Philosophy and Religion / Harivamsa

Harivaṃśa

92. The battle between Krishna and Jarāshandha

VAISHAMPAYANA said:—Thereupon there commenced a great battle between the Vrishnis and the commanders and vassal kings of the lord of Magadha (1).

O foremost of the descendants of Bharata, Vāsudeva fought with Rukshmi, Ahuka with Bishmaka, Vasudeva with Kratha, Vabhru with Kaishika, the king of Chedi with Gava, and Shambhu with Dantavakra.

Thus did the great heroes and soldiers, belonging to the army of Vrishnis, fight for twenty-seven days with the highly powerful sovereigns and soldiers of the king of Magadha's party (3-4).

Those who rode elephants fought with such, the cavalry with the cavalry, the infantry with the infantry and the car-warriors with the car-warriors (5).

A dreadful hair-stirring encounter took place between Rāma and Jarāsandha like unto that between Vitra and the king of gods (6).

Caring for Rukshmini’s feeling Krishna did not slay Rukshmi, but by virtue of his own learning he sent back his shafts burning like the rays of the sun and dreadful like venomous serpents. A dreadful ouslaught of soldiers took place in this battle (7-8).

The battle-field was covered with mud of flesh and blood of both the armies. In that encounter of both the contending armies an endless number of headless figures arose from all sides.

The car-warrior Rāma enveloped Jarāsandha with arrows resembling poisonous serpents. The heroic king of Magadha too covered him with arrows.

Thereupon approaching each other in quick-coursing cars they struck each other with diverse weapons and sent up leonine shouts.

After their horses and charioteers been slain, their cars had been shattered and their weapons fallen short they took up their clubs and ran towards each other. The earth shook under the weight of their feet (9–13).

Taking up their clubs in anger those two highly powerful heroes, expert in fighting with clubs and having arms as huge as mountain summits, ran towards each other. And in order to witness their fight other heroes desisted from the encounter (14).

Thereupon those two highly powerful heroes, celebrated in the worlds as the masters of the art of war, began to fight with each other like two infuriated elephants (15).

O king, thereupon came there from all quarters thousands and thousands of gods Gandharvas, Siddhas, Saints and Yakshas. Shining greatly in their effulgence the battle-field looked like welkin covered with luminous bodies (16–17).

Then turning toward left the highly powerful Jarāsandha ran towards Rāma and Baladava too turned towards south (18).

By resounding ten quarters as an elephant strikes his antagonist with his tusks so those two heroes, skilled in club fighting, struck each other (19).

In that encounter the sound of the fall of the Baladeva's club was heard like that of thunder-bolt, and that of Magadha king's club was like the riving of a mountain (20).

As the wind cannot agitate the mount Vindhya so the club, slipped off the hands of Jarāsandha, could not shake the foremost of the holders of club (21).

By virtue of learning and patience Jarāsandha, the king of Magadha, bore and withstood the velocity of Rāma's club (22).

Thus moving about in diverse circles in the battle-field for a long time both of them grew tired. And then taking rest for some time they began to strike each other again (23–24).

Those two foremost of warriors fought with each other for some time on equal terms. And none of them left the battle-field (25).

Thereupon witnessing Jarāsandha's efficiency in club-fighting the powerful Rama left off his club in anger and took up his mace (26).

When in that great battle Baladeva, in anger, took up the terrible-looking mace of sure aim there was heard in the sky a sweet voice of the witness of the world which said to Baladeva the holder of plough-share (27–28).

“O Rāma, O thou the conferrer of honors, this king of Magadha is not to be slain by thee. Be not sorry therefore and desist. Jarāsandha shall, in no time, meet with his death from the means that I have laid out for his destruction (29).”

Hearing this voice of Providence Jarāsandha lost heart and Baladeva did not strike him therefore (30).

O Emperor, while they , thus desisted from fighting there took place a highly terrible encounter extending over a long time between the Yādavas and other kings in which they struck one another fiercely.

When the Emperor Jarāsandha was thus defeated and took to his heels and when the sun set the highly powerful Yādavas, protected by Krishna, who had gained: their aim, did not pursue him in night.

And gathering their respective soldiers according to the will of Mādhava they entered into their own city. And all the weapons that came down from the welkin also disappeared (31-34).

And filled with absent-mindedness, king Jarāsandha too returned to his own city. And the kings, who followed him, returned to their respective kingdoms (35).

On the other hand, O foremost of kings, having defeated Jarāsandha the Yādavas could not consider themselves as completely above defeat, for he was a highly powerful king (36).

The great car-warriors Yādavas fought with him for eighteen times and still they could not slay him in the battle-field (37).

O foremost of Bharatas, king Jarāsandha had twenty Akshouhinis of soldiers who all came with him (38).

The Vrishnis were very few in number and so they were overpowerd by the king Vārhadratha who was followed by other kings (39).

Having thus defeated Jarāsandha the king of Magadha, the great car-warriors Vrishnis began to live happily (40).

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