt-array. / A crore of foremost champions among the striking Pramathas / the brahmin stationed along all the edges of the thunderbolt. / Kumāra, Viśākha, Śākha, and Chāgamukha—
7.14.p54
the divine descendant of Aṅgiras made them the bud of the thunderbolt-array. / At the tip of the bud, four-armed, with the face of a king of monkeys, / standing with a thunderbolt raised in hand, was Nandī, radiant as the sun. / Kuṇḍodara, Nandiṣeṇa, Ghaṇṭākarṇa, and Mahodara: / he stationed them as a bud in the rear half of that thunderbolt. / Before him, Somanandī, tiger-faced lord of the Gaṇas, / looking like ten thousand suns and moons, stood armed with a paṭṭiśa. / The doorkeepers of the Rudras, the Rudras, and the sons of Rudra who were there,
7.14.p55
were arrayed here and there to protect the thunderbolt-array.
7.14.p56
( 733 ) / In the center of the thunderbolt-array, standing in a magnificent chariot, / stood the Lord, Bhava, Śarva, Kapardin, Nīlalohita.
7.14.p57
His great white banner shone like Indra’s banner, / like the Mandara mountain whose peak is embraced by the orb of the moon.
7.14.p58
With a hundred edges, many joints, and a beautifully adorned bud, / the thunderbolt-array seemed eager to shatter the mountain-array.
7.14.p59
Seeing that battle-array devised, the gods, Gandharvas, and Guhyakas
7.14.p60
shouted ‘Bravo! Bravo!’, their eyes wide with wonder.
7.14.p61
Then among the forces of the lord of Gaṇas, lion-roars arose, / mingled with the sounds of paṇavas, mṛdaṅgas, and conches,
7.14.p62
bringing terror to the sons of Diti, / like the roar of clouds over an agitated ocean.
7.14.p63
Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-second chapter, titled ‘The Formation of Battle-Arrays,’ in the Slaying of Andhaka in the Skandapurāṇa.
7.14.p64
Sanatkumāra said: / Having seen those two arrays devised by the Pramathas and the Asuras, the gods / swiftly blocked the sky on all sides with crores of aerial chariots.
7.14.p65
The entire vault of heaven, strewn with radiance, shone / like the lovely peak-forest of Meru being consumed by fire.
7.14.p66
Filled with the sound of celestial drums, crowded with hundreds of divine women, / that assembly of gods shone forth just like the solar disc.
7.14.p67
Strewn with divine blossoms, perfumed with celestial scents, / and filled with onlookers by the hundreds, the heavenly expanse of the sky shone brightly.
7.14.p68
[Critical apparatus]
7.14.8
734 / Musical instruments were played, and celestial singers sang; / Rambhā and other heavenly nymphs of lovely sidelong glances danced. / Then the two battle arrays, the Vajra and the Giri, eager for mutual victory, / met with mighty roars like two oceans tossed by the wind. / "Do not rush!" thus commanded by the very noble Śukra, / the warriors, though restrained, engaged in loose combat. / Then conches and kettle-drums, paṇavas and cow-horns, / āḍambaras and ḍiṇḍimas, and maṇḍūkas and paṇavas,
7.14.8_69
kettle-drums, dundubhis, mṛdaṅgas, and kiṃkhara drums / were loudly sounded by thousands in both armies. / Then the hosts of gods, together with gandharvas and cāraṇas, / hearing the blast of musical instruments in the pramatha and asura armies, raised loud shouts. / By the sound of instruments from both armies and the roar of celestial lions, / lions, tigers, and elephants howled terribly on Mount Mandara. / With their prowess aroused by the rumbling sound of musical instruments, / the pramathas and asuras fought without breaking their own ranks. / At the first collision of those high-minded warriors in battle, / there was a dreadful roar like the trumpeting of elephants. / The gods and asuras, desirous of slaying each other, / excelled in the battle by means of weapons in their hands by the thousands. / With exceeding joy born of strong, excessive blows of spears, thunderbolts, stones, trees, and arrows, / the fight between the attendants and the asuras grew terribly dreadful, like the Tiṣya age. / Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-third chapter in the Skandapurāṇa, on the battle of the Gaṇas. / [Critical apparatus]
7.14.8_70
735 / Sanatkumāra said: / As the confused clash of the pramatha and asura armies raged, / the twang of bows and terrible lion-roars were heard. / With snapped fingers, the gods, cāraṇas, serpents, and guhyakas / cheered, fluttering the edges of their garments, making shouts of joy in battle. / With their prowess inflamed by the loud shouts of the heroes, / the haughty pramathas and asuras performed intolerable deeds. / Struck down by drawn swords, their chests split open by spears, / their vitals severed by arrows, the pramathas and asuras fell. / Piles of severed heads falling along with thighs / were seen there in the clash of the pramathas and asuras. / Broken-wheeled, flagless, stripped of protective sides and poles, / chariots were seen by the hundreds, their horses gone, their charioteers slain.
7.14.8_71
With banners, with armlets, with armors, weapons, and standards, / their pestle-like tusks pulled out, excellent elephants fell. / Their limbs mangled by strikes of arrows, resplendent with chowries and crests, / horses resembling the steeds of the sun were struck down along with their riders. / With agitated horses, terrified dānavas, and chariots, / that frenzied host appeared like an ocean of swimming sea-monsters. / With garments, parasols, diadems, and jeweled earrings, / with necklaces, half-necklaces, armlets, finger-rings, and exquisite garlands, / and with severed hands, faces, and fallen feet, / the battlefield, thus covered, shone like the sky filled with risen stars. / Clad in garments of flowing blood, adorned with manifold ornaments, / the earth, with limbs covered in red garments, appeared like Death itself. / [Critical apparatus]
7.14.14
736 / Then a terrible river carrying water of blood from hordes of horses and elephants / surged forth, flowing toward the abode of Yama. / Crowded with deer, elephants, donkeys, horses, camels, and large aquatic monsters, / with mud of flesh, fat, and liver, and trees of hundreds of bows and banners,
7.14.18
with hundreds of severed heads for stones, hands and animal-faces for serpents, / covered with moss of hair, with hundreds of bowstrings for threads, / with the joy of white garments [for swans], crowded with multitudes of diadems, / filled with kettle-drums for turtles, and choice ornaments for frogs, / teeming with fish of arrows, hard to approach with alligators of swords, / with great crocodilian monsters of chariot-wheels, stirred up by water-beasts of maces, / with sand of scattered necklaces, foaming with phlegm, / it was like a garland of red lotuses, a saffron wreath cast down by garland-wearers.
7.14.18_72
Like the tongue of the serpent king, wondrous like the command of Yama, / bringing fear to timid warriors and increasing the joy of the brave, / that river carrying beings to heaven flowed on with waters of blood. // 19
With its smoke intensified by the enraged Daitya chiefs, its interior ablaze with the fire of Nandīśvara, / the army roared like the ocean, destructive like the universe at the time of dissolution. // 8.134.20
Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-fourth chapter in the Skandapurāṇa, in the battle of the Gaṇas.
Sanatkumāra said:
As that battle between the attendants and the Asuras grew fiercer, / the foremost Dānavas, standing upon the precipitous mountain-formation, became enraged. // 1
In their fury, unwearied, they showered javelins, spears, rṣṭis, / and a rain of maces upon the army of the Pramathas, like clouds pouring down rain. // 2
7.14.18_73
Struck repeatedly by the falling hail of weapons, / they disregarded it all and set their minds solely on battle. // 3
Just as clouds [strike] the crops, or elephants trees, / as tigers [strike] spotted deer, as śarabhas strike elephants, // 4
as thunderbolts strike mountains, as envoys of Yama strike mortals, / as rites for peace [strike] obstacles, as good guidance strikes ill conduct, // 5
as states of mind strike other states, and as faults strike other faults, / so the valiant Pramathas by hundreds and thousands // 6
slew the Nivātakavacas with showers of javelins, spears, and ṛṣṭis. / With chests ripped open by tridents, with heads shattered by bludgeons, // 7
their bodies withered by the impact of thunderbolts, the Dānavas fell to the ground. / Terrifying roars of those roaring beings were heard, / like the sounds of dissolutive clouds roaring on all sides. // 8
Pierced in many ways by arrows, their sacra and spines broken, // 9
the Asuras writhed on the earth like snakes with broken backs. // 9
Then, beholding that immense slaughter, the valiant great Asuras there / turned back by the hundreds, their eyes blood-red with rage. // 8.135.10
Severely pierced by them, those Pramathas too, O Vyāsa, felt overwhelmed; / like bulls closing their eyes against falling rain, // 11
the Pramathas endured that downpour unleashed by the Dānavas. / Having fought a tumultuous battle, distressed in the end, // 12
7.14.18_74
broken, they turned their backs, the joints of their limbs torn and mangled. / When that army of Pramathas was thus broken, the foremost of the Pramathas, // 13
ten of them, equal to a thousand elephants, unleashed a tremendous onslaught: / the mighty Śaṅkukarṇa and the valorous Ghaṇṭākarṇa, // 14
7.14.18_75
Mahākāla, who resembles the black cloud of death, and renowned Nandiṣeṇa; / Piṅgala, Lohitākṣa, and valorous Somanandī; // 15
Vināyaka and […] Nandī and […], / Chāga, Kuṇḍodara, and Skanda mounted upon his excellent peacock. // 16
Together they roared out like water-laden clouds, / and plunged into the Asura army like makaras into the sea. // 17
7.14.22
The Daityas were slain by Śaṅkukarṇa and torn apart by Ghaṇṭākarṇa, / harassed by the arrows of Nandiṣeṇa and driven off by Mahākāla. // 18
With their weapons and ornaments pulverized by the force of Kuṇḍodara's mace, / churned up by Piṅgala and ripped through by Skanda's spear, they perished. // 19
With their faces shattered by punches, their heads struck by palms, / and flung here and there by blows from backhands, // 8.135.20
stripped of weapons, garments, and armor, their topknots disheveled, / the Dānavas were thoroughly routed, and swiftly their array was broken. // 21
That broken mountain-formation appeared dreadful to behold, / just like the great mountain Vindhya in former times when struck by Indra's thunderbolt. // 22
7.14.26
Then the Pramathas, assuming the air of victors, rushed at the Daityas / whose array had been shattered, by hundreds, like birds upon ripe trees. // 23
Then battle broke out once more, filled with clamor, / fierce between the valiant Pramathas and the Asuras. // 24
When they clashed again in dreadful collision like rutting elephants, / the gods with the Gandharvas and Siddhas in the sky shouted with joy. // 25
Then manifold, dreadful sounds of musical horns made by the Dānava attendants / were heard, like the roaring of clouds. // 26
7.14.26_76
[Critical apparatus]
7.14.26_77
(739)
With elephants resembling dark mountains, and chariots like the aerial chariots of the Gandharvas,
and horses with speed comparable to the wind, the Daityas truly roamed in battle, devoid of fear. // 27
With pikes, lances, spears, bhuśuṇḍis, and arrows, with rocks, discuses, spears, and thunderbolts,
the lords of the gaṇas and the bulls among the Dānavas set about annihilating one another. // 28
Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-fifth chapter on the battle of the gaṇas in the Skandapurāṇa.
7.14.26_78
Sanatkumāra said:
Then Virocana, the lord of the Daityas, like the radiant sun risen high,
entered the army of the pramathas, as the sun [enters] a mass of clouds. // 1
7.14.26_79
Mounting a four-tusked elephant adorned with tusks,
resembling the peak of Mount Mandara, with pole-like tusks and exuding rut, // 2
situated upon the shoulder of that elephant, that foremost of the Asuras shone there,
like the thousand-rayed [sun] blazing forth atop the eastern mountain. // 3
With javelins and arrows possessing the brilliance of the sun's rays,
he felled the pramathas by hundreds and then by thousands. // 4
Just as the son of Vinatā [scatters] serpents, or a lion [scatters] bulls,
so did the heroic Virocana put the pramathas to flight. // 5
Departing or arriving, not yet reached or already reached, or standing far away—
whichever pramatha the Asura caught sight of, that one he tore apart. // 6
Just as deer [flee] seeing a lion, and serpents [flee seeing] Garuḍa,
so seeing Virocana, the pramathas fled in terror. // 7
7.14.26_80
Seeing the army of the lords of the gaṇas [fleeing] swiftly, the foremost among the lords of the gaṇas,
Vināyaka, the leader of the host of pramathas, turned back. // 8
------------------------
30 184 - kha. !
1 daityeyo - ka. . 2 ...vatastāraḥ - kha. .. 3 vārayate - kha. .. 4 yathā - kha. .
7.14.26_81
740
Stretching forth his terrible trunk, just as Airāvata did of old,
he charged at Virocana, as a tiger [charges] at a deer. // 9
7.14.26_82
Seeing the elephant-faced one with sharp tusks rushing upon him,
the Dānava pierced him between his temple-globes with a javelin. // 8.136.10
7.14.26_83
Pulling out that javelin with the tip of his trunk, that Vināyaka,
hurling it with his trunk, tore Virocana apart with that very [weapon]. // 11
7.14.26_84
Pierced by that javelin and distressed by the blow of the trunk,
Virocana staggered in agitation and vomited blood. // 12
7.14.26_85
Observing the lord of the Dānavas, Virocana, reeling then,
Vināyaka gored him through with his two tusks shining like the moon. // 13
7.14.26_86
Beholding that deed of Vināyaka, the gods, with Śakra, uttered roars of acclaim.
Upon the head of that god fell a garland of flowers, like the Three-Path River. // 14
7.14.26_87
Because of that garland having diverse kinds of flowers, that god then shone in battle,
adorned with the lovely beauty of the constellations of stars, standing tall like another Meru. // 15
7.14.26_88
Seeing Virocana gored by Vināyaka and gushing with blood,
Jambha, resembling a dark rain-cloud, roared fiercely and charged, shouting, "Do not fear!" // 16
7.14.26_89
As he rushed forward, roaring in many ways—Jambha, immeasurable like a cloud in the sky—
Nandī blocked him and struck him with a thunderbolt, like the wielder of the thunderbolt in anger [striking] a mountain. // 17
7.14.26_90
Impaired in his actions by the strike of the thunderbolt, as though lifeless, the son of the lord of the Dānavas
fell to the ground, but rose up repeatedly, like fire in a sacrificial assembly sprinkled with clarified butter. // 18
7.14.26_91
When Jambha sank down and the enemy's host was pleased, six Dānavas
with axes, pikes, swords, and battle-axes hacked at the elder brother of the six-faced one, like barbarian mlecchas with angry faces. // 19
7.14.26_92
Hacked at by them, Vināyaka pulled out his two tusks from the body of Prahlāda's son,
and released him drenched in blood, like Rāhu [releasing] the half-devoured sun. // 8.136.20
7.14.26_93
----------------------------------------------------
5 vairocanaṃ - ka. .. 6 to raṇana - vi. .. 7 kareṇa hatya (?), hastenākṣipya (?) . 8 tasyottamāṅge bahi - ka. va., .. māṅga pa ra ? [ā la (?) . 9 tri pāgati? - kha . 10 ... cāruśobhāḥ - ka. . 1 ! t rra (?). .. māraśipa (?) . . 2 bhī rati - ka. ! 13 bhāṣya pāṇaḥ - ka. .. 14 ... vyasuryathā - ka. kha. . 15 te - . (ka. fṭa. ) .. 16 ahno dade ī { - ka., prāhlādidehāt (?) . 17 dante - kha. .
18 ...vibhāsvantamivārdhabhuktam - ka. kha. .
7.14.26_94
(741)
Released by him, his splendor shrouded by severe pain, Virocana did not appear very attractive,
like the full-orbed moon in the sky obstructed by clouds in the season of fresh clouds. // 21
7.14.26_95
Vināyaka, resembling the six-faced one,
put to flight those six Dānavas who seemed like non-leaders with strikes of his large tusk-thunderbolts, as a lion [scatters] noble elephants. // 22
The elephant-faced one, raising his trunk like the proud elephant of the gods,
drove away those foremost of the Dānavas, as an arrogant lion cub [drives away] elephants. // 23
7.14.26_96
Just like bulls gazed upon by a lion, or like mortals beheld by Time,
the watching forces were gripped by terror when beheld and pursued by Vināyaka.
Wherever that god looked, lifting his hand like an elephant its trunk,
from there the Daitya army broke, as a blossoming forest before a tempest.
Seeing that army overwhelmed by the strong one, Bali's son, the foremost among the strong,
marched forth wishing to slay Vināyaka, like a rutted king of elephants against another rutted beast in battle.
As he rushed forward, blazing like the sun, furious as the sun-scorched Death in battle,
Kuṇḍodara advanced to check him and to fight in combat, like a lion facing another lion.
Both like lion cubs full of pride, or young tuskers with their trunks swinging wildly,
those two, intoxicated with the joy of battle, clashed: Kuṇḍodara and the son of Bali.
Drawing five hundred bows that resounded like a thunderbolt,
Bāṇa, roaring like a cloud, unleashed prime arrows at Kuṇḍodara.
At those sharp-pointed arrows of Bāṇa arriving then like enraged serpents,
Kuṇḍodara struck them all with a mountain-born [tree], as obstacles destroy desires.
Seeing those arrows lying fallen on the ground, rendered futile by the foe of the gods' enemies,
that enemy of the gods struck Kuṇḍodara with a spear, as Guha struck the lord of mountains, Krauñca, with his spear.
From the chest of the lord of Gaṇas, Bāṇa's spear drank blood,
as the wife of the thunderbolt-bearer drinks sweet, fragrant nectar brought by Śakra.
7.14.33
742
Struck by the blow of the spear, the yakṣa Kuṇḍodara, resembling Mount Mandara,
fell losing all consciousness, like a tall tree consumed by a forest fire.
7.14.35
Seeing Kuṇḍodara thus struck down, Vināyaka, his garland of lotuses falling,
rushed toward Bāṇa eager to slay him, raising his trunk like an elephant lifting its spout.
As Vināyaka came rushing, Bāṇa pierced him right in the face with arrows whose points resembled thunderbolts,
and having pierced him, he roared, like a cloud in the sky at the close of summer.
7.14.37
Heeding those showers of arrows no more than falling tips of grass, the elephant-faced god
wrecked Bāṇa's chariot along with its charioteer, its yoke, wheels, and wooden frame.
As he ground down the steeds of Bāṇa, Vināyaka stood upon the ground like an elephant;
leaping upon him like a lion born of a lioness, Rāhu bound him in the noose of his arms.
7.14.40
Held tight in the pair of Rāhu's arms, Vināyaka, garlanded with a thousand snakes,
thrashed, swinging the tip of his trunk, just like an elephant crossing the river of the gods.
Seeing Vināyaka whose movement was bound by Rāhu's arms, the sky-dwellers then,
the gods headed by Śakra, together with the yakṣas and the siddhas, cried out repeatedly, "Alas, alas!"
Then Kuṇḍodara, the foremost of yakṣas, revived like a crop watered with rain,
and taking an axe, struck Rāhu on the collarbone with his clenched fist.
7.14.40_97
Hard-hit by that foremost yakṣa with the blow of the axe and with his fist,
Rāhu of terrible might released Vināyaka, as a noble man abandons an unrighteous deed.
Turning around like an elephant in rut dwelling in a forest thicket,
the elephant-faced god of terrifying trunk struck Rāhu with feet, tusks, and swinging trunk.
Battered by Vināyaka, Rāhu, that enemy of the gods, abandoned pride, arrogance, and strength,
and stood like a waterless cloud, or like a lord of elephants struck down by a lion.
While Rāhu was being tormented by Kuṇḍodara's fist-blows and by Vināyaka,
Kujambha, Saṃhrāda, Maya, together with Tāra, Huṇḍa, and Tuhuṇḍa then rushed at him.
7.14.49
( 743 )
Maya struck Kuṇḍodara with a trident, and Tāra struck him in the belly with a mace;
Bala struck him, who resembled a hanging cloud, with a fist like a thunderbolt;
and the son of Hiraṇyanetra's younger brother struck the terribly powerful Vināyaka with his palm.
His son also struck out of rage, and the mighty Tuhuṇḍa advanced as well.
Then seizing him, Vināyaka powerfully overpowered Tuhuṇḍa in battle with his trunk,
and dashing him down and tossing him up with terrible force, flung far away that [warrior] who was like an emissary of Yama.
Then striking Prahrāda, that god, alongside Maya whose chest was like dark collyrium,
uprooted [weapons] and roared a dreadful roar, like a cloud filled with bright water in the sky.
Kuṇḍodara too, the foremost of yakṣas, striking Bala, Tāra, and Kujambha,
[faced] both of those guardians of elephant-herds standing in battle, their garlands swaying, inflamed with fierce wrath.
7.14.49_98
Those two unleashed a terrible shower of arrows, like two roaring clouds [releasing] a shower of water. / Then again, discharging weapons, roaring with the rumbling of rain-clouds, / those armies of the Asuras and the attendants reached the height of close combat. // 50
Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-sixth chapter in the Gaṇa War of the Skandapurāṇa.
Sanatkumāra said:
Then once more an encounter between the armies of the attendants and the Asuras / arose, wondrous, like [the clashing] of sea-monsters from the churning of the ocean. // 1
Bearing flat spears, swords, and bows, like clouds flashing with lightning, / the Dānavas and the Pramathas eager for battle shone there. // 2
'Endure! Strike! Perish! You are undone!'— / Thus speaking, their shouts were heard again and again: // 3
7.14.49_99
With spears, tridents, and discs, with huṇḍas and swinging clubs, / with bhindipālas, like hand-darts, with flying daggers, // 4
with axes, kaṭaṅkaṭas, barbed darts, nooses, battle-axes and flat spears, / with blows of trees and stones, and even with mountain peaks, // 5
7.14.49_100
with these weapons indeed they slaughtered one another. / 'I am Ghaṇṭākarṇa, Asura!' 'I am Jambha, lord of Pramathas!' // 6
7.14.49_101
'I am Somanandin, enemy of Indra!' 'I am Kujambha, lord of Gaṇas!' / 'I am Bilvaka, Yakṣa!' 'I am the Dānava named Piṅgala!' // 7
'I am Prahrāda!' 'I am Nandī!' 'I am Śaṅkukarṇa!' 'I am indeed Bala!' / 'Who are you?' 'I am Kuṇḍodara!' 'I am Vṛtra, O Kuṇḍakodara!' // 8
'I am Nandiṣeṇa!' 'I am Śambhu!' 'I am Mahākāla!' 'I am Maya!' / 'I am Viśākha!' 'I am Bali!' 'I am Bāṇa!' 'I am Guha!' // 9
'I am Prahrāda!' 'I am Śākha!' 'I am Naigameṣa!' 'I am Andhaka!' / Thus terrible challenges born of overflowing pride // 10
were heard among the Dānavas and the Pramathas fighting in the battle, / like [the trumpeting] of rutting elephants or [the roaring] of clouds at the arrival [of the rains], // 11
7.14.49_102
or like mountains shattering, or oceans at the cosmic destructions, / or like the rushing of mighty winds at the end of a cosmic age. // 12
Mighty was the noise of those striking one another. / With weapons resembling the staff of Brahmā and like the rod of Yama, / greatly enraged at one another, they slaughtered [each other]. // 13
Like the crashing of thunderbolts upon mountains, or like bamboos burning, / there arose the crackling noise of weapons being hurled down then. // 14
7.14.49_103
Severely struck by the spears hurled by the lords of the Gaṇas, / screaming, they fell like clouds accompanied by meteors. // 15
Their limbs broken by blows of trees, their joints crushed by maces, / the Dānavas fell upon the earth, and horses lost their lives. // 16
With shattered banners, flags, and poles, with broken axles, yokes, and carriage-poles, / chariots resembling aerial chariots were seen destroyed there. // 17
With elephants, horses, and crushed chariots, / that ground became impassable, as though covered by the Vindhya mountain. // 18
There the gods, along with Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Uragas, and Kinnaras, / repeatedly filled the sky with loud, auspicious shouts. // 19
A shower of divine, variegated flowers smelling like nectar / fell where they were fighting in battle. // 20
7.14.49_104
Thus roaring with the sound of elephants and clouds, hurling arrows, swords, darts, spears, and maces, / the proud sons of Diti and the hosts of Pramathas, tightly packed together, fought one another intensely. // 21
Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-seventh chapter in the Gaṇa War of the Skandapurāṇa.
Sanatkumāra said:
As the Daityas were growing distressed, the commanders of the Daitya commanders / surged with great speed, like oceans at the end of a cosmic age: // 1
Prahrāda, Anuhrāda, Saṃhrāda, Śini, and Bāṣkala, / and the four sons of Prahlāda endowed with terrifying prowess, // 2
Bali, Bāṇa, Vāta, Śambhu, Kārtasvana, Kubha, / Karabha, Namuci, Tāra, Tāraka, and Indratāpana, // 3
7.14.49_105
Añjana, Rūṣaṇa, Vyaṃsa, Gaviṣṭha, Pṛthivīñjaya,
7.14.49_106
Ilvaka and Pilvaka, Dhundhu, and the Dānava Mūka, // 4
7.14.49_107
Khara, Mura, then Naraka, Keśin, and Dhenuka, / Lamba, Pralamba, Ajara, Bhāvya, Vyomamārdava, // 5
7.14.49_108
Vṛṣaparvan, Śatāvata, Gavākṣa, and Gomukha, / Sara, Nisunda, and Sunda, [all] possessed of great strength and valor, // 6
7.14.49_109
Pāka, Vipāka, Santāpa, Hastin, Duryodhana, / Mohana, Mathana, Sacakra, and Cakra. // 7
7.14.49_110
Kālakāvadana, Kāla, Kālanemi, Kalidruma,
7.14.49_111
Hayaśīrṣa, Indraśiras, Triśiras, and Śaṅku;
7.14.49_112
likewise Gaganamūrdhan, Aviroman, the high-minded [asura],
Asiloman, Tuhuṇḍa, Huṇḍa, and the dānava Vṛtra;
7.14.49_113
Daśagrīva, Bāli, Meghanīla, and Prabhākara,
and he who, arrogant with power, seized the wheel from the sun's chariot;
7.14.49_114
that Vipracitti, accompanied by his army, turned back, clad in armor.
These and other sons of Diti, maddened like elephants,
7.14.49_115
made an effort to advance, crushing the pramathas in battle,
as lions [rush] for meat, or as elephants for a female;
7.14.49_116
so the dānavas entered [the fray], wishing to slay the pramathas.
The charge of those enemies of the gods as they attacked was terrifying,
like the frightful, crocodile-infested surge of the lord of the ocean.
7.14.49_117
Armed with weapons, stones, rocks, trees, and thunderbolts in their hands,
they were held back by the fierce pramathas, as river-torrents [are held back] by oceans.
7.14.49_118
[Apparatus / variant readings]
7.14.49_119
747 }
Nandin, the leader of the gaṇa-chiefs, the valorous Mahākāya,
Ghaṇṭākarṇa, Śaṅkukarṇa, Kuṇḍodara, and Mahodara;
7.14.49_120
Nandiṣeṇa, Somanandin, the gaṇa-chief Karika,
Vighna, Vināyaka, and Sarvavināyaka;
7.14.49_121
Piṅgala, Lohita, Mayūra, and Kukkuṭa;
7.14.49_122
Pañcākṣa, Vīrabhadra, Viṭpati, and Pāvakārdana;
7.14.49_123
Adityāpyāyana, Somāpyāyana,
another, Samudrāpyāya, and Pāvakāpyāyana;
7.14.49_124
Varabarhidhvaja, Viśākha, Śākha,
and the mighty Naigameṣa, possessing the strength and valor of Rudra;
7.14.49_125
and the pramathas of terrifying forms who were born of the son of the Kṛttikās [Skanda]—
they attacked the dānavas in battle, like bulls [attacking] bulls.
7.14.49_126
A tumultuous battle took place between each of them,
dreadful, like [a fight] of rutting elephants with śarabhas in the wilderness;
7.14.49_127
like great elephants against elephants, mountains against mountains,
oceans against oceans, fires against fires;
7.14.49_128
likewise, the proud [demons], enveloped by the fire of anger,
were held in check by the valiant attendants, as obstacles [are overcome] by those devoted to dharma.
7.14.49_129
Mountain peaks torn apart on all sides by chisels,
turning like circles of vultures, fell to the earth by thousands.
7.14.49_130
Discs were split by discs, spears were shattered by spears,
7.14.49_131
and arrows pierced by arrows fell down like serpents.
7.14.49_132
Covered with faces resembling the moon and lotus, and arms resembling iron clubs,
the earth shone as if clad in garments of tiger-skins.
7.14.49_133
[Apparatus / variant readings]
7.14.49_134
748
Marked with the mire of fat, marrow, and bones, and strewn with the foulness of hair,
the battleground became dreadful, resembling a cremation ground.
Horses, elephants, and chariots of the dānavas, crushed by the gaṇa-chiefs,
were seen scattered here and there upon the earth.
"You must be tested today in battle, O enemy of the king of the gods, [among] the non-gods!"
7.14.49_135
When Nandin, equal to Indra, had spoken thus, Kujambha,
whose valor was equal to Śakra, the Moon, and the Wind,
knitted his brow into three lines upon his forehead and said to Nandin:
7.14.49_136
"Monkey-faced one, why do you seek to frighten me with words?
I am the grandson of Hiraṇyakaśipu, no ordinary dānava!
Neither from Yama with his staff, nor from Varuṇa with his noose, nor from Indra with his thunderbolt, nor from the Lord of Wealth with his mace
do I feel fear on the battlefield; nor has fear ever fled [from battle] among the daityas!
Today, struck down by my arrows, let your repulsive, ugly face,
with its yellow, rolling eyes, fall to the ground like a fully ripe palm fruit from a palm tree!"
Having spoken thus, that cloud of a dānava king, roaring loudly like a lion,
covered Nandīśvara with a shower of arrows, as a cloud covers the king of mountains.
As birds enter a tree with ripe fruit, or as fierce snakes enter a high anthill,
so did the blazing-headed arrows shot by the dānava king pierce Nandīśvara.
7.14.49_137
Holding the thunderbolt, he warded off that flood of arrows as a mountain wards off rain clouds, / and hurled the thunderbolt at Kujambha, roaring loudly like a cloud in the sky.
Its terrifying form blazing forth with sparks, letting loose a roar like a clash of thunder, / the thunderbolt rushed forward to slay the asura, like the thunderbolt of the king of gods rushing at a mountain.
Likewise, with his well-pointed, fanged [arrows] close at hand, smeared [with poison] and barbed, / Kujambha struck the thunderbolt a hundredfold, as a cloud extinguishes the cosmic fire.
[Footnotes: 37 ... 59]
7.14.49_138
Its overwhelming speed checked by the force of his arrows, hurled by the son of Śilāda with unfailing velocity, / struck by Kujambha, the thunderbolt turned back, just like a gift bestowed during a fit of madness.
Seeing that excellent thunderbolt obstructed, and hearing the roar let loose by Kujambha, / enraged, Nandī rushed toward that enemy, as Rāhu rushes at the sun in the vault of the sky.
Forcibly grasping the chariot by its pole-tip with his hand, the protector of the lord of pramathas / seized and hurled it away together with its charioteer and horses; and having hurled it, he roared terribly again.
Its front crushed, its horses disjointed, its charioteer, swords, headpieces, and rim-tips broken, / Kujambha's chariot fell from the vault of the sky, like a mountain whose wings were severed by the thunderbolt.
Leaping down from that chariot battered by the bull Nandi, the son of Prahrāda, undaunted in spirit, / seized a spear; undaunted in spirit, he stood firm like a thundering cloud flashing with lightning.
Licking his lips as though with a serpent's tongue, like Death hungry to devour, / blazing like a crest of the great fire, Jambha hurled it at Nandi.
Discharged by the arm of Indra's foe, that spear, fierce and intensely blazing like an Āṅgirasī sorcery, / was struck by the fire from Nandi's mouth and burned up like a moth in a flame.
7.14.49_139
Having burned that spear with the fire from his mouth, he who has a monkey-lord's face and the splendour of the sun / swiftly struck him with the thunderbolt, as the lord Indra strikes Meru with his thunderbolt.
With his bones crushed by the blow of the thunderbolt, his teeth and eyes shattered, and his knees broken, / crooked Kujambha collapsed onto the earth, like a mountain struck down by Indra's thunderbolt.
When he was slain, the hosts of gods shouted with joy, while the foes of the gods sank down in dejection; / and the lord of beings worshipped the god, the lord of spirits, who bears the crescent moon on his crest.
Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-eighth chapter in the Skandapurāṇa, in the battle of the Gaṇas, the slaying of Jambha.
[Footnotes: 60 ... 72]
7.14.49_140
Sanatkumāra said:
Seeing Kujambha slain by Nandī, who gladdens the gods, / the gods, cāraṇas, and great serpents raised a roar.
7.14.49_141
At that roar of the gods and at the death of Kujambha, / Jambha, the tiger among dānavas, gave way to immense rage.
7.14.49_142
From the limbs of that enraged demon, flames of fire burst forth, / like sparks scattering in every direction from Meru struck by a thunderbolt.
7.14.49_143
Resembling a cloud lit by meteors, Jambha, engulfed in fury, / ran forward to kill Nandī, as a king of lions runs toward an elephant.
7.14.49_144
Lifting up a terrible, massive iron mace weighing five hundred bhāras / forged of sharpened steel, the daitya ran toward Nandī:
7.14.49_145
“Halt now, wicked-natured one! Where will you go, now that I have seen you? / This iron mace, resembling the thunderbolt, shall crush you!”
7.14.49_146
Having spoken thus in a terrifying voice, Jambha hurled his iron mace / at Nandī before him, as a second Yama hurling his staff.
7.14.49_147
Released from his hand, resembling a serpent that has cast off its skin, / that iron mace, like the cosmic fire of destruction, flew toward Nandī to slay him.
7.14.49_148
At that huge [mace], resembling the serpent Vāsuki and like the staff of Brahmā, / Nandī struck with his thunderbolt, as the king of gods struck Bala.
7.14.49_149
Treating that blow of the thunderbolt as if it were straw, that iron mace, / dazzling to behold like the fire of Indra, rushed on toward Nandī.
7.14.49_150
A tremendous cry was raised by thousands of pramathas. / Hearing that cry of the gods and seeing the iron mace approaching,
7.14.49_151
Śaṅkukarṇa rushed swiftly toward that iron mace, / which resembled the serpent Karkoṭaka and was hard to avert like a great missile.
7.14.49_152
[Footnotes: 1 devavandinā ... 12 ...bhijagrāh - gha. .]
7.14.49_153
(751)
Seeing the iron club seized forcibly by Śaṅkukarṇa, / the delighted gods shouted aloud and praised Śaṅkukarṇa. / The mighty Śaṅkukarṇa, fond of battle, having again seized the iron club, / roared, aimed at Jambha, and charged. / Then that tiger among Dānavas charged, eager for battle. / Then in the army of the lords of gaṇas, and likewise in the army of the Dānavas, / arose the sound of musical instruments mixed with lion-roars. / Then in the vault of the sky arose a noise resembling the roar of an agitated ocean or clouds, / as the denizens of heaven then watched that battle between the sons of Danu and the lords of the gaṇas. / The foremost among the Pramatha host together with the Nāgarudras, and the foremost Asuras together with Andhaka on the battlefield, / ceasing their fighting, stood watching the combat between the gaṇa-leader and the Dānava.
Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-ninth chapter, on the battle of the gaṇas, in the Skandapurāṇa.
Sanatkumāra said:
Seeing Śaṅkukarṇa running towards Jambha, the mighty / Vṛtra ran towards him to slay him, like a lion against an elephant. / Śaṅkukarṇa too, the foremost among gaṇa-leaders, abandoning Jambha, / ran straight against Vṛtra, as lightning [strikes] a tree.
7.14.49_154
Śaṅkukarṇa, the lord of gaṇas, struck him with his iron club, / just as Indra strikes a great mountain with his hundred-jointed thunderbolt. / And then Vṛtra too, the king of the Daityas, struck violently by the iron club, / whirled around like a tree shaken by the wind.
7.14.49_155
(752)
From that heavy blow, variegated by streams of blood, / he looked like the Blue Mountain pouring forth molten gold. / As Vṛtra, the king of the Daityas, spun around violently struck by the iron club, / the gods and Gandharvas cried out in praise of the lord of gaṇas. / Then, having recovered after a long while, Vṛtra, the foremost of the Dānavas, / tore up a mountain peak and ran at Śaṅkukarṇa. / He hurled at the lord of gaṇas that mountain crest, complete with trees, bears, minerals, rocks, and serpents, and roared. / Nandin shattered with his thunderbolt that huge mountain peak hurled from Vṛtra's arms, / as a lion tears an elephant. / Then those two, the lord of the gaṇas and the king of the Daityas, whose arms were like angry serpents, / came together with terrible shouts, both skilled in wrestling, / like two roaring suns, like two blazing fires, / like two rumbling clouds, like two huge elephants, / like two rutted tigers, like two hissing serpents, / like two roaring lions, like two leaping bulls,
First 165 of 172 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit