O king! (O janamejaya!) Afterwards, haMsa and Dimbhaka proceeded towards
puShkara, taking up great bows along with chariots having flagstaffs.
In front of them there were two fierce great bhUta-s, roaring like lions,
with their bodies smeared all over with ashes, appearing as if they were
ready for destruction.
Three lines of ashes (tripuNDraka) spread fully across their foreheads.
They sparkled with the rudra (shiva) - eyed (rudrAkSha) berries of
Elaeocarpus Ganitrus. They appeared like other two rudra-s
(shiva) about to destroy the whole world.
Then, O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued)
hundreds of armies followed, consisting of all the ten akShauhiNi-s
of them who had assembled.
O great king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued): The giant son of danu,
vichakra, comparable to a mountain, is a friend of them (haMsa and Dimbhaka)
who are powerful.
O great king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued):
Even shakra, the wielder of vajra will not be able to stand in front of
vichakra, in the battle between the deva-s and the sons of diti.
O king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued): The great vichakra defeated
deva-s and conquered indra. He also fought with viShNu,
the splendorous vishNu before.
yo hi dvAravatIM prApya babAdhe yadupu~NgavAn |
He went to the city of doors (dvAraka) and attacked the prominent yAdava-s.
sa tadAnIM mahArAja shrutvA yuddhamupasthitam ||3-121-8
anekashatasAhasrairdAnavaiH parighAyudhaiH |
vR^itaH samabhavaddaityo vR^iShNidveShAnnR^ipottama ||3-121-9
O great king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) Hearing that the
battle is approaching, along with many hundreds and thousands of sons of
danu, armed with iron clubs, vichakra arrived, O the best among kings,
(janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued), surrounded by the sons of diti,
due to his hatred of vR^iShNi-s.
haMsasya DimbhakasyAtha sAhAyyaM kartumudyataH |
vichakrasyAtha daityasya hiDimbo rAkShaseshvaraH ||3-121-10
atIva mitratAM yAto dadyAtprANAMshcha saMyati |
hiDimba, the lord of rAkShasa-s, who is ready to give his life in the battle,
is the best friend of vichakra, the son of diti who was ready to help
haMsa and Dimbhaka.
rAkShasairaparaiH sArdhaM shilAshUlAsipANibhiH ||3-121-11
yayau tasya sahAyArthaM hiDimbaH puruShAdapaH |
Along with other rAkShasa-s, who were carrying rocks and spears and holding
swords in their hands, hiDimbha, the man-eater, went to help vichakra.
aShTAshIti sahasrANi rAkShasAstasya chAbhavan ||3-121-12
anuyAtA mahArAja shilAparighabAhavaH |
O great king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) There were eighty-eight
thousand rAkShasa-s, who were following, holding rocks and iron clubs in
their hands.
tayostatra mahAsainyaM gachChatoH keshavaM prati ||3-121-13
mishritaM daityasa~Nghaishcha rAkshasaishcha samantataH |
atyadbhutaM mahAraudraM trailokyabhayadAyakam ||3-121-14
As the great army with the groups of the sons of diti mixed with rAkShasa-s
all over, proceeded towards keshava (kR^iShNa), it appeared,
most stunning and highly terrible, giving fear to all the three worlds.
daityena sahitau tau hi jagmatuH puShkaraM prati |
tAvetau haMsaDimbhakau hantuM keshavama~njasA ||3-121-15
Both haMsa and Dimbhaka proceeded quickly to puShkara to kill keshava
(kR^iShNa).
tataH shrutvA jarAsaMdho vigrahaM yadubhiH saha |
nAkaronnR^ipasAhAyyaM pApaM me bhaviteti ha ||3-121-16
gachChatoH samitiM rAjanhaMsasya Dimbhakasya cha |
Then king jarAsaMdha heard about the impending battle (of haMsa and Dimbhaka)
with yAdava-s. But O king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued),
he did not help haMsa and Dimbhaka, who were going to the battle field,
considering that he will incur sin (see nIlakaNTha commentary).
atitvaritavikrAntAste yayuH puShkaraM prati ||3-121-17
siMhanAdaM vimu~nchantaH kathayantaH parasparam |
They proceeded to puShkara, walking with fast steps, roaring like lions and
speaking to each other.
ahameva nR^ipA yuddhaM karomi prathamaM hareH ||3-121-18
ityabruvannR^ipA rAja~nChatashaH keshavaM prati |
O king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) Hundreds of kings told haMsa
and Dimbhaka about keshava (kR^iShNa) thus: O kings! I shall fight first
with hari (kR^iShNa).
saMprAptAste nR^ipashreShThAH puShkaraM puNyavardhanam ||3-121-19
munijuShTaM tapovR^iddhairR^iShibhishcha niShevitam |
Those best among kings reached puShkara, which is resided by sages having
wealth of penance and great sages, which increases the merit of those
arriving there.
atyantabhadraM lokeShu puShkaraM prathamaM nR^ipa ||3-121-20
O king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) puShkara is foremost
among the most auspicious places in the world.
puShkaraM puNDarikAkSho dvAveva jagatIpate |
darshanAtsparshanAchchaiva kilbiShachChedinau nR^ipa ||3-121-21
O the lord of the world (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) There are
two items, puShkara and the lord having the eyes as prosperous as the lotus
of creation (viShNu), O king (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued ),
which on seeing and touching will destroy the roots of all sins.
puShkaraM puNDarikAkShau dvAveva nR^ipasattama |
sevyamAnau munishreShThairamaraughairmahAtmabhiH ||3-121-22
O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) The two items,
puShkara and the lord having the eyes as prosperous as the lotus of creation
(viShNu) are worshipped by the great souls, the best sages and the groups
of deva-s
.
dvAveva hi nR^ipashreShTha sarvapApapraNAshakau |
tAvubhau yatra sahitau tatra te samsthitA nR^ipAH ||3-121-23
O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) There are only
two items (puShkara and viShNu), capable of destroying all sins.
All the kings assembled at the place where both were present,
dR^iShTavantau hariM viShNuM viShTarashravasaM paraM |
puShkaraM puNyanilayaM tIrthaM brahmaniShevitaM ||3-121-24
and saw the most divine lord viShNu, hari as well as the abode of merit,
the holy place puShkara, served by those who know brahma.
tAbhyAM kuru namaskAraM manasA nR^ipasattama |
O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) Pay obeisance
to both mentally.
aho niHsheShamabhavattatra bhUyo na saMshayaH ||3-121-25
sainyaM tatra cha saMprAptaM daityarakShaHsamAkulam |
Alas! There is no doubt that the entire army,
the army full of the sons of diti and rAkShasa-s which assembled there,
was destroyed completely.
anekabherIpaNavajharjharIDiNDimAkulam ||3-121-26
nAnApaNavasaMmishraM rakShonAdavinAditam |
pravishya sarasastIraM puShkarasya vishAMpate |
darshayAmAsa deveshaM yuddhAya samupasthitam ||3-121-27
O the lord of earth! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) The army along
with with many kettle drums, cymbals and varieties of drums such as jharjharI
and DiNDima andmany varieties of cymbals and shouts by rAkShasa-s arrived on the banks
of lake puShkara and saw the lord of gods (kR^iShNa)
who was there for battle.
iti shrImAbhArate khileShu harivaMshe bhaviShyaparvaNi
yuddhArthaM haMsaDimbhakasainyAnAM puShkarAgamane
ekaviMshtyadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
This is the one hundred and twenty first lesson of
bhaviShyaparva, harivaMsha, khila of mahAbhArata,
in the episode of haMsa and Dimbhaka, both armies enter the battlefield
Note 1: Each akShauhiNi has 21870 elephants, 21870 chariots, 65610 horses,
and 109350 foot soldiers
nIlakaNTha commentary
##i-translated by G. Schaufelberger, schaufel @ wanadoo.fr
January 28 2009
Proof-read by K S Rmachandran, ramachandran_ksr @ yahoo.ca.
If you find any errors compared to Chitrashala Press edition,
send corrections to A. Harindranath harindranath_a @ yahoo.com
Translated to English by A. Purushothaman [purushothaman_avaroth @
yahoo.com] and A. Harindranath
13th July 13, 2013##
- 3-121-1 atheti ||
- 3-121-3 puraH sarau cha tau mahAbhUtau cheti vigrahaH ||
- 3-121-6 purasaraH purogamI | visargalopaH pUrvapade ArShaH ||
- 3-121-10 yo hi purA vR^itaH samabhavatsa eva vichakraH tasya
vichakrasya vR^itasya mitratAM yAto hiDimbo nAma rAkShaseshvara iti
yojanA ||
- 3-121-15 daityena vichakrena tena hiDimbena ||
- 3-121-16 nR^ipasahAyyaM haMsaDimbakayoH sAhAyyaM vigrahamiti tAbhyAM
saha cha shApaH parAsaktaH pareNa hantavya iti shastrAtikramajo
doShaH ||
- 3-121-26 tAbhyA kuru namaskAraM iti vaishampAyanadivyadR^iShTyA
tamapyarthaM vartaM mAnavatpashyan janamejayaM prerayati |
janamejaye tAdR^ishaM shabdajanya parokShaM j~nAnaM saMbhAvayan
kathAmevAnusaMdhate - sainyamiti | sainyaM kartR^i | deveshaM
darshayAmAsa | ayaM kR^iShNo.aya kR^iShNa ityanyonyaM
darshayAmAsetyarthaH | dvayoH saMbandhaH |
iti shrImahAbhArate khileShu harivamshe bhaviShyaparvaNi TIkAyAM hamsaDimbakopAkhyAne ekaviMshatyadhikashatatamo.adhyAtaH ||