Parva 3 Chapter 98: elalavyasainyavadhaḥ - destruction of ekalavya's army

vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya!) During this time, the angry ekalavya, the niṣāda king, quickly took up a bow and opposed balabhadra (balarāma). nārācairdaśabhirviddhvā bāṇaiścha daśabhiḥ paraiḥ | ciccheda dhanurardhaṁ tatsarvakṣatrasya paśyataḥ ||3-98-2 He shot ten sharp arrows and another ten arrows. As all the kṣatriya-s were watching, he cut off (balarāma's) bow in two halves. sūtaṁ daśabhirāhatya rathaṁ triṁśadbhireva ca | dhvajaṁ ciccheda bhallena niṣādasya jagatpatiḥ ||3-98-3 The lord of the universe, (balarāma), shot ten arrows at the charioteer as well as thirty arrows on the chariot and cut off the flagstaff of the niṣāda (ekalavya), with the arrow bhalla. tataḥ paraṁ mahachcāpaṁ niṣādo vīryasaṁmataḥ | dṛḍhamaurvyā samāyuktaṁ daśatālapramāṇataḥ ||3-98-4 Then the niṣāda king, ekalavya, the best among the valiant, took up a great bow, which had a firm bow string and which was as wide as ten palms kāmapālaṁ śareṇāśu jaghāna janamadhyataḥ | baladevo mahāvīryaḥ sarpaḥ śeṣa iva shvasan ||3-98-5 In the middle of the soldiers, ekalavya attacked kāmapāla (balarāma) with arrows. The highly valiant baladeva, hissed like the great serpent śeṣa. daśabhistaddhanurdivyaṁ śaraiḥ sarpasamairbalaḥ | ciccheda muṣṭideśe tu mādhavo mādhavāgrajaḥ ||3-98-6 Then balarāma, who is of the race of madhu (see nīlakaṇṭha commentary), the elder brother of mādhava (kṛṣṇa) shot ten arrows, equal to serpents and cut off that divine bow where it was gripped by fist. ekalavyo niṣādeśaḥ khaḍgamādāya satvaraḥ | prāhiṇodbalamādāya niśitaṁ ghoravigraham ||3-98-7 ekalavya, the lord of niśāda-s, quickly took up a sword. He threw the sharp and terrible shaped sword with tremendous force. tamantare paṭurvīro vṛṣṇivīraḥ pratāpavān | tilaśaḥ paṣchabhirbāṇaiścakāra yadunandanaḥ ||3-98-8 The highly valiant, the valiant vṛṣṇi, the splendorous balarāma, the son of yadu, in between, (reduced it to powder) like sesame seeds by shooting ten arrows. tato'paraṁ mahatkhaḍgaṁ sarvakālāyasaṁ śubhaṁ | prāhiṇotsāratheḥ kāyamālokyātha niṣādajaḥ ||3-98-9 Then the one born in the race of niṣāda-s (ekalavya) took up another auspicious great sword of iron and threw it, aiming at the body of charioteer. taṁ cāpi daśabhirvīro mādhavo yadunandanaḥ | bāhvorantarayoścaiva nirbibheda mahāraṇe ||3-98-10 Then the valiant son of yadu-s, balarāma of the race of madhu cut that sword also and split it between the hands by shooting ten arrows in the battle. tataḥ śaktiṁ samādāya ghaṇṭāmālākulāṁ nṛpaḥ | niṣādo baladevāya preṣayitvā mahābalaḥ ||3-98-11 Then the highly powerful king of niṣāda-s took up a spear decorated with bells and threw it at baladeva (balarāma). siṁhanādaṁ mahāghoramakarotsa niṣādapaḥ | sa śaktiḥ sarvakalyāṇī baladevamupāgatam ||3-98-12 Then the king of niṣāda-s roared in the terrible sound of a lion. Then that spear having all auspiciousness reached near baladeva (balarāma). utpatantīṁ mahāghorāṁ balabhadraḥ pratāpavān | ādāyātha niṣādeśaṁ sarvānvismāpayanniva ||3-98-13 tathaiva taṁ jaghānāśu vakṣodeśe ca mādhavaḥ | The splendorous balabhadra (balarāma) caught that highly terrible spear coming towards him. With that spear, the one of the race of madhu (balarāma), struck ekalavya on his chest, striking all by wonder. sa tayā tāḍito vīraḥ svaśaktyātha niṣādapaḥ ||3-98-14 vihvalaḥ sarvagātreṣu nipapāta mahītale | prāṇasaṁśayamāpanno niṣādo rāmatāḍitaḥ ||3-98-15 The valiant king of niṣāda-s (ekalavya) struck by his own spear was distressed in all the limbs (of his body), fell on the face of earth. niṣāda (ekalavya) struck by (bala)rāma had his life in doubt (danger). niṣādāstasya rājendra śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ | aṣṭāśītisahasrāṇi niṣādāstasya yodhinaḥ ||3-98-16 O the indra of kings! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The hundreds and thousands of the niṣāda-s, the eighty-eight thousand fighters, gadinaḥ khaḍginaścaiva maheṣvāsā mahābalāḥ | śarairanekasāhasraiḥ shaktibhishcha paraśvadhaiḥ ||3-98-17 taking up maces, swords as well as huge bows, many thousands of arrows as well as spears and axes, gadābhiḥ paṭṭiśaiḥ śūlaiḥ parighaiḥ prāsatomaraiḥ | kuntairatha kuṭhāraiścha yadavānāṁ mahaujasām ||3-98-18 maces , sharp edged spears (paṭṭiśa), spears, iron bludgeons (parigha), barbed darts (prāsa) and javelins (tomara), lances as well as knives, attacked the highly splendorous yādava, balarāma. śalabhā iva rājendra dīpyamānaṁ hutāśanam | te śaraiḥ pātayāṣcakrū rāmaṁ rāmamivāparam ||3-98-19 O the indra of kings! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued): Like flies falling into the blazing eater of oblations (fire), those soldiers shot arrows at (bala)rāma, splendorous like another rāma. kechitkuṭhārairājaghnuḥ kechitkuntaiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ | gadābhiḥ kechidāghnanti shaktibhishcha tathā pare ||3-98-20 Some threw knives, some threw lances and axes. Some threw maces and some threw spears as well as others and nijaghnuḥ sahasā rāmaṁ sphurantaṁ pāvakaṁ yathā | tataḥ kruddho halī sākṣāddhalamudyamya satvaram ||3-98-21 all of a sudden attacked (bala)rāma who was blazing like fire. Then the one who has plough as weapon, balarāma , became angry. He took up the real plough quickly, sarvānakarṣayāmāsa musalena hi pīḍayan | te hanyāmānā rājendra niṣādāḥ parvatāśrayāḥ ||3-98-22 nipeturdharaṇīpṛṣṭhe śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ | and dragged all of them, striking with the plough. O indra among kings (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued): Those niṣāda-s, residents of the mountain, struck (by the plough) immediately fell on the face of earth in hundreds and thousands. kṣaṇena tanmahārāja hatvā sarvānmahābalān ||3-98-23 siṁhavadvyanadaṁstatra tasthau rāmo mahābalaḥ | O great king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Killing all those powerful soldiers quickly, the highly powerful (bala)rāma roared like a lion in the battle field. tato rātrau mahāghorāḥ piśācāḥ piśitāśanāḥ ||3-98-24 ākṛṣya māṁsayūthāni bhakṣayantaḥ samāsate | pibantaḥ śoṇitaṁ koṣṭhātsaṣchidya ca śavaṁ bahu ||3-98-25 Then, in the night, highly terrible piśāca-s, those who eat flesh, dragged the group of flesh and ate them sitting there and drinking blood, tearing off the bellies of many dead bodies. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ekalavyasainyavadhe aṣṭanavatitamo'dhyāyaḥ This is the ninety-eighth chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahābhārata, destruction of ekalavya's army nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-98-1 etasminniti || · 3-98-4 daśatalapramāṇataḥ daśaprādeśasaṁmitam | · 3-98-6 mādhavo madhuvaṁśyaḥ mādhavāgrajo lakṣmīpatyerjyeṣṭhabrātā || iti śrīmahābhārate harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ ekalavyasainyavadho nāmāṣṭanavatitamo'dhyayaḥ ||