Parva 2 Chapter 124: bāṇasainyaḥ saha kṛṣṇasya yuddhaṁ bāāsainyāpayānaṁ rudreṇa saha kṛṣṇayuddhādikīrtanaṁ ca - kṛṣṇa's battles with bāṇa army and with rudra

vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya!) Then all three of them like three fires, mounted on the son of vinatā (garuḍa), stood in the battle field, fighting with the enemies. tataḥ sarvāṇyanīkāni bāṇavarṣairavākiran | ardayanvainateyasthā nadanto'tibalādraṇe ||2-124-2 Then, they, mounted on the son of vinatā (garuḍa) started oppressing the enemies forcefully in the battle by showering a group of arrows all over on the army. cakralāṅgalapātaiścha bāṇavarṣaiścha pīḍitam | saṣcukopa mahānīkaṁ dānavānāṁ durāsadam ||2-124-3 Oppressed by the strikes of cakra and plough and by shower of arrows, that great army of demons, difficult to conquer, became highly angry. kakṣe'gniriva saṁvṛddhaḥ śuṣkendhanasamīritaḥ | kṛṣṇabāṇāgnirudbhūto vivṛddhiṁ paramāṁ gataḥ ||2-124-4 Like a fire flourishing with the fuel of dry wood, the fire generated by kṛṣṇa's arrows blazed and flourished the most all around. dānavānāṁ sahasrāṇi tasminsamaramūrdhani | yugāntāgnirivārchiṣmāndahamāno vyarājata ||2-124-5 That fire blazed like the fire at the end of era (pralaya) burning thousands of demons in the forefront of the battle. tāṁ dīpyamānāṁ mahatīṁ nānāpraharaṇārditām | senāṁ bāṇaḥ samāsādya vārayanvākyamabravīt ||2-124-6 That great army was set ablaze, struck by many varieties of weapons. Seeing this bāṇa tried to stop them and said the following words: lāghavaṁ samupāgamya kimarthaṁ bhayaviklavāḥ | daityavaṁśasamutpannāḥ palāyadhvaṁ mahāhavāt ||2-124-7 (bāṇa said:) Why are you, born in the race of demons, running away from the great battle, overcome by fear, becoming light hearted? kavacāsigadāprāsakhaḍgacharmaparaśvadhān | utsṛjyotsṛjya gacchanti kiṁ bhavanto'ntarikṣagāḥ ||2-124-8 Why are you who can move in the sky, running away (from the battle), leaving your armour, knives, maces, darts, knives, shields and axes? svajātiṁ caiva bhāvaṁ ca harasaṁsargameva ca | mānayadbhirna gantavyameṣo hyahamavasthitaḥ ||2-124-9 Respecting the nature of your race as well as the association with hara (shiva), you should not leave (the battle field). I am here to protect you. evamuccaritaṁ vākyaṁ śṛṇvantastadacintayan | apākrāmanta te sarve dānavā bhayamohitāḥ ||2-124-10 (vaiśampāyana said: O janamejaya!) Even after hearing these words, spoken (by bāṇa) they did not think about these words. All the demons, confused by fear, ran away from the battlefield. pramāthagaṇaśeṣaṁ tu tadanīkamatiṣṭhata | bhagnāvaśeṣaṁ yuddhāya punashacakre manastadā ||2-124-11 The remaining army with the oppressing groups, stood there. Whatever army was left over after being broken up, again prepared for battle. kumbhāṇḍo nāma bāṇasya sakhāmātyaścha vīryavān | bhagnaṁ svabalamālokya idaṁ vacanamabrav It ||2-124-12 Seeing that his army is broken, the valiant friend and minister of bāṇa, named kumbhāṇḍa, spoke the following words: eṣa bāṇaḥ sthito yuddhe śaṅkaro'yaṁ guhastathā | kimarthaṁ balamutsṛjya bhavanto yānti mohitāḥ ||2-124-13 Here bāṇa is standing in the battle field , as well as śaṅkara (shiva) as also guha (subrahmaṇya). Why are you running away, confused, leaving the army? prāṇāṁstyaktvā palāyante sarve dānavapuṅgavāḥ | All the prominent demons are running away, abandoning their life. evaṁ kumbhāṇḍavākyaṁ te śṛṇvanto bhayavihvalāḥ ||2-124-14 ekānte bhayavitrastāḥ sarve yānti disho daśa | Even after hearing kumbhāṇḍa's words, the demons, one by one, overcome with fear, ran away in all the ten directions, confused with fear. bhagnaṁ balaṁ tato dṛṣṭvā kṛṣṇenāmitatejasā | saṁraktanayanaḥ sthāṇuryuddhāya paryavartata ||2-124-15 Seeing that kṛṣṇa with unlimited splendor has broken up the army, sthāṇu (shiva) with blood red eyes came to the battle field. bāṇasaṁrakṣaṇaṁ kartuṁ rathamāsthāya suprabham | devaḥ kumāraścha tathārathenāgnisamena vai ||2-124-16 shiva was mounted on a highly bright chariot for protecting bāṇa. The god kumāra (subrahmaṇya) was also mounted on a chariot, dazzling like the chariot of the fire god. nandīśvarasamāyuktaṁ rathamāsthāya vīryavān | saṁdaṣṭauṣṭhapuṭo rudraḥ pradhāvata yato hariḥ ||2-124-17 The valiant rudra , biting his lips, mounted on a chariot driven by nandīśvara, came to the place in the battle field, where hari (kṛṣṇa) was located. pibanniva tadākāśaṁ siṁhayukto mahāsvanaḥ | ratho bhāti ghanonmuktaḥ paurṇamāsyāṁ yathā śaśī ||2-124-18 The chariot. yoked with lions produced a huge sound as if swallowing the sky. The chariot dazzled like the moon released by the clouds on a full moon day. tato gaṇasahasraistu nānārūpairbhayāvahaiḥ | nadadbhirvividhānnādānratho devasya shobhayan ||2-124-19 Thousands of shiva's followers, terrible, having many forms and shouting in different ways, added splendor to the chariot of the lord. kechitsiṁhamukhāstatra tathā vyāghramukhāḥ pare | nāgāśvoṣṭramukhāstatra pravepuratipīḍitāḥ ||2-124-20 Some were with the face of lions, others were with the face of tigers. Some were with the face of serpents, horses and camels. All of them, highly tormented (by arrows), trembled. vyālayajṣopavītāścha kechittatra mahābalāḥ | kharoṣtragajavaktrāścha aśvagrīvāścha saṁsthitāḥ ||2-124-21 Some, highly powerful, were wearing serpents as their sacred thread. Some had faces of donkeys, camels and elephants. Some were having necks similar to horses. cāgamārjāravaktrāścha meṣavaktrāstathāpare | cīriṇaḥ śikhinaścānye jaṭilordhvaśiroruhāḥ ||2-124-22 Some had faces like goats as well as cats. Others had faces of sheep. Some were wearing barks of trees. Others had hair locks, matted hair as also some others kept their hair dressed as an upward heap. bhagnāḥ paripatanti sma śaṅkhadundubhiniḥsvanaiḥ | kechitsaumyamukhāstatra divyaiḥ śastrairalaṅkṛtāḥ ||2-124-23 Some of them fell down by the sound of conch and kettle drums. Some of them with gentle faces were decorated with divine weapons. nānāpuṣpakṛtāpīḍā nānāpraharaṇāyudhāḥ | vāmanā vikaṭāścaiva siṁhavyāghraparicchadāḥ ||2-124-24 Some kept varieties of flowers on their heads. Some were armed with varieties of weapons. Some were dwarfs, some monstrous as well as wearing the skins of lions and tigers. rudhirārdrairmahāvaktrairmahādaṁṣṭrā balipriyāḥ | devaṁ saṁparivāryātha mahāśatrupramardanam ||2-124-25 Some were having large mouths, moist with blood, having fangs, who liked sacrifices (to be offered to them). They stood surrounding the lord (shiva), the great oppressor of enemies. līlāyamānāstiṣṭhanti saṅgrāmābhimukhonmukhāḥ | They stood in the battle field as though playing, ready for battle, facing the enemy. tato divyaṁ rathaṁ dṛṣṭvā rudrasyākliṣṭakarmaṇaḥ ||2-124-26 kṛṣṇo garuḍamāsthāya yayau rudrāya saṁyuge | Then seeing the divine chariot of rudra (shiva) who performs difficult tasks, kṛṣṇa mounted on garuḍa, for fighting with rudra (shiva). vainateyasthamāsyantamāyāntamagraṇīṁ harim ||2-124-27 vivyādha kupito bāṇairnārācānāṁ shatena saḥ | shiva, becoming angry, shot one hundred sharp arrows at hari (kṛṣṇa), who came to the front of the battle shooting arrows, mounted on garuḍa. sa sharairarditastena hareṇākliṣṭakarmaṇā ||2-124-28 harirjagrāha kupito hyastraṁ pārjanyamuttamam | hari, (kṛṣṇa) who was oppressed by the arrows shot by hara (shiva), the performer of difficult tasks, became angry and took up the best arrow, pārjanya. pracacāla tato bhūmirviṣṇurudraprapīḍitā ||2-124-29 nāgāśchordhvamukhāstatra vicelurabhipīḍitāḥ | Then the earth, oppressed by (the battle between) viṣṇu (kṛṣṇa) and rudra (shiva) shook. The oppressed serpents moved with their faces held up. parvatāḥ patitāstatra jaladhārābhirāplutāḥ ||2-124-30 kechinmumuchire tatra śikharāṇi samantataḥ | The mountains fell off, bathing in fountains of water. Some of them lost their peaks there, all over. dishashcha pradishashcaiva bhūmirākāśameva ca ||2-124-31 pradīptānīva dṛśyante sthāṇukṛṣṇasamāgame | As sthāṇu (shiva) and kṛṣṇa fought against each other, all the directions, the entire earth as well as the sky was seen as though, lighted. samantatashcha nirghātāḥ patanti dharaṇītale ||2-124-32 śivāśchaivāśivānnādānnadante bhīmadarśanāḥ | Thunderstorms fell all over the face of earth. Jackals, fierce to look at, howled aloud indicating inauspiciousness. vāsavaścānadanghoraṁ rudhiraṁ cāpyavarṣata ||2-124-33 ulkā ca bāṇasainyasya pucchenāvṛtya tiṣṭhati | vāsava (indra) showered terrible torrents of blood. Meteors surrounded the tail of bānā's army. pravavau mārutaścāpi jyotīṁṣyākulatāmiyuḥ ||2-124-34 prabhāhīnāstathauṣadhyo na carantyantarikṣagāḥ | The wind blew with tremendous force. The stars became sad. The medicinal plants lost their splendor. Those moving in the sky (birds) did not fly. etasminnantare brahmā sarvadevagaṇairvṛtaḥ ||2-124-35 tripurāntakamudhyantaṁ jṣātvā rudramupāgamat | During this time, brahma, surrounded by all the groups of deva-s, knowing that the destroyer of tripura, rudra (shiva) is fighting (with) kṛṣṇa, came to shiva's side. gandharvāpsarasaścaiva yakṣā vidyādharāstathā ||2-124-36 siddhacāraṇasaṅghāścha paśyanto'tha divi sthitāḥ | Groups of gandharva-s, divine women as also yakṣa-s, vidyādhara-s, siddha-s and cāraṇa-s stood in the sky watching. tataḥ pārjanyamastraṁ tatkṣiptaṁ rudrāya viṣṇunā ||2-124-37 yayau jvalannatha tadā yato rudro rathasthitaḥ | Then viṣṇu (kṛṣṇa) shot the arrow pārjanya at rudra. It went blazing to the place where the chariot of rudra was located. tataḥ śatasahasrāṇi śarāṇāṁ nataparvaṇām ||2-124-38 nipetuḥ sarvato digbhyo yato hararathasthitaḥ | Then hundreds of thousands of arrows with soft head fell all over from all directions at the place where hara's (shiva's) chariot was located. athāgneyaṁ mahāraudramastramastravidāṁ varaḥ ||2-124-39 mumocha ruṣito rudrastadadbhutamivābhavat | Then rudra (shiva), the best among the experts of archery, became angry and released the highly terrible arrow, āgneya (belonging to the deity of fire). This became a wonder. tato viśīrṇadehāste catvāro'pi samantataḥ ||2-124-40 nādṛśyanta śaraiśchannā dahyamānāścha vahninā | Then all the bodies of all four (kṛṣṇa, balarāma, pradyumna and garuḍa) were split by the arrow. Covered by the arrows, their bodies, not to be seen, were burned by fire. simhanādaṁ tataścakruḥ sarva evāsurottamāḥ ||2-124-41 hato'yamiti vijṣāya āgneyāstreṇa vai tadā | Then the best among demons roared like lions, thinking that they were killed by the weapon, āgneya. tatastadvisahitvājo hyastramastravidāṁ varaḥ ||2-124-42 jagrāha vāruṇaṁ so'straṁ vāsudevaḥ pratāpavān | Bearing the power of that arrow, the splendorous son of vasudeva, (kṛṣṇa) the best among the experts of archery, took up the arrow, vāruṇa (belonging to the deity of water, sea). pratyukte vāsudevena vāruṇāstre'titejasi ||2-124-43 āgneyaṁ praśamaṁ yātamastraṁ vāruṇatejasā | As the son of vasudeva, the one with high splendor (kṛṣṇa) shot the weapon vāruṇa in response, the weapon āgneya was pacified by the splendor of the weapon vāruṇa. tasminpratihate tvastre vāsudevena saṁyuge ||2-124-44 paiśācaṁ rākṣasaṁ raudraṁ tathaivāṅgirasaṁ bhavaḥ | mumocāstrāṇi catvāri yugāntāgninibhāni vai ||2-124-45 As the weapon āgneya was pacified by the son of vasudeva (kṛṣṇa) in the battle, bhava (shiva) released four weapons paiśāca, rākṣasa, raudra and āṅgirasa having the splendor of fire at the end of the world. vāyavyamatha sāvitraṁ vāsavaṁ mohanaṁ tathā | astrānāṁ vāraṇārthāya vāsudevo hyamuṣchata ||2-124-46 The son of vasudeva (kṛṣṇa) released four weapons, vāyavya (belonging to the deity of wind) , sāvitra (belonging to the deity, sun), vāsava (belonging to vāsava, indra) and mohana (depriving consciousness) to block the weapons (shot by shiva). astraiścaturbhiścatvāri vārayitvāśu mādhavaḥ | mumocha vaiṣṇavaṁ so'straṁ vyāditāsyāntakopamam ||2-124-47 mādhava (kṛṣṇa) blocking the four weapons (shot by shiva) by shooting four weapons, released the weapon, vaiṣṇava (belonging to viṣṇu) having open mouth, similar to the god of death. vaiṣṇavāstre prayukte tu sarva evāsurottamāḥ | bhūtayakṣagaṇāścaiva bāṇānīkaṁ ca sarvaśaḥ ||2-124-48 diśaḥ sarvā prādravanta bhayamohena viklavāḥ | As kṛṣṇa shot the weapon vaiṣṇava, all the best among demons, all beings, groups of yakṣa-s as also the army of bāṇa, confused by fear and becoming distressed, ran away in all directions. pramāthagaṇabhūyiṣṭhe dīrṇe sainye mahāsuraḥ ||2-124-49 nirjagāma tato bāṇo yuddhāyābhimukhastvaran | Seeing that the groups of oppressing fighters and the army was scattered, the great demon, bāṇa, quickly started, eager to fight. bhīmapraharaṇairghorairdaityaiścha sumahābalaiḥ | vṛto māhārathairvīrairvajrīva sursattamaiḥ ||2-124-50 Like the best among deva-s, indra surrounded by the gods, bāṇa, surrounded by great strikers, terrible and greatly powerful demons and great, valiant chariot fighters, started for the battle. vaiśampāyana uvāca japaishcha homaishcha tathauṣadhībhi- rmahātmanaḥ svastyayanaṁ pracakruḥ | vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya!) The great soul, bāṇa, prayed, offered sacrifices and herbs for an auspicious venture (battle). sa tatra vastrāṇi śubhāścha gāvaḥ phalāni puṣpāṇi tathaiva niṣkān ||2-124-51 baleḥ suto brāhmaṇebhyaḥ prayaccha- nvirājate tena yathā dhaneśaḥ | The son of bali (bāṇa) offered good clothes, auspicious cows, fruits, flowers as well as gold coins to the best of Brahmins, dazzling there, like the god of wealth. sahasrasūryo bahukiṅkiṇīkaḥ parārghyajāmbūnadaratnacitraḥ ||2-124-52 sahasracandrāyutatārakaścha ratho mahānagnirivāvabhāti | The great chariot dazzled there like fire, decorated by thousands of suns, many bells, costly gold and beautiful jewels, thousands of moons and ten thousand stars. tamāsthito dānavasaṅgṛhītaṁ mahādhvajaṁ kārmukadhṛksa bāṇaḥ ||2-124-53 bāṇa, holding the bow, mounted the chariot having a great flagstaff, driven by the dānava (kumbhāṇḍa). udvartayiṣyanyadupuṅgavānā- matīva raudraṁ sa bibharti rūpam | sa manyumānvīrarathaughasaṅkulo viniryayau tānprati daityasāgaraḥ ||2-124-54 bāṇa took up a terrible and fearful form, ready for making the prominent yādava-s return (from the battle). Immediately the ocean (many) of valiant demons, became angry and advanced towards the yādava-s, assembling all the chariots together. vātapravṛddhastu taraṅgasaṅkulo yathārṇavā lokavināśanāya | bhīmāni saṁtrāsakarairvapurbhi- stānyagrato bhānti balāni tasya ||2-124-55 Like the ocean attempting to destroy the world with powerful winds and huge waves, the huge and frightening army of demons dazzled before him. mahārathānyucchritakārmukāṇi saparvatānīva vanāni rājan | viniḥsṛtaḥ sāgaratoyavāsā- datyadbhutaścāhavadraṣṭukāmaḥ ||2-124-56 O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) With great chariots, holding the bows high, the army appeared like a huge forest with mountains. bāṇa with a most wonderful form, started for the battle, rising up from his place among the waters of the ocean. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇi rudrakṛṣṇayuddhe caturviṁśatyadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ Thus this is the one hundred and twenty fourth chapter of viṣṇuparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahābhārata, kṛṣṇa's battles with bāṇa army and with rudra nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 2-124-1 tata iti || · 2-124-2 ardayan apīḍayan | āḍabhāva ārṣaḥ || · 2-124-5 dahamānaḥ dahan || · 2-124-10 acintayan acintayantaḥ || · 2-124-19 gaṇasahariarvṛta iti śeṣaḥ | devasya rathaḥ shobhayan diśaḥ iti śeṣaḥ || · 2-124-22 jaṭilāścha ūrdhvaśiroruhāścheti dvandaḥ | · 2-124-23 lagnāḥ anyonyasaṁsaktāḥ bhūmāviti śeṣaḥ | · 2-124-26 abhimukhāḥ sādarāḥ | unmukhā śatrorantarīkṣastvāt abhimukhāścha te unmukhāścheti vigrahaḥ || · 2-124-34 pucchena pucchapradeśam iyuḥ īryuḥ || · 2-124-56 viniḥsruto bāṇaḥ | sāgaratoyavasāt samudranikaṭasthanāt svasthānāt || iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ caturviṁśatyādhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ