Parva 3 Chapter 38: devāsurayuddhodyogaḥ tadyuddhavarṇanaṁ ca - war breaks out between devas and asuras - description of the war

vaiśampāyana said: Once upon a time, the mountains having wings used to support the earth. Due to the illusion, definitely, the mountains left the earth (having wings). tadāsurāṇāṁ nilayaṁ hiraṇyākṣeṇa pālitam | diśaṁ pratīcīmāgatya hṛde'majjanyathā gajāḥ ||3-38-2 The mountains went to the residence of the asura-s, protected by hiraṇyakṣa and immersed themselves in the pool on the west side, like elephants. tatrāsurebhyaḥ śaṁsanta ādhipatyaṁ surāśrayam | tacchrutvāthāsurāḥ sarve cakrurudyogamuttamam ||3-38-3 There, the mountains told the asura-s about the rule of the deva-s over (the three worlds) (in spite of deva-s being younger to asura-s - see nīlakaṇṭha commentary). Hearing that, all the asura-s began their best efforts (for battle). krūrāṁ ca buddhimatulāṁ pṛthivīharaṇe ratāḥ | āyudhāni ca sarvāṇi jagṛhurbhīmavikramāḥ ||3-38-4 The asura-s having cruel and incomparable intellect, were interested to take away the earth. The asura-s, having high valiance, assembled all weapons, such as cakrāśanīṁstasthā khaḍgānbhuśuṇḍīścha dhanuṁṣi ca | prāsānpāśāṁścha śaktīścha musalāni gadāṁstathā ||3-38-5 wheels, thunderbolts, swords, fire-arms, bows, darts, ropes, spears, clubs and maces. kechitkavachinaḥ sajjā mattanāgāṁstathā pare | kechidaśvarathānyuktā apare'śvānmahāsurāḥ ||3-38-6 Some asura-s had shields. Others mounted on elephants. Some asura-s engaged chariots yoked with horses. Other great asura-s mounted on horses. kechiduṣṭrāṁstathā khaḍgānmahiṣāngardabhānapi | svabāhubalamāsthāya kechichcāpi padātayaḥ ||3-38-7 Some asura-s mounted on camels, some on rhinoceros, some on buffalos and also on asses. Some asura-s walked depending on their own strength. parivārya hiraṇyākṣaṁ talabaddhāḥ kalāpinaḥ | itashchetashcha niścherurhṛṣṭāḥ sarve yuyutsavaḥ ||3-38-8 hiraṇyākṣa was surrounded by his followers, wearing gloves and quivers. All the asura-s, keen on fighting, arrived happily from here and there (all over). tato devagaṇāḥ paścātpuraṁdarapurogamāḥ | daityānāṁ viditodyogāścakrurudyogamuttamam ||3-38-9 Then the deva-s, keeping the destroyer of strongholds (indra) in front, knowing about the effort of asura-s for battle, began their best efforts. mahatā caturaṅgeṇa balena susamāhitāḥ | baddhagodhāṅgulitrāṇāstūṇavantaḥ samārgaṇāḥ ||3-38-10 The deva-s assembled a great army having four divisions, their fingers protected by the skin of ant-eaters, carrying arrows and quivers. ugrāyudhadharā devāḥ sveṣvanīkeṣvavāsthitāḥ | airāvatagataṁ śakramanvagacchanta pṛṣṭhataḥ ||3-38-11 The deva-s, holding terrible weapons, staying in their battle formations, followed śakra (indra) mounted on his elephant, airāvata. tatastūryaninādena bherīṇāṁ ca mahāsvanaiḥ | abhyadravaddhiraṇyākṣo devarājaṁ puraṁdaram ||3-38-12 Then, accompanied by the sounds of musical instruments and loud sounds of kettle drums, hiraṇyākṣa attacked, the king of deva-s, the destroyer of strongholds (indra). tīkṣṇaḥ paraśunistriṁśairgadātomaraśaktibhiḥ | musalaiḥ paṭṭiśaiścaiva cchadayāmāsa vāsavam ||3-38-13 The asura-s covered vāsava (indra) striking him with sharp axes, maces, lances, spears, clubs as well as tridents. tato'strabalavegena sārchiṣmatyaḥ sudāruṇāḥ | ghorarūpā mahāvegā nipeturbāṇavṛṣṭayaḥ ||3-38-14 Then the asura-s shot powerful, quick and terrible showers of arrows having terrible forms and great speeds. śiṣṭāścha daityā balinaḥ sitadhāraiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ | parighairāyasaiḥ khaḍgaiḥ kṣepaṇīyaiścha mudgaraiḥ ||3-38-15 The remaining powerful asura-s, struck with showers of sharp axes, iron clubs, swords, oars and hammers. gaṇḍaśailaiścha vividhaiḥ raṣmibhiścādrisannibhaiḥ | ghātanībhiścha gurvībhiḥ śataghnībhistathaiva ca ||3-38-16 The asura-s also struck with huge rocks and boulders as large as mountains, rockets, and wood studded with iron spikes. yugairyantraishcha nirmuktairargalaishcha vidāraṇaiḥ | sarvān devagaṇāndaityāḥ sannijaghnuḥ savāsavāṇ ||3-38-17 The asura-s attacked all the groups of deva-s along with vāsava (śakra) with weapons released from machines and tearing wooden bolts. dhūmrakeśaṁ hariśmaśruṁ nānāpraharaṇāyudhaṁ | raktasaṁdhyābhrasaṅkāśaṁ kirīṭottamadhāriṇam ||3-38-18 The one with red hair, having beard, holding many weapons, appearing like the red evening sky, wearing the best of crowns, nīlapītāmbaradharaṁ śatadaṁṣṭrordhvadhāriṇam | ājānubāhuṁ haryakṣaṁ vaiḍūryābharaṇojjvalam ||3-38-19 wearing blue and yellow clothes, having sharp teeth like fangs, having long arms, reaching his knees, with green eyes, decorated with cats eye gems, samudyatāyudhaṁ dṛṣṭvā sarve devagaṇāstadā | te hiraṇyākṣamasuraṁ daityānāmagrataḥ sthitam ||3-38-20 the asura hiraṇyākṣa, holding the weapons up, was seen by the groups of deva-s, as standing in front of the asuras. yugāntasamaye bhīmaṁ sthitaṁ mṛtyumivāgrataḥ | pravivyathuḥ surāḥ sarve tadā śakrapurogamāḥ ||3-38-21 All the deva-s, with śakra (indra) in front were distressed to see hiraṇyākṣa standing in front of the asura-s like death standing tall at the time of the end of the era. dṛṣṭvā''yāntaṁ hiraṇyākṣaṁ mahādrimiva jaṅgamam | devāḥ saṁvignamanasaḥ pragṛhītaśarāsanāḥ ||3-38-22 Seeing hiraṇyākṣa, approaching like a moving mountain, deva-s, holding bows, become ones with broken minds. sahasrākṣaṁ puraskṛtya tasthuḥ saṅgrāmamūrdhani | The deva-s stood in the battle field, keeping the thousand eyed one (indra) in front. sā ca daityachamū reje hiraṇyakavachojjvalā ||3-38-23 pravṛddhanakṣatragaṇā śāradī dyaurivāmalā | The army of the asura-s shone wearing golden shields, like stars sparkling in the autumn sky. te'nyonyamapi saṁpetuḥ pātayantaḥ parasparam ||3-38-24 Then the armies attacked each other, trying to kill each other. babhaṣjurbāhubhirbāhūndvandvamanye yuyutsavaḥ | gadānipātairbhagnāṅgā bāṇaiścha vyathitorasaḥ ||3-38-25 Some broke arms with arms. Others fought duels. Some broke limbs, striking with clubs. Some were wounded on chests with arrows. vinipetuḥ pṛthakkechittathānye'pi vijaghnire | babhaṣjire rathānkechitkechitsaṁmārditā rathaiḥ ||3-38-26 Some fell apart. Some others were killed. Some broke the chariots. Some were oppressed by the chariots. saṁbādhamanye saṁprāptā na śekuśchalituṁ rathāt | Some, bound by the crowd, were unable to move the chariots. dānavendrabalaṁ tatra devānāṁ ca mahadbalam ||3-38-27 anyonyabāṇavarṣeṇa yuddhadurdinamābabhau | There (in the battle field) the army of the king of asura-s (hiraṇyakṣa) and the powerful army of the deva-s, showering arrows against each other, made it a terrible day of battle. hiraṇyākṣastu balavānkruddhaḥ sa ditinandanaḥ ||3-38-28 vyavardhata mahātejāḥ samudra iva parvaṇi | The powerful and angry hiraṇyākṣa, the son of diti, appeared huge with splendor, like the ocean on the new moon day. tasya kruddhasya sahasā mukhānniścherurarchiṣaḥ ||3-38-29 [sāgnidhūmaścha pavano yayau tasya samīpataḥ ] From the mouth of hiraṇyākṣa, who was angry, vapours came out, like wind blowing with fire and smoke. śastrajālairbahuvidhairdhanurbhiḥ parighairapi | sarvamākāśamāvavre parvatairutthitairiva ||3-38-30 By shooting many kinds of arrows and also with bows and iron clubs, they covered the entire sky as though the mountains were standing up. bahubhiḥ śastranistriṁśaiścinnabhinnaśirorasaḥ | na śekuśchalituṁ devā hiraṇyākṣārditā yudhi ||3-38-31 The deva-s, whose heads were broken by many arrows and swords, oppressed by hiraṇyākṣa, were unable to move in the battle. sarve vitrāsitā devā hiraṇyākṣeṇa saṁyuge | na śekuryatnavanto'pi yatnaṁ kartuṁ vichetasaḥ ||3-38-32 All the deva-s, troubled by hiraṇyākṣa in the battle, losing their mind, were unable to do anything, even though they tried. tena śakraḥ sahasrākṣaḥ stambhito'streṇa dhīmatā | airavatagataḥ saṅkhye nāśakacchalituṁ bhayāt ||3-38-33 indra, the one with one thousand eyes, the one with intellect, was frozen in the battle, with arrows. Because of fear, indra who was mounted on airāvata, was unable to move in the battle. sarvāṁścha devānakhilāntsa parājitya dānavaḥ | stambayitvā ca deveśamātmasthaṁ manyate jagat ||3-38-34 The asura, hiraṇyākṣa defeated all the deva-s, in the battle. He froze indra, the lord of devas. He thought that the world is in his control. satoyameghapratimograniḥsvanaṁ prabhinnamātaṅgavilāsāvigraham | dhanurvidhunvantamudāravarchasaṁ tadāsurendraṁ dadṛśuḥ surāḥ sthitāḥ ||3-38-35 The deva-s stood watching the lord of asura-s (hiraṇyākṣa), whose sound was competing with the sound of rain bearing clouds, whose body was like the body of an elephant in rut, who having a broad chest, was shaking his bow. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi vārāhe śakrastambhane aṣṭātriṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus this is the thirty-eighth chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, khila of mahābhārata, varāhaprādurvhāva, fight breaks out between devas and asuras - indra paralysed nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-38-1 evamādhipatyasthāpanānantaraṁ yadvṛttaṁ tadāha - kadācittviti | asurāṇāṁ sapakṣāḥ mitrāṇi || · 3-38-3 surāśrayaṁ kaniṣṭhāḥ surā ādhipatyaṁ kurvanti yasya jyeṣṭhā api anīśvarā iti śaśaṁśurityarthaḥ | sarve hiraṇYākṣādayaḥ | · 3-38-16 rasmibhistejoyuktairaṭṭālasadṛśaiścheti gaṇḍaśailaviśeṣanam | bhuśuṇḍiriti pāṭhe daṇḍāgrasthitamukurākṛtiphalgutomaraḥ phalashalyena yantritaḥ paṭṭiśa ekādhāraḥ khadgāḥ kṣepaṇīyairdurānmuktaiḥ ghātanībhirgurvībhiriti viśeṣaṇadvayaṁ śataghnīnāṁ śataghnībhiḥ śataṁ hantrībhirgrvībhiriti śālāsaṁbandhāt || · 3-38-17 yugairyugākārairastraiḥ āgneyādibhirastraiḥ pāṣāṇavarṣibhiḥ || · 3-38-18 dhūmrakeśatvādi viśeṣaṇam hiraṇyākṣaṁ dṛṣṭvā pravivyathuriti caturṇāmanvayaḥ || · 3-38-22 mahendrākhyaṁ parvatamiva jaṅgamaṁ chalam || mahādrimiveti vā pāṭhaḥ || iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ṭīkāyāmaṣṭatriṁśo'dhyāyaḥ ||