Harivamsha MahA PurANam - bhaviShya Parva
atha chaturviMshAdhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
haMsabalabhadrayoryuddham

harivamsha in the mahAbharata - bhaviShyaparva
Lesson 124 hamsa - balarAma battle

baladevastu dharmAtmA dhanurAdAya satvaram |
jaghAna haMsaM dashabhirbANairbANabhR^itAM varaH ||3-124-1

(O janamejaya!) baladeva (rAma) of righteous soul, the best among archers, took up a bow and quickly shot ten arrows at haMsa.

taM pratyavidhyannArAchairhaMsaH pa~nchabhirAshugaiH |
tAnantare halI ChittvA nArAchairdashabhiH punaH ||3-124-2

In response, haMsa shot five sharp fast moving arrows at baladeva. The one holding plough, balarAma, split them with ten sharp arrows.

dR^iDhaM patansa nArAchastasya saMj~nAM samAdade |
rathopasthe chiraM sthitvA tUNAdbANaM samAdade ||3-124-3

That forceful sharp arrow, striking forcefully, made haMsa unconscious. He sat in the chariot for a long time and took up an arrow from the quiver.

labdhvA haMsaH sa saMj~nAM tu viddhvA tena yadUttamam |
siMhavadvyanadadhaMso devAnvismApayanraNe ||3-124-4

Regaining his consciousness, haMsa shot the best among the sons of yadu (balarAma) with that arrow. In the battle, haMsa roared like a lion, making the gods wonderstruck.

tataH kruddho halI viddhastena bANena mAdhavaH |
vama~nChoNitamatyuShNaM niHishvasaMshcha raNAjire ||3-124-5

Then, the holder of plough, balarAma, became angry. mAdhava (balarAma) struck by the arrow, vomited highly warm blood and let off deep breaths in the battle field.

With his body covered by blood, he became as though he was made wet by saffron (the pollen of the flowers of crocus sativus).

nArAchaiH shatasAhasrairardayAmAsa mAdhavaH ||3-124-6
haMsaM haMsagatiM vIraM nIlavAsA halayudhaH |

The valiant one, the one having plough as his weapon, the one wearing blue clothes, mAdhava (balarAma) shot one hundred thousand sharp arrows at haMsa, the one who flies fast like a swan.

te muktA nishitA ghorA nArAchAshcha suvAjinaH ||3-124-7
rathe dhvaje tathA chApe chakre tUNIdvaye nR^ipa |
patitAH sarvato rAjanvyathAMchaiva tathA daduH ||3-124-8

O king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) The sharp and terrible arrows which were shot fast, fell all over the chariots, flags as well as bows, wheels and the quivers of both, and O king, (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued), created distress everywhere.

tataH kruddho mahArAja haMso vIryamadAnvitaH |
shareNa halinaM viddhvA dhvajaM chichCheda kAlavit ||3-124-9

Then O great king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) haMsa, having a false pride of valiance, became angry. haMsa who is knowledgeable about time, shot arrows at the one having plough as his weapon (balarAma) and cut off his flags.

He killed the four horses with four arrows and sent the charioteer to the king of the dead.

tataH kruddho halI tasmai gadAM gR^ihya mahAraNe ||3-124-10
ApapAta mahAbAhurhaMsaM sheSha iva shvasan |

Then the one having plough as weapon (balarAma) became angry. He took up his mace in the great battle. Breathing like the serpent sheSha, balarAma, the one having powerful arms, jumped at haMsa.

tathA rathaM dhvajaM chakramashvAnsUtaM halAyudhaH |
babh~nja tilashaH sarvaM nanAda cha punaH punaH ||3-124-11

The one having plough as weapon (balarAma), broke all the chariot, flag, wheels, horses and the charioteer, like the seeds of sesame and roared again and again.

bhUyashcha gadayA haMsaM chikShepa cha balI kila |
so.api haMso gadAM gR^ihya rathAttasmAdavApatat ||3-124-12

Again the powerful one (balarAma) threw his mace at haMsa. Then haMsa also took up a mace and jumped out of his chariot.

tatastau haMsahalinau yuyudhAte mahAraNe |
mahArathau mahAbAhU loke prathitatejsau ||3-124-13

Then haMsa and the one having plough as his weapon (balarAma) fought a great battle. The great chariot fighters, having powerful arms, whose splendor is famous in the world,

atyadbhutaM suvikrAntau parasparavadhaiShiNau |
kR^itashramau mahAyuddhe haMsavikrAntagAminau ||3-124-14

having the most wonderful valiance, desiring to kill each other, having fought great battles, moving fast like swans,

yathA devAsure yuddhe shakravR^itrau purAmbare |
ubhau saMsaktasarvA~Ngau shoNitena mahAraNe ||3-124-15

fought like shakra (indra) and vR^itra fought against each other long ago in the sky in the battle between deva-s and asura-s. In the great battle, the bodies of both were drenched with blood.

tatashcha dakShiNaM mArgaM balabhadro.anvagachChata ||3-124-16
savyaM tu haMso rAjendro vyagR^ihNAtsvayameva hi |

Then balabhadra took up the right side path and the indra of kings, haMsa, himself took the path on the left side in the battle.

pothayA~nchakraturyuddhe gadAbhyAM gajavikramau ||3-124-17
yathAprANaM mahAbAhU jaghnaturmaraNAya tau |

In the battle, those with the valiance of elephants, having powerful arms, struck each other with maces, intending to kill by the strikes

atipravR^iddhaM sa~NgrAmaM devAsuraraNopamam ||3-124-18
vidadhAte mahAra~Nge pashyatAM tridivaukasAm |

As the gods were watching, both fought each other, a highly valiant battle, comparable to the battle between the deva-s and asura-s.

devAshcha munayashchaiva vismayaM parijagmire ||3-124-19
aho kalvIdR^ishaM yuddhaM dR^iShTaM pUrvaM na cha shrutam |

The gods and the sages, struck by wonder, said: Alas! We have neither seen nor heard about a terrible battle like this before.

ityUchurvismayavashAddevagandharvakinnarAH ||3-124-20
parasparakR^itotsAhau chakraturyuddhamuttamam |

Saying this, the gods, gandharvas and kinnaras wondered. Generating enthusiasm on both sides, they encouraged the best among battles.

atha haMso mahAra~Nge dakShiNaM dakShiNottamaH ||3-124-21
vyacharanmArgamatyarthaM savyaM tu balavAn balaH |

Then, in the great battle, haMsa took up the best path on the right side and the powerful bala(rAma) took up the path on the left side.

niku~nchya jAnunI pUrvaM chakraturgadayA bhR^ishaM |
raNe raNavidAM shreShThau pashyatAM tridivaukasAm ||3-124-22

Bending the knee forward, they, the best among the fighters, fought against each other in the battle with the maces, as the gods were watching.

iti shrImAbhArate khileShu harivaMshe bhaviShyaparvaNi haMsaDimbhakopAkhyAne haMsabalabhadrayuddhe chaturviMshtyadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH

This is the one hundred and twenty fourth lesson of bhaviShyaparva, harivaMsha, khila of mahAbhArata, in the episode of haMsa and Dimbhaka, hamsa - balarAma battle

3-124-1 baladeva iti ||
3-124-7 suvAjinaH supakShAH ||
3-124-12 haMsaM chikShepa prajahAra | balI balarAmaH ||

Iti shrImahAbhArate khileShu harvaMshe bhaviShyaparvaNi TIkAyAM haMsaDimbahkopAkhyAne chaturviMshatyAdhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH

##i-translated by G. Schaufelberger, schaufel @ wanadoo.fr January 29 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
July 20, 2013##