Philosophy and Religion / Harivamsa

Harivaṃśa

99. Krishna meets his enemy

VAISHAMPAYANA said: —Beholding the two sons of Vasudeva come down from the mountain the soldiers of the kings grew terrified and the animals bewildered (1).

Although they had no other weapons but their arms they began to move about there in anger like two Makaras that agitate the ocean (2).

When they began to range there desirous of fighting there arose in them their respective ancient intelligence regarding the handling of weapons (3).

The weapons, which they had obtained before in their encounter at Mathurā, came down from the sky like burning flames before the very eyes of the assembled kings.

The huge bodily weapons, which the two Yādavas obtained, came down from the sky, as if filled with thirst and the desire of feeding upon human flesh.

They, adorned with celestial garlands, lighted up the ten quarters with their lustre and terrified the sky-ranging ones. Beasts of prey followed them with a view to feed upon royal flesh (4–8).

When in that great battle came down for the two Yādavas four powerful Vaishnava weapons namely, the plough-share Samvartaka, the mace Sounanda, the discus Sudarshana, and the club Koumodaki the powerful Rāma,

the foremost of Sātwatas, first of all, took up with his left hand the plough-share embellished with celestial garlands and moving obliquely like a serpent and with his right hand, the best of maces Saunanda that creates depression in the enemies (9-12).

Keshava, with delight, took up the discus Sudarshana which is worthy of being looked at by all the worlds and effulgent like the sun (13).

The other hand of Krishna, the necessity of whose incarnation was known to the gods, was bedecked with the club Koumodaki (14).

Thus armed the heroic Rāma and Govinda, the very incarnations of Vishnu, began to withstand the enemies in battle (15).

Displaying their prowess like two gods, the two heroic sons of Vasudeva, designated as the younger and the elder brothers and although one in Vishnu, divided into two as men under the names of Rāma and Govinda and dependant on each other, began to range in the battle-field withstanding the enemies (16-17).

Thereupon raising up his plough-share in anger, resembling the belly of a crow the heroic Rāma began to move about in the battle-field like the very Death of the enemies.

And dragging the cars of the highly powerful Kshatriyas he began to give effect to his anger on the horses and the elephants (18–19).

Ranging in that battle-field and assailing with the strokes of his mace mountain-like elephants thrown up with his plough-share he began as if to churn them (20).

Thereupon the leading Kshatriyas, who were on the point of being slain by Rāma, left their cars in fear, and went to Jarāsandha.

Thereat the king Jarāsandha, ever observant of Kshatriya duties, said to them: —“O fie on your conduct as Kshatriyas grown tired of battle (21–22).

The sages say that those, who albeit powerful fly away from the battle field leaving their cars behind, are visited by the sin of destroying an embroyo. Do you not know this (23)?

Fie on your conduct as Kshatriyas. Why do ye fly away in fear of a milk-herd of limited power who fights on foot (24)?

Do ye return soon according to my order, or you need not fight, but wait in the battle-field as spectators. I shall myself despatch those two cow-herd boys to the abode of Yama (25).”

Thus excited by Jarāsandha the Kshatryas delightedly rallied round and engaged in fight with a downpour of arrows (26).

With coats of mail, Nishtringsas, weapons, quivers, arrows and bows, set with strings, horses adorned with golden reins, cars of moon-like lustre and cloud-like elephants driven by Mahāmātras they again set out for the battle-field (27-28).

Covered with rising umbrellas and fanned with beautiful chowries the kings, stationed on cars, shone greatly in beauty in the battle-field (29).

The foremost of warriors, the two heroic sons of Vasudeva, Rāma and Keshava were seen ranging about with a desire of fighting as soon as they got down in the battle-field (30).

Thereupon there took place a terrible encounter between them and the kings, accompanied with a profuse discharge of shafts and strokes of clubs (31).

Those two heroic descendants of the Yadu race bore thousands of arrows shot by the kings like two mountains sprinkled with rain. Although assailed by heavy clubs and maces they did not tremble (32-33).

Thereupon the highly-powerful Krishna, resembling a cloud and holding conch, discus and club in his hand, increased his body like a cloud accompanied by wind.

And with his discus effulgent like the sun he began to cut down men, horses, elephants and mighty car-warriors (34–35).

On the other side, Rāma too so dragged the kings with his plough share and so struck them with his club, that they, deprived of consciousness, could not stand in the battle field (36).

The car-wheels being obstructed the variegated chariots of the kings were broken down aud could not go on in the battle-field (37).

Having their tusks broken down with the strokes of maces, Hastihānaya¹ elephants began to fly away from the battle-field with a great noise like the autumnal clouds (38).

Assailed by the flames of the fire wrought by the discus, the cavalry and the infantry began to breathe their last like those struck down by thunder-bolts (39).

Struck and grinded with the plough-share the entire host of the royal army appeared like creatures at the time of the universal dissolution (40).

What to speak of fighting the kings could not even look at the battle-field, the sporting ground of the celestial weapons of Vishnu incarnate (41).

Some of the cars were completely crushed down, of some the kings were killed and some, with one wheel broken down, lay upset on the surface of the earth (42).

In that dreadful battle of discus and plough-share portendous Rākshasas were seen (43).

So great was the number of upturned cars, elephants, horses, and men, who, on being assailed, were plaintively bewailing that even with great care it could not be ascertained (44).

Saturated with the blood of the wounded kings the battle-field appeared like a damsel besmeared with sandal paste (45).

The battle-field was covered with the hairs, bones, fat, entrails and blood of horses, elephants and men (46).

The battle-field was destructive of the men and animals of the kings, was filled with inauspicious cries and bewailings of the jackals, was crested with lakes of blood, was like the sporting-ground of Death,

was covered with the bones of elephants, with warriors having their arms cut off and wounded horses and was echoing with the cries of vultures and wolves (47-49).

In that battlefield in which the kings were killed and death was common Krishna, looking like Death himself, moved about for killing his enemies (50).

Thereupon taking up his discus effulgent like the sun at the time of the universal dissolution and his dark iron club Keshava stood there in the midst of the army and said (51).

“O ye heroes of firm resolution who are clever hands in the use of weapons, though I, a foot-soldier, stand before you with my elder brother, why do you fly away (52)?

Why does not that king Jarāsandha, ill-fated as he is, come before us by whom you are being protected in the battle-field? (53)”

On his saying this the powerful king Darada ran towards Rāma of coppery eyes with a plough-share in his hand who was in the midst of the army and adressed him, like a cultivator calling a bull, saying:

—“O Rāma, O slayer of enemies, come and fight with me” (54–55).

Thereupon there began an encounter between Rāma and Darada, the foremost of men, like unto two powerful elephants (56).

Placing his plough-share on Darada's shoulder, Baladeva, the foremost of those endued with strength, struck him with his mace (57).

Thereupon grinded by that mace and with his head cut off the king Darada fell down on earth like a mountain, with its half rent assunder (58).

When that foremost of kings Darada was slain by Rāma a dreadful, hair-stirring encounter took place between Rāma and Jarāsandha like that between Vitra and Mahendra.

When those two heroes, taking up huge clubs, ran towards each other with great vigior shaking the earth they looked like two mountain summits (59–61).

When those two highly powerful heroes, celebrated in the world as being most proficient in club-fighting, ran towards each in anger like two infuriated elephants all came away from the battle-field to them (62–63).

Thereupon thousands of Gandharvas Siddhas, saints, Yakshas, Apsarās and Devas came there (64).

O king, at that time adorned with Gandharvas and great saints the welkin shone greatly in beauty as if crested with luminous bodies (65).

Thereat as an elephant strikes, with his two tusks, his antagonist so amongst those two heroes proficient in club fighting the king Jarāsandha took possession of the eastern side and Baladeva of the southern side; and filling the ten quarters with their leonine shouts they struck each other (66–67).

In that encounter the sound of Rāmā's club was heard like the clapping of a thunder-bolt, and that of Jarāsandha was like that of the riving of a mountain (68).

The club, slipped off Jarāsandha's hand, could not agitate Rāma the fore most of the wielders of club and (firm as) the mount Vindhvā (69).

By vritue of his great endurance and learning Jarāsandha, the king of Magadha, bore the strokes of Rāma's club and baffled them (70).

Thereupon was heard in the sky a sweet voice, the witness of the world:—“O Rāma, O conferrer of honors, there is is no use of toiling any more.

The king of Magadha is not to be slain by thee. As ordained by me the king of Magadha will, in no time, meet with his death” (71–72).

Hearing this Jarāsandha was possessed by absent-mindedness and Baladeva too did not strike him. Then the Vrishnis and other kings retired from the battle-field (73).

Thus, O great king, when after slaying one another for a long time, Jarāsandha was defeated and fled away and when the other great car-warriors took to their heels, the army was shorn of soldiers (74).

Then with their elephants, horses and cars, all those kings, like unto herds of deer pursued by a tiger, fled away in fear (75).

That dreadful battle-field, when left off by the royal car-warriors whose pride was humilated, was filled with beasts of prey and grew exceedingly terrible (76).

O sinless one, after the mighty car-warriors had fled away, the highly effulgent king of Chedi, remembering his relationship with the Yādavas, approached Krishna encircled by his Kārusha and Chedi detachments.

In order to make closer the tie of relationship he said to Govinda (77-78):

—“O lord, O descendant of Yadu, I am the husband of thy father's sister. Thou art an object of affection unto me and therefore I have come to thee with my army (79).

O Krishna, I had told king Jarāsandha of limited understanding “O you of vicious intellect, do not quarrel with Krishna and desist from battle” (80).

Jarāsandha however disregarded my words. He is therefore flying away unsuccessful from the battle-field with his followers. I have also left him to-day.

That king is not returning to his city shorn of hostile feelings. He will again disturb thee with his sinful attack (81–82).

Therefore, O Mādhava, do thou speedily leave this place, strewn over with dead bodies of men, filled with beasts of prey and resorted to by ghosts and goblins (83).

Let us go with our army and followers to the city of Karavira and visit the king Vāsudeva Shrigāla (84).

I have got these two cars ready for you drawn by fleet horses and consisting of daggers, discuses, axles and poles (85).

May good betide thee, O Krishna; do ye get on them speedily and let us go to visit the king of Karavira” (86).

Hearing the words of the king of Chedi, the husband of his father's sister Krishna, the preceptor of the world, with a delighted mind, said (87):

—“Alas! we were assailed with the fire of battle. But thou hast sprinkled us with the water of thy words according to place and time as befits a friend (88).

O foremost of Chedis, rare in the world is a person who gives vent to well-meaning and sweet words in pursunance of time and place (89).

O king of Chedi, beholding thee now we think that we have got a master. There will be nothing unattainable by us since a king, like thyself, is our friend (90).

O thou the perpetuater of the Chedi race, while thou hast become our help we shall be able to slay Jarāsandha and other kings like him (91).

O lord of Chedi, amongst kings, thou art the first friend of the Yadus and therefore thou shouldst superintend all other battles which will take place hereafter (92).

Amongs the war-like kings who will survive us those, who will describe this battle of discus and mace and the defeat of the kings on the mount Gomanta, will repair to the celestial region. And they too, who will think of it, will also go (93–94).

O king of Chedi, by the way pointed out by thee, we shall repair to the city of Karavira for our own well being” (95).

Thereupon mounting a car drawn by horses fleet like the wind they passed over a long distance like three fires incarnate (96).

Spending three nights on the way those three celestial-like heroes reached the foremost of cities Karavira on the fourth day and entered the auspicious place for their well-being (97).

Footnotes

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