GHOSHA YATRA PARVA: Chapter 245

Defeat of Gandharvas

वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो दिव्यास्त्रसम्पन्ना गन्धर्वा हेममालिनः। विसृजन्तः शरान् दीप्तान् समन्तात् पर्यकारयन्॥
Vaishampayana said : Thereupon the Gandharvas armed with celestials weapons and adorned with golden garlands, showering showering innumerable blazing arrows, surrounded them on all sides.

चत्वारः पाण्डवा वीरा गन्धर्वाश्च सहस्रशः। रणे संन्यपतन् राजंस्तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्॥
There were but four Pandavas heroes; on the other hand there were thousands of Gandharvas. Therefore, O king, the battle that was fought was extraordinary.

यथा कर्णस्य च रथो धार्तराष्ट्रस्य चोभयोः। गन्धर्वैः शतशश्छिन्नौ तथा तेषां प्रचक्रिरे॥
As the Gandharvas cut off the chariot of Karna and of the sons of Dhritarashtra, so they tried to do the same with respect to their (Pandava's) chariots.

तान् समापततो राजन् गन्धर्वाञ्छतशो रणे। प्रत्यगृह्णन् नरव्याघ्राः शरवर्षैरनेकशः॥
O king, those foremost of men attacked with showers of arrows thousands and thousands of Gandharvas who were rushing towards them.

ते कीर्यमाणाः खगमाः शरवर्षेः समन्ततः। न शेकुः पाण्डुपुत्राणां समीपे परिवर्तितुम्॥
Those mighty rangers of the sky, thus checked on all sides by that shower of arrows, did not succeed to come even near the Pandavas.

अभिक्रुद्धानभिक्रुद्धो गन्धर्वानर्जुनस्तदा। लक्षयित्वाथ दिव्यानि महास्त्राण्युपचक्रमे॥
Arjuna who was greatly enraged after carefully aiming at them hurled against the angry Gandharvas his celestials weapons.

सहस्राणां सहस्राणि प्राहिणोद् यमसादनम्। आग्नेयेनार्जुनः संख्ये गन्धर्वाणां बलोत्कटः॥
In that battle the greatly powerful Arjuna with his Agneya weapon sent ten lakhs of Gandharvas to the abode of Yama.

तथा भीमो महेष्वासः संयुगे बलिनां वरः। गन्धर्वाञ्छतशो राजञ्जघान निशितैः शरैः॥
That great bowman, Bhima, that foremost of all strong men, killed in that battle thousands of Gandharvas with his sharp arrows.

ते शकुन्ता इव पञ्जरे। माद्रीपुत्रावपि तथा युध्यमानौ बलोत्कटौ। परिगृह्याचतो राजञ्जघ्नतुः शतशः परान्॥
O king, the greatly powerful sons of Madri, fighting with great prowess, attacked hundreds of Gandharvas and killed them all,

ते वध्यमाना गन्धर्वा दिव्यैरस्त्रैर्महारथैः। उत्पेतुः खमुपादाय धृतराष्ट्रसुतांस्ततः॥
When the Gandharvas were thus killed by the nighty heroes with the celestials weapons, they ascended the skies and took with them the son of Dhritarashtra.

स तानुत्पतितान् दृष्ट्वा कुन्तीपुत्रो धनंजयः। महता शरजालेन समन्तात् पर्यवारयत्॥
But the son of Kunti, Dhananjaya (Arjuna), seeing them rise to the sky, surrounded them on all sides by a net of arrows.

बद्धाः शरजालेन ववर्षुरर्जुनं क्रोधाद् गदाशक्त्यष्टिवृष्टिभिः॥
Having been confined within that net of arrows of birds are confined in a cage, they angrily hurled upon Arjuna maces, darts and swords.

गदाशक्त्यृष्टिवृष्टीस्ता निहत्य परमास्त्रवित्। गात्राणि चाहनद् भल्लैर्गन्धर्वाणां धनंजयः॥
But Dhananjaya, learned in weapons, soon stopped that shower of maces, darts and swords. He then mangled the limbs of the enemies by his crescent-shaped arrows.

शिरोभिः प्रपतद्भिश्च चरणैर्बाहुभिस्तथा। अश्मवृष्टिरिवाभाति परेषामभवद् भयम्॥
Heads, legs and arms (of the Gandharvas) began to drop down from above like a shower of stones; thereupon the enemy was struck with terror.

ते वध्यमाना गन्धर्वाः पाण्डवेन महात्मना। भूमिष्ठमन्तरिक्षस्थाः शरवर्षैरवाकिरन्॥
As the Gandharvas were killed by the illustrious Pandava, they hurled a heavy shower of weapons on Arjuna who was on earth.

तेषां तु शरवर्षाणि सव्यसाची परंतपः। अस्त्रैः संवार्य तेजस्वी गन्धर्वान् प्रत्यविध्यत।॥
But that chastiser of foes, that greatly powerful Savyasachi (Arjuna), stopped that shower of weapons with his own weapons and began to wound them.

स्थूणाकर्णेन्द्रचालं च सौरं चापि तथार्जुनः। आग्नेयं चापि सौम्यं च ससर्ज कुरुनन्दनः॥
That descendant of Kuru, Arjuna, shot his well-known weapons, named Sthunakarna, Indrajala, Saura, Agneya and Saumya.

ते दह्यमाना गन्धर्वाः कुन्तीपुत्रस्य सायकैः। दैतेया इव शक्रेण विषादमगमन् परम्॥
The Gandharvas, consumed by the arrows of the son of Kunti, became greatly afflicted, as the Daityas were by Shakra.

ऊर्ध्वमाक्रममाणाश्च शरजालेन वारिताः। विसर्पमाणा भल्लैश्च वार्यन्ते सव्यसाचिना॥
When they attacked Savyasachi (Arjuna) from above, they were stopped by his net of arrows. While they attacked him from all sides on earth, they were stopped by his Bhala (weapon).

गन्धर्वांस्त्रासितान् दृष्ट्वा कुन्तीपुत्रेण भारत। चित्रसेनो गदां गृह्य सव्यसाचिनमाद्रवत्॥
O descendant of Bharata, seeing the Gandharvas routed by the son of Kunti, Chitrasena took up a mace and rushed upon Savyasachi.

तस्याभिपततस्तूर्णं गदाहस्तस्य संयुगे। गदां सर्वायसी पार्थः शरैश्चिच्छेद सप्तधा॥
As he was rushing with his mace in his hand, Partha (Arjuna) cut off that iron mace into seven pieces.

स गदा बहुधा दृष्ट्वा कृत्तां बाणैस्तरस्विना। संवृत्य विद्ययाऽऽत्मानं योधयामास पाण्डवम्॥
Seeing his mace cut into piece by that very active hero, (Arjuna), with his arrows, he with his own science (of illusion) began to fight with the Pandava.

अस्त्राणि तस्य दिव्यानि सम्प्रयुक्तानि सर्वशः। दिव्यैरस्स्तदा वीरः पर्यवारयदर्जुनः॥
The heroic Arjuna, however, stopped with his celestials weapons all the celestials weapons that were aimed at him by the Gandharva king.

स वार्यमाणस्तैरस्त्रैरर्जुनेन महात्मना। गन्धर्वराजो बलवान् माययान्तर्हितस्तदा॥
When the mighty Gandharva king saw that he was checked by the high-souled Arjuna with his weapons, he disappeared from view by the help of illusion.

अन्तर्हितं तमालक्ष्य प्रहरन्तमथार्जुनः। ताडयामास खचरैर्दिव्यास्त्रप्रतिमन्त्रितैः॥
Seeing that the ranger of sky was striking at him concealed from sight, Arjuna attacked him with his celestials weapons with proper mantras.

अन्तर्धानवधं चास्य चक्रे क्रुद्धोऽर्जुनस्तदा। शब्दवेधं समाश्रित्य बहुरूपो धनंजयः॥
Dhananjaya, becoming greatly enraged, prevented the disappearance of his enemy with his weapon called Shabdavedha.

स वध्यमानस्तैरस्त्रैरर्जुनेन महात्मना। ततोऽस्यदर्शयामास तदाऽऽत्मानं प्रियः सखा।॥
Attacked by those weapons by the illustrious Arjuna, his dear friend the Gandharva king appeared before him.

चित्रसेनस्तथोवाच सखायं युधि विद्धि माम्। चित्रसेनमथालक्ष्य सखायं युधि दुर्बलम्॥ संजहारास्त्रमथ तत् प्रसृष्टं पाण्डवर्षभः। दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवाः सर्वे संहतास्त्रं धनंजयम्॥ संजह्वः प्रदुतानश्वाञ्छरवेगान् धनूंषि च।
Chitrasena thus spoke to him, “Behold, your friend is fighting with you." Seeing his friend weak in battle, that foremost of Pandavas withdrew his weapons. The Pandavas, seeing Arjuna withdraw his weapons, checked their flying horses and stopped their weapons and withdrew their bows.

चित्रसेनश्च भीमश्च सव्यसाची यमावपि। पृष्ट्वा कौशलमन्योन्यं रथेष्वेवारतस्थिरे॥
Chitrasena, Bhima and Arjuna and the twins then enquired after one another's welfare and sat down on their respective chariots.