The Mahabharata, of, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, BOOK 3, (Kirmirabadha Parva) SECTION XVI

 The Mahabharata, of, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, BOOK 3, (Kirmirabadha Parva)

SECTION XVI

"Vasudeva continued, 'O king of kings, Salwa, the lord of Saubha, came

towards our city with an immense force consisting of infantry, cavalry

and elephants! And the army headed by king Salwa, consisting of four

kings of forces, occupied a level ground commanding a copious

water-supply. And forsaking cemeteries and temples dedicated to the gods,

and sacred trees, and grounds covered by ant-hills, that host occupied

every other place. And the roads (leading to the city) were blocked up by

the divisions of the army, and the secret entrances also were all blocked

up by the enemy's camp. And, O Kauravya, like unto the lord of birds

(Garuda), the ruler of Saubha rushed towards Dwaraka, bringing with him,

O bull among men, his host equipped with all kinds of arms, skilled in

all weapons, consisting of a dense display of cars and elephants and

cavalry abounding in banners, and well-paid and well-fed foot-soldiers

possessed of great strength and bearing every mark of heroism and

furnished with wonderful chariots and bows. And beholding the army of

Salwa, the youthful princess of the Vrishni race resolved to encounter it

sallying out of the city. And, O king, Charudeshna, Samva, and the mighty

warrior Pradyumna, O descendant of the Kuru race, sailed out, ascending

on their chariots, and clad in mail, and decked with ornaments, with

colours flying, resolved to encounter the mighty and countless host of

Salwa! And Samva taking up his bows eagerly attacked on the field of

battle Kshemavriddhi, the commander of Salwa's forces and his chief

counsellor also! And, O thou foremost of Bharatas, the son of Jambavati

then began to shower arrows in a continuous stream even as Indra

showereth down rain! And, O mighty king, then Kshemavriddhi, the

commander of Salwa's forces, bore that shower of arrows, immovable as the

Himavat! And, O foremost of kings, Kshemavriddhi on his part, discharged

at Samva mightier volley of shafts, aided by his powers of illusion! And

dispersing by counter illusion that discharge inspired by illusion, Samva

showered on his (adversary's) car a thousand arrows! Then pierced by the

shafts on Samva and overwhelmed there with Kshemavriddhi, the commander

of the hostile host, left the field by the help of his fleet-steed! And

when the wicked general of Salwa had left the field, a mighty Daitya

called Vegavat rushed at my son! And, O best of monarchs, thus attacked,

the heroic Samva, the perpetuator of the Vrishni race, bore that onset of

Vegavat, keeping his ground. And, O son of Kunti, the heroic Samva, of

prowess incapable of being baffled, whirling a quickly-going mace, hurled

it speedily at Vegavat! And, O king, struck with that mace, Vegavat fell

down on the ground, like a weather-beaten and faded lord of the forest of

decayed roots! And on that heroic Asura of mighty energy, being slain

with the mace, my son entered within that mighty host and began to fight

with all. And, O great king, a well-known Danava named Vivindhya, a

mighty warrior wielding a large and powerful bow, encountered

Charudeshna! And, O monarch, the encounter between Charudeshna and

Vivindhya was as fierce as that in days of yore between Vritra and

Vasava! And enraged with each other the combatants pierced each other

with their arrows, uttering loud roars like unto two powerful lions! Then

the son of Rukmini fixed on his bow-string a mighty weapon possessing the

splendour of fire or the sun, and capable of destroying all foes, having

first vivified it with incantations! Then, O monarch, that mighty warrior

my son, fired with wrath, challenged Vivindhya and discharged the weapon

at him. And the Danava struck with that weapon, fell down on the ground a

lifeless corpse! And beholding Vivindhya slain, and the whole host waver,

Salwa advanced again on his beautiful car capable of going everywhere.

And, O king of mighty arms, beholding Salwa on that beautiful car of his,

the combatants of Dwaraka wavered with fear! But, O thou of the Kuru

race, Pradyumna sailed out, and, O great king, bidding the Anarttas be of

good cheer, said, 'Waver ye not, and staying behold me fight I Even I

shall, by force, repell that car with Salwa on it! Ye Yadavas, this day,

I shall, with my weapons like unto serpents discharged from my bow with

my hand, destroy this host of the lord of Saubha! Be of good cheer, ye

all! Fear not! The lord of Saubha will be slain today! Attached by me,

the wretch will meet with destruction together with his car!' O son of

Pandu, upon Pradyumna speaking thus with cheerful heart, the Yadava host,

O hero, remained on the field, and began to fight cheerfully!'"

SECTION XVII

"Vasudeva continued, 'O bull of the Bharata race, having spoken thus unto

the Yadavas, the son of Rukmini (Pradyumna) ascended his golden car. And

the car he rode was drawn by excellent steeds in mail. And over it stood

a standard bearing the figure of a Makara with gaping mouth and fierce as

Yama. And with his steeds, more flying than running on the ground, he

rushed against the foe And the hero equipped with quiver and sword, with

fingers cased in leather, twanged his bow possessed of the splendour of

the lightning, with great strength, and transferring it from hand to

hand, as if in contempt of the enemy, spread confusion among the Danavas

and other warriors of the city of Saubha. And as hot in contempt of the,

foe, and continuously slew the Danavas in battle, no one could mark the

slightest interval between his successive shafts. And the colour of his

face changed not, and his limbs trembled not. And people only heard his

loud leonine roars indicative of wonderful valour. And the aquatic

monster with mouth wide open, that devourer of all fishes, placed on

golden flag-staff of that best of cars, struck terror into the hearts of

Salwa's warriors. And, O king, Pradyumna, the mower of foes rushed with

speed against Salwa himself so desirous of an encounter! And, O

perpetuator of the Kuru race, braved by the heroic Pradyumna in that

mighty battle, the angry Salwa could ill bear the challenge! And that

conqueror of hostile cities, Salwa, maddened by anger, descended from his

beautiful car of unchecked speed, resolved to encounter Pradyumna. And

the people beheld the fight between Salwa and the foremost of Vrishni

heroes, which was even like unto the encounter between Vasava with Vali.

And, O hero, mounting on his beautiful car decked with gold and furnished

with flags and flag-staffs and quivers, the illustrious and mighty Salwa

began to discharge his arrows at Pradyumna! Pradyumna also by the energy

of his arms, overwhelmed Salwa in the combat by a thick shower of arrows.

The king of Saubha, however, thus attacked in battle by Pradyumna,

endured him not, but discharged at my son arrows that were like blazing

fire. But the mighty Pradyumna parried off that arrowy shower. Beholding

this, Salwa rained on my son other weapons of blazing splendour. Then, O

foremost of monarchs, pierced by the shafts of Salwa, the son of Rukmini

discharged without loss of time an arrow that was capable of entering the

vitals of a foe in fight. And that winged shaft shot by my son, piercing

Salwa's mail, entered his heart--whereupon he fell down, in a swoon. And

beholding the heroic king Salwa fallen down deprived of sense, the

foremost of the Danavas fled away rending the ground beneath their feet.

And, O lord of the earth, the army of Salwa sent up exclamations of Oh!

and Alas! seeing their king, the lord of Saubha, drop down bereft of

sense! And O son of the Kuru race, regaining his senses, the mighty Salwa

rose and all of a sudden discharged his arrows on Pradyumna. Then the

heroic and mighty armed Pradyumna, sorely pierced by his adversary about

his throat, was enfeebled on his car. And, O mighty king, wounding the

son of Rukmini, Salwa sent up a shout like unto the roar of a lion, and

filling the entire earth with it! And, O Bharata, when my son became

senseless, Salwa, without losing a moment, again discharged at him other

shafts difficult to bear. And pierced with numberless arrows and deprived

of his senses, Pradyumna, O chief of the Kuru race, became motionless on

the field of battle!'"

SECTION XVIII

"Vasudeva continued, 'O king, afflicted with the arrows of Salwa, when

Pradyumna became senseless the Vrishnis who had come to the fight were

all disheartened and filled with grief! And the combatants of the Vrishni

and Andhaka races burst into exclamations of Oh! and Alas! while great

joy was felt by the enemy and beholding him thus deprived of sense, his

trained charioteer, the son of Daruka, soon carried him off the field by

the help of his steeds. The car had not gone far when that best of

warriors regained his senses, and taking up his bow addressed his

charioteer, saying, 'O son of the Suta tribe, what hast thou done? Why

dost thou go leaving the field of battle? This is not the custom of the

Vrishni heroes in battle! O son of a Suta, hast thou been bewildered at

the sight of a Salwa in that fierce encounter? Or hast thou been

disheartened, beholding the fight? O! tell me truly thy mind!' The

charioteer answered. 'O son of Janardana, I have not been confounded, nor

hath fear taken possession of me. On the other hand, O son of Kesava, the

task, I ween, of vanquishing Salwa is difficult for thee! Therefore, O

hero, I am slowly retiring from the field. This wretch is stronger than

thou art! It behoveth a charioteer to protect the warrior on the car,

however, when he is deprived of his senses! O thou gifted with length of

days, thou shouldst always be protected by me, even as it behoveth thee

to protect me! Thinking that the warrior on the car should always be

protected (by his charioteer), I am carrying thee away! Further, O thou

of mighty arms, thou art alone, while the Danavas are many. Thinking, O

son of Rukmini, that thou art not equal to them in the encounter, I am

going away!'

"Vasudeva continued, 'When the charioteer had spoken thus, he, O

Kauravya, who hath the makara for his mark replied unto him, saying,

'Turn the car! O son of Daruka, never do so again; never, O Suta, turn

thou from the fight, while I am alive! He is no son of the Vrishni race

who forsaketh the field or slayeth the foe fallen at his feet and crying

I am thine! or killeth a woman, a boy, or an old man, or a warrior in

distress, deprived of his car or with his weapons broken! Thou art born

in the race of charioteers and trained to thy craft! And, O son of

Daruka, thou art acquainted with the customs of the Vrishnis in battle!

Versed as thou art with all the customs of the Vrishnis in battle, do

thou, O Suta, never again fly from the field as thou hast done! What will

the irrepressible Madhava, the elder brother of Gada, say to me when he

heareth that I have left the field of battle in bewilderment or that I

have been struck on the back--a run-away from the combat! What will the

elder brother of Kesava, the mighty-armed Baladeva, clad in blue and

inebriate with wine, say, when he returneth? What also, O Suta, will that

lion among men, the grand-son of Sini (Satyaki), that great warrior, say

on hearing that I have forsaken the fight? And, O charioteer, what will

the ever-victorious Shamva, the irrepressible Charudeshna. and Gada, and

Sarana, and Akrura also of mighty arms, say unto me! What also will the

wives of the Vrishni heroes when they meet together, say of me who had

hitherto been considered as brave and well-conducted, respectable and

possessed of manly pride? They will even say This Pradyumna is a coward

who cometh here, leaving the battle! Fie on him! They will never say,

Well done! Ridicule, with exclamation of Fie, is to me or a person like

me O Suta, more than death! Therefore, do thou never again leave the

field of battle! Reposing the charge on me, Hari the slayer of Madhu,

hath gone to the sacrifice of the Bharata lion (Yudhishthira)! Therefore,

I cannot bear to be quiet now! O Suta, when the brave Kritavarman was

sallying out to encounter Salwa, I prevented him, saying I will resist

Salwa. Do thou stay! For honouring me the son of Hridika desisted! Having

left the field of battle, what shall I say unto that mighty warrior when

I meet him? When that irrepressible one of mighty arms--the holder of the

conch, the discus, and the mace--returneth, what shall I say unto him of

eyes like lotus leaves? Satyaki, and Valadeva, and others of the Vrishni

and Andhaka races always boast of me! What shall I say unto them? O Suta,

having left the field of battle and with wounds of arrows on my back

while being carried away by thee, I shall, by no means, be able to live!

Therefore, O son of Daruka, turn that car speedily, and never do so again

even in times of greatest danger! I do not, O Suta, think life worth

much, having fled from the field like a coward, and my back pierced, with

the arrows (of the enemy)! Hast thou ever seen me. O son of Suta, fly in

fear from the field of battle like coward? O son of Daruka, it behoved

thee not to forsake the battle, while my desire of fight was not yet

gratified! Do thou, therefore, go back to the field.'"

SECTION XIX

Vasudeva continued, Thus addressed, the son of Suta race replied in haste

unto Pradyumna, that foremost of all endued with strength, in these sweet

words, 'O son of Rukmini, I fear not to guide the horses on the field of

battle, and I am acquainted also with the customs of the Vrishnis in war!

It is not otherwise in the least! But, O thou blest with length of days,

those that guide the car are taught that the warrior on the car is, by

all means, to be protected by his charioteer! Thou wert also much

afflicted! Thou wert much wounded by the arrows shot by Salwa. Thou wert

also deprived of thy senses, O hero! Therefore is it that I retired from

the field.' But, O chief of the Satwatas, now that thou hast regained thy

senses without much ado, do thou, O son of Kesava, witness my skill in

guiding the horses! I have been begotten by Daruka, and I have been duly

trained! I will now penetrate into the celebrated array of Salwa without

fear!

"Vasudeva continued, 'Saying this, O hero, the charioteer, pulling the

reins, began to lead the horses with speed towards the field of battle.

And, O king, struck with the whip and pulled by the reins those excellent

steeds seemed to be flying in the air, performing various beautiful

motion, now circular, now similar, now dissimilar, now to the right, now

to the left. And, O king, those steeds understanding as it were the

intention of Daruka's son endued with such lightness of hand, burned with

energy, and seemed to go without touching the ground with their feet!

That bull among men wheeled round Salwa's host so easily that they who

witnessed it wondered exceedingly. And the lord of Saubha, unable to bear

that manoeuvre of Pradyumna, instantly sent three shafts at the

charioteer of his antagonist! The charioteer, however, without taking any

note of the force of those arrows, continued to go along the right. Then

the lord of Saubha, O hero, again discharged at my son by Rukmini, a

shower of various kinds of weapons! But that slayer of hostile heroes,

the son of Rukmini, showing with a smile his lightness of hand, cut all

those weapons off as they reached him. Finding his arrows cut by

Pradyumna, the lord of Saubha, having recourse to the dreadful illusion

natural to Asuras began to pour a thick shower of arrows. But cutting

into pieces those powerful Daitya weapons shot at him in mid-career by

means of his Brahma weapon, Pradyumna discharged winged shafts of other

kings. And these delighting in blood, warding off the shafts of Daitya,

pierced his head, bosom and face. And at those wounds Salwa fell down

senseless. And on the mean-minded Salwa falling down, afflicted with

Pradyumna's arrows, the son of Rukmini aimed another arrow at him,

capable of destroying every foe. And beholding that arrow worshipped by

all the Dasarhas, and flaming like fire and fatal as a venomous snake,

fixed on the bow-string, the firmament was filled with exclamations of

Oh! and Alas! Then all the celestials with Indra and the lord of

treasures (Kubera) at their head sent Narada and the god of wind endued

with the speed of the mind. And these two approaching the son of Rukmini

delivered unto him the message of the celestial, saying, O hero, king

Salwa is nor to be slain by thee! Do thou draw back the arrow. He is

unslayable by thee in fight! There breatheth not a person who cannot be

killed by that arrow! O thou of mighty arms, the Creator hath ordained

his death at the hands of Krishna, the son of Devaki! Let this be not

falsified!--Thereupon with a glad heart, Pradyumna withdrew that best of

arrows from his excellent bow and deposited it back in his quiver. And

then, O foremost of kings, the mighty Salwa, afflicted with the arrows of

Pradyumna, rose disheartened, and speedily went away. Then O king, the

wicked Salwa, thus afflicted by the Vrishnis, mounted on his car of

precious metals, and leaving Dwaraka scudded through the skies!'"

SECTION XX

"Vasudeva said, 'When Salwa had left the city of the Anarttas, I returned

to it, O king, on the completion of thy great Rajasuya sacrifice! On my

arrival I found Dwaraka shorn of its splendour, and, O great monarch,

there were not sounds of Vedic recitation or sacrificial offering, And

the excellent damsels were all destitute of ornaments, and the gardens

were devoid of beauty. And alarmed by the aspect, I asked the son of

Hridika saying, 'Why is it that the men and women of the city of the

Vrishnis are so woe-begone, O tiger among men?' O thou best of kings thus

asked the son of Hridika (Kritavarman) relate to me in detail the

invasion of the city by Salwa, and his subsequent departure from it. And,

O thou foremost of Bharatas, hearing all, even then I made up my mind to

slay Salwa. And encouraging the citizens, O best of Bharatas, I

cheerfully addressed king Ahuka, and Anakdundhuvi, and the chief heroes

of the Vrishni race, saying, 'Do ye, O bulls among the Yadavas, stay in

the city, taking every care, and know that I go to slay Salwa! I return

not to the city of Dwaravati without slaying him. I will again come to ye

having compassed the destruction of Salwa together with his car of

precious metals. Do ye strike up the sharp and middle and flat notes of

the Dundhuvi so dreadful to foes!' And O thou bull of the Bharata race,

thus adequately encouraged by me, those heroes cheerfully said unto me,

'Go and slay the enemies!' And thus receiving the benedictions of those

warriors with glad hearts, and causing the Brahmanas to utter auspicious

words and bowing down to the best of the regenerate ones, and to Siva

also, I set out on my car unto which were yoked the horses Saivya, and

Sugriva, filling all sides with the clatter (of my wheels) and blowing

that best of conchs, the Panchajanya! And, O king, O tiger among men,

accompanied by my redoubted and victorious army consisting of the four

kinds of the forces so persevering in battle, I set out. And leaving many

countries, and mountains, crowned with trees, and pieces of water, and

streams, I at last arrived at the country of Matrikavarta. It is there, O

thou tiger among men, that I heard that Salwa was coursing on his car of

precious metals near the ocean, and I followed in his pursuit. And, O

thou slayer of thy foes, having reached the main, Salwa on his car of

costly metals was in the midst of the deep heaving with billows! And on

seeing me from a distance, O Yudhishthira, that one of wicked soul

himself challenged me repeatedly to the fight. And many arrows capable of

piercing to the quick, discharged from my bow reached not his car. And at

this I was wroth! And, O king, that essentially sinful wretch of a

Daitya's son of irrepressible energy, on his part began to shoot thousand

upon thousands of arrows in torrents! And, O Bharata, he rained shafts

upon my soldiers and upon my charioteer and upon my steeds! But without

thinking of the shafts, we continued the conflict. Then the warriors

following Salwa poured on me straight arrows by thousands. And the Asuras

covered my horses and my car and Daruka with arrows capable of piercing

the very vitals. And, O hero, I could not at that time see either my

horses, or my car, or my charioteer Daruka! And I with my army was

covered with weapons. And, O son of Kunti, superhumanly skilled in

weapons, I also let fly from my bow arrows by tens of thousands,

inspiring them with mantras! But as that car of costly metals was in the

sky, full two miles off, it could not, O Bharata, be seen by my troops.

They could therefore only remaining on the field of battle look on like

spectators in a place of amusement, cheering me on by shouts loud as the

roar of the lion, and also by the sound of their clapping. And the tinted

arrows shot by the fore-part of hand penetrated into the bodies of the

Danavas like biting insects. And then arose cries in the car of precious

metals from those that were dying of wounds by those sharp arrows and

falling into the waters of the mighty ocean. And the Danavas deprived of

their arms, necks, and wearing the form of Kavandhas,--fell, sending up

tremendous roars. And as they fell they were devoured by animals living

in the waters of the ocean. And then I powerfully blew the Panchajanya

obtained from the waters and graceful as the lotus-stalk and white as

milk or the Kunda flower or the moon or silver. And seeing his soldiers

fall, Salwa the possessor of the car of precious metals, began to fight

with the help of illusion. And then he began to ceaselessly hurl at me

maces, and ploughshares, and winged darts and lances, and javelins, and

battle-axes, and swords and arrows blazing like javelins and

thunderbolts, and nooses, and broad swords, and bullets from barrels, and

shafts, and axes, and rockets. And permitting them to come towards me, I

soon destroyed them all by counter-illusion. And on this illusion being

rendered ineffectual, he began the contest with mountain peaks. And, O

Bharata, then there was darkness and light alternately, and the day was

now fair, and now gloomy, and now hot, and now cold. And there was a

perfect shower of coals, and ashes, and weapons. And creating such

illusion the enemy fought with me. And ascertaining it I destroyed his

illusion by counter-illusion. And in the due time I showered arrows all

round. And then, O mighty king, the dome of heaven blazed as with a

hundred suns, and, O son of Kunti with one hundred moons, and thousands

and ten thousands of stars! And then none could ascertain whether it was

day or night, or distinguish the points of the horizon. And, becoming

bewildered, I fixed on my bowstring the weapon called Pragnastra. And, O

son of Kunti, the weapon went like unto flakes of pure cotton blown away

by the winds! And a great fight took place, calculated to make the down

on one's body stand on end. And O best of monarchs, having regained,

light, I again fought with the enemy!'"