Mahabharata: Vol. 5 (62 page)

‘“He is like the rising sun.
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He can dispel darkness through his own light. When Ajatashatru advanced, how did Drona counter him? He is like an elephant with shattered temples. He is angry and swift. He is resplendent and single-minded in purpose. He is incapable of being repulsed by a rival. When he advanced for victory, like one who desires intercourse with a female,
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which brave warriors fought with that supreme of men in the field of battle? That mighty-armed one is capable of consuming Duryodhana’s entire army with his terrible glance. He has intelligence and is devoted to the truth. The supreme archer can destroy with his sight, even if he is not protected, and he is fixed on victory. He is self-controlled and is revered by the entire world. Which brave ones surrounded him? That undecaying king is supreme among archers and is difficult to resist. When Kounteya, tiger among men, swiftly advanced and attacked Drona, who on my side countered him? Which brave ones surrounded the advancing Bhimasena? Bibhatsu is extremely valorous. He rides on a chariot that is like a dense cloud. He creates a tumultuous shower, like thunder. He showers arrows, like Maghavan showering rain. The one with the monkey on his banner envelopes the sky with his mass of arrows. All the directions resound with the clapping of his palms and the roar of his chariot wheels. The sound of his arrows makes him difficult to cross. His anger can thwart the clouds. His arrows are as swift as thought. His fierce arrows penetrate the inner organs. He floods the entire earth with blood, so that men find it difficult to traverse. In that battle, Duryodhana made endeavours and raised his terrible club. What did he do when Vijaya, the wielder of Gandiva, used arrows sharpened on stone and tufted with the feathers of vultures? When the intelligent one did this and destroyed the army with the sound of Gandiva, what was his
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state of mind then? Arjuna performed terrible deeds and advanced fiercely. When Dhananjaya used his arrows to attack Drona, what did he do? He was like the
wind scattering clouds, or like a tempest destroying reeds. Which man can stand against the wielder of Gandiva in battle? Soldiers trembled and brave ones were touched by fear. Who were those who did not forsake Drona and who were the inferior ones who ran away? Who were the ones who gave up their lives and advanced towards death? Dhananjaya had vanquished superhuman combatants. Those on my side are incapable of withstanding the force of his white horses. Gandiva’s noise is like the roll of thunder. Vishvaksena is the charioteer and the warrior is Dhananjaya. It is my view that this chariot cannot be vanquished, even by the gods and the asuras. The brave Pandava is delicate, young, brave and handsome. He is intelligent and skilled. He is wise in war and truth is his valour. When Nakula emitted a loud roar, what did all the Kouravas do? When the intelligent one advanced, which brave ones surrounded him? Sahadeva is like an angry snake with virulent poison. He is invincible in battle. When he advanced against the enemy, who countered him? He is noble in his vows. He cannot be assailed. He is modest and unvanquished. When he advanced against Drona, which brave ones surrounded him? He
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crushed the large army of the Souvira kingdom. He obtained as his queen the desirable princess of Bhoja, who was beautiful in all her limbs. Truthfulness, fortitude, valour and brahmacharya are always completely vested in him. Yuyudhana is a bull among men. He is strong. He is truthful in his deeds. He is never distressed. He is unvanquished. He is Vasudeva’s equal in battle and is regarded as second to Vasudeva. Instructed by Dhananjaya, he has become as brave as his preceptor in deeds. He is Partha’s equal in use of weapons. Who restrained him when he advanced against Drona? He is supremely brave among the Vrishnis. He is valiant among all archers. He is Rama’s
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equal in weapons, fame and valour. He is supreme in truthfulness, fortitude, self-control, valour and brahmacharya. All these are in Satvata,
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just as the three worlds are in Keshava. Vested with all these qualities, he is incapable of
being resisted by the gods. When that great archer advanced, which brave ones surrounded him? The best of the Panchalas is loved by all those who have been born from noble lineages. Uttamouja always performs supreme deeds in battle. He is always engaged in Dhananjaya’s welfare and in supreme injury towards me. He is the equal of Yama, Vaishravana, Aditya, the great Indra and Varuna. He is famous as a maharatha and fought against Drona in the battle. He was prepared to give up his life in that tumult? Which brave ones surrounded him? Dhrishtaketu was the only one among the Chedis who went to the Pandavas. When he advanced against Drona, who opposed him? The brave Ketuman slew Prince Sudarshana at the other end of the gate to the mountains.
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When he advanced against Drona, who countered him? The tiger among men was a woman earlier and is conversant with his own good and bad qualities. Yajnasena’s son, Shikhandi, is never distressed in battle. He was the reason behind the death of the great-souled Devavrata in battle. When he advanced towards Drona, which brave ones surrounded him? In all the qualities, the brave one surpasses Dhananjaya. His weapons are always truth and brahmacharya. He is Vasudeva’s equal in valour and Dhananjaya’s equal in strength. He is like the sun in his energy and like Brihaspati in his intelligence. The great-souled Abhimanyu is like death with a gaping mouth. When he advanced towards Drona, which brave ones surrounded him? Subhadra’s son is the destroyer of enemy heroes. He is young, but is as celebrated as the ocean. When he advanced against Drona, what was the state of your mind then?
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Droupadi’s sons are tigers among men. They rushed towards Drona in that battle, like rivers towards the sea. Which brave ones repulsed them? Those children gave up all play for twelve years. They observed supreme vows and for the sake of weapons, served Bhishma. They were Kshatranjaya, Kshatradeva, Kshatradharma and Manina, the brave sons of Dhrishtadyumna. When they advanced against Drona, who opposed them? The Vrishnis look upon him as the equal of one hundred armoured ones
in battle. When the great archer Chekitana advanced against Drona, who countered him? Anadhrishti was the son of Vriddhakshema and was never distressed in his soul. He once abducted the princess of Kalinga in a battle. Who restrained him when he advanced against Drona? The five brothers from Kekaya are devoted to dharma and truth is their valour. Their complexion is like fireflies. Their armour, weapons and standards are red. Those brave ones are the sons of the Pandavas’s mother’s sister and desire their victory.
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When they attacked so as to kill Drona, which brave ones surrounded them? The angry kings fought against him for six months in Varanavata, wishing to kill him, but could not defeat him. He is the lord of battles. He is supreme among archers and is brave. He is extremely strong and is unwavering in his aim. When that tiger among men attacked Drona, who countered Yuyutsu? In Varanasi, wishing to obtain a wife, the maharatha used a broad-headed arrow in battle to bring down the son of the king of Kashi from his chariot.
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Dhrishtadyumna, the great archer, is the counsellor of the Parthas. He was created for Drona’s death and is engaged in causing injury to Duryodhana. In the battle, he consumed the warriors and shattered the ranks. When he advanced towards Drona, which brave ones restrained him? Shikhandi’s son, Kshatradeva, was reared in Drupada’s lap and is skilled in use of weapons. Who restrained his advance against Drona? Ushinara’s maharatha son
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covered the entire earth with the pole of his chariot, as if girding it with the hide of a calf. He is foremost among those who kill the enemy. He performed ten horse sacrifices, a substitute for all sacrifices, and provided an abundance of food, drink and
dakshina
. He protected his subjects as if they were his own sons. The brave one gave away as many cattle as dakshina as there are grains of sand in the waters of the Ganga. No man has accomplished such a deed earlier, nor will any man perform this feat
in the future. The gods
themselves exclaimed, ‘This is an extremely difficult deed. In the three worlds, with their mobile and immobile objects, we do not see a second person like Ushinara’s son, who has been born, or will be born.’ Shaibya is brave. After death, he will go to places that are not attainable by men of this world. Who repulsed the grandson Shaibya, when he advanced towards Drona, like death with a gaping mouth? Virata of Matsya has an army of chariots and is the killer of enemies. When he advanced against Drona in battle, which brave ones surrounded him? Vrikodara’s son grew up in a single day.
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He is immensely strong and powerful. He is a terrible rakshasa and knows the use of maya. He causes great terror among those on my side. He desires the victory of the Parthas and is a thorn for my sons. Who restrained the mighty-armed Ghatotkacha’s advance towards Drona? O Sanjaya! There are many others who have their objective in mind. They are prepared to give up their lives in battle. Who can they not vanquish? Their refuge is the tiger among men, the wielder of the Sharnga bow. He desires the welfare of the Parthas. How can they be defeated? He is infinite. He is the preceptor of the worlds. He is the eternal protector of the worlds. The divine Narayana is the protector in all battles. He is the lord with the celestial soul. The learned ones speak about his divine deeds. I will recount his deeds with devotion and thus obtain calmness in my own self.”’

‘Dhritarashtra said, “O Sanjaya! Hear about Vasudeva’s divine deeds. Govinda performed them and no other man can ever replicate them. O Sanjaya! When the great-souled one was brought up as a child in a family of cowherds, he made the strength of his arms known to the three worlds. When he dwelt in the forests along
the Yamuna, he killed the king of horses,
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who was like the wind in speed and Uchchaishrava’s equal in strength. There was a terrible danava in the form of a bull.
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He arose among the cows, like death. Though still a child, he killed him with his arms. The one with lotus eyes also killed great asuras like Pralamba, Naraka, Jamba, Pitha and Muru, who was like a mountain. The immensely energetic Kamsa was protected by Jarasandha. But with his valour alone,
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Krishna killed him and his followers in battle. The brave Sunama, the king of Shurasena, was the leader of an entire akshouhini. The valiant one was the second brother of Kamsa, the king of Bhoja. With Baladeva as his second, Krishna, the slayer of enemies, spiritedly consumed him in a battle, with all his soldiers. The brahmana rishi Durvasa was extremely prone to rage. He worshipped him with his wife and obtained a boon from him.
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The lotus-eyed and brave one vanquished many kings at the svayamvara of the daughter of the king of Gandhara.
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As if they were born horses, the intolerant kings were yoked to the wedding chariot and lacerated with whips. The mighty-armed Jarasandha was the leader of an entire akshouhini. Janardana thought of a way so that he might be killed by someone else.
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The brave and powerful king of Chedi was the leader of kings. In the dispute over the arghya, he was killed like an animal.
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Soubha,
the city of the daityas, was established in the sky. It was protected by Shalva and was invincible. Through his valour, Madhava brought it down into the ocean.
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He defeated in battle Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Magadha, Andhaka, Kasi, Kosala, Vatsa, Garga, Karusha and Pundra. O Sanjaya! Avanti, the south, the mountains, Dasheraka, Kashmiraka, Ourasaka, Pishacha, Samandara, Kamboja, Vatadhana, Chola, Pandya, Trigarta, Malava and Darada were difficult to conquer. Ashvas, Shakas and Yavanas and their followers arrived from different directions. But Pundarikaksha vanquished them. In earlier times, he penetrated the abode of makaras, inhabited by aquatic creatures. In the midst of the waters, he vanquished Varuna in battle.
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Hrishikesha slew Panchajana, who resided in the nether regions of
patala
and obtained the divine conch shell Panchajanya.
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Together with Partha, the immensely strong one satisfied Agni in Khandava and obtained the invincible agneya weapon, the chakra.
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He rode on Vinata’s son and caused terror in Amaravati.
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The brave one brought
parijata
from the great Indra’s residence. Knowing his valour, Shakra tolerated this. We have not heard of any king who has not been vanquished by Krishna. O Sanjaya! Pundarikaksha performed an extremely wonderful deed in my assembly hall.
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Who else can do this? Because of that, I have sought refuge with him in devotion. I look upon Krishna as the lord. I know everything about it, having witnessed it myself. There is no end to his valour, or to his intelligence. O Sanjaya! Nor can anyone reach the limit of Hrishikesha’s deeds.

‘“Gada, Samba, Pradyumna, Viduratha, Agavaha, Aniruddha, Charudeshna, Sarana, Ulmuka, Nishatha, Jhalli, the valiant Babhru,
Prithu, Viprithu, Samika, Arimejaya—these and other powerful Vrishni heroes are skilled in striking. They will station themselves in battle, in the ranks of the Pandava army. They will be summoned by the great-souled hero among the Vrishnis, Keshava. It is my view that everything will then confront a great danger. Where Janardana is, the brave Rama will be there.
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He wields the plough and wears a garland of wild flowers. His strength is like that of ten thousand elephants. He is like the summit of Kailasa. The brahmanas describe Vasudeva as the father of everything. O Sanjaya! Will he fight for the cause of the sons of Pandu? O son!
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If Keshava dons his armour for the sake of the Pandavas, there is no one in our army who can withstand him. If all the Kurus manage to defeat all the Pandavas, for their sake, Varshneya will take up his supreme weapons. That mighty-armed tiger among men will kill all the kings and the Kouravas in battle and give the earth to the sons of Kunti. Hrishikesha is the charioteer and Dhananjaya is the warrior in that chariot. Where is the ratha in our army who will confront them in battle? There is no means whereby the Kurus can be seen to obtain victory. Tell me everything about how the battle continued. Arjuna is Keshava’s soul and Krishna is Kiriti’s soul. Arjuna is always victorious and Krishna’s deeds are eternal. All the qualities are vested in Keshava, beyond measure. Because of his delusion, Duryodhana does not know Krishna Madhava. Because of his delusion and because he is driven by destiny, the noose of death is in front of him and he does not know Dasharha Krishna and Pandava Arjuna. Earlier, those great-souled ones were the gods Nara and Narayana. They were a single soul and are seen by men on earth as divided into two. They are famous and invincible. If they wish, they can destroy the army with their minds. But because they are humans, they do not wish that.
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The destruction of the yuga is near and the people are deluded. O son! That is the reason for the death of Bhishma and the great-souled
Drona. Death can never be prevented through brahmacharya, the study of the Vedas, rites or weapons. Those brave ones were revered by the worlds. They were skilled in the use of weapons and were invincible in battle. O Sanjaya! On hearing that Bhishma and Drona have been slain, why should I remain alive? After learning about the death of Bhishma and Drona, we will now have to seek refuge with Yudhishthira, about whose prosperity we used to be jealous earlier. This destruction of the Kurus has come about because of my deeds. O suta! When one is ripe for slaughter, even a blade of grass is like the vajra. Yudhishthira will obtain unmatched prosperity in this world. It is because of his anger that the great archers, Bhishma and Drona, have been brought down. Dharma is naturally on his side, though humans typically have adharma. Destiny is cruel and it is time for everything to be destroyed. O son! Even learned men cannot think of means to counteract it. Everything progresses because of destiny. That is my view. Therefore, tell me everything, exactly as it happened, about that supreme hardship, without discarding anything. It cannot be crossed and leads to grievous reflection.”’