03.170
Arjuna said.
As I was returning, I saw a great (wonder); then (there was) another city, moving as one wishes, divine, and as radiant as fire and the sun. (03-170-1)
It is inhabited by trees made of jewels that are pleasant and shining, birds, by the Paulomas and Kālakeyas, who are always delighted. (03-170-2)
It was adorned with towers and turrets, had four gates, was difficult to approach, was made of all kinds of gems, was divine, and its appearance was wondrous like a marvel. It was surrounded by trees bearing flowers and fruits and by trees made of divine gems. (03-170-3)
Thus it was surrounded on all sides by very charming celestial birds and always exultant asuras armed with tridents, spears, maces, and other weapons; some holding bows and clubs, all adorned with garlands. (03-170-4)
Then, having seen the marvelous city of the Daityas, I asked Mātali, "O king, what is this that I see?" (03-170-5)
Mātali said.
The daughters of Diti named Pulomā and Kālakā, both great demonesses, practiced supreme austerity for a thousand divine years. At the end of their penance, the self-born (Brahmā) granted a boon to them. (03-170-6)
She accepted the boon for you, O king, but for the sons, only lesser suffering and invulnerability from gods, demons, and serpents. (03-170-7)
This city, charming and moving in the sky, resplendent through good deeds, adorned with all jewels, is unassailable even by the immortals. (03-170-8)
Together with yakṣa and gandharva hosts, and with serpents, asuras, and rākṣasas. (03-170-8)
O best of the Bharatas, it was done by Brahmā, endowed with all desirable qualities, free from sorrow and disease, for the sake of Kālakeya. (03-170-9)
This divine sky-moving region proceeds without the immortals; it is inhabited, O hero, by the Paulomas, by the Kālakaeyas, and by the Dānavas. (03-170-10)
This great city is called Hiraṇyapura. It is protected by the Kālakeyas and the Paulomas, who are great asuras. (03-170-11)
These, O king, are always joyful and cannot be slain by any god; they dwell here, free from agitation and without anxiety. For them, human death was appointed by Brahmā long ago. (03-170-12)
Arjuna said.
Knowing that those (beings) could not be slain by the gods and asuras, then, O lord, I joyfully said to Mātaḷi: "Go directly to this city." (03-170-13)
As long as I have not destroyed the enemies of the lord of the thirty gods with weapons, by no means should these wicked ones, who are enemies of the gods, be spared by me. (03-170-14)
Then Mātali quickly took me from the vicinity of Hiraṇyapura in that divine chariot yoked with horses. (03-170-15)
Seeing me, the daityas—adorned in various ornaments and garments—mounted their chariots with great speed, ready and armed. (03-170-16)
Then the enraged and fiercely valiant lords of the Dānavas struck me repeatedly with reed-arrows, iron-arrows, broad-headed arrows, spears, lances, and tomaras. (03-170-17)
O king, I counteracted that great shower of weapons with a great shower of missiles, relying on the power of knowledge. (03-170-18)
The Dānavas bewildered all of them, and as they moved along the chariot roads in battle, in their utter confusion, they caused each other to fall. (03-170-19)
I cut off the heads of those deluded men rushing at each other with fiery arrows in hundreds of groups. (03-170-20)
As they were being slain, the Daityas once more took refuge in their city, and, relying on demonic illusion, they rose up into the sky together with their city. (03-170-21)
Then I, with a great shower of arrows, warded off and, having blocked the path, obstructed the movement of the daityas and of these. (03-170-22)
That divine city, moving through the sky, able to go wherever desired, resplendent with divine radiance, was being easily maintained by the Daityas by the boon, as they pleased. (03-170-23)
Having fallen into the earth, it again rises upwards; again, it quickly moves sideways and again sinks into the waters. (03-170-24)
O king, I seized that city, which resembled Amaravati and could go at will, with many kinds of missiles. (03-170-25)
Then, O best of Bharatas, I subdued that city together with the Daityas by means of a shower of arrows and a divine weapon. (03-170-26)
O King, the city of the Asuras, wounded and broken by the iron arrows—arrows sent forth by me, that did not swerve—fell to the earth. (03-170-27)
O king, as the Asuras were being slain by my iron arrows shot with thunderbolt-like speed, they wandered about, driven by Time. (03-170-28)
Then Mātali too, quickly, as if falling forward, descended to the earth with the swift chariot shining with the radiance of the sun. (03-170-29)
Then, O Bhārata, sixty thousand chariots belonging to those impatient warriors desiring to fight turned back together with me. (03-170-30)
I struck them with sharp arrows that made a sound like the cries of vultures; in battle, they recoiled like the waves of the ocean. (03-170-31)
After reflecting that these cannot be accomplished by human battle, I then applied all the weapons in succession. (03-170-32)
Then those thousands of chariots with splendid warriors gradually counteracted my divine missiles, as if doing so slowly. (03-170-33)
The great warriors, traversing numerous and variegated chariot-roads, were seen in the battle by hundreds and even by thousands. (03-170-34)
Their marvelous crowns, wondrous armors and banners, and wondrous ornaments indeed seem to delight my mind. (03-170-35)
But I, with showers of arrows, being delighted by weapons in battle, was not able to afflict them; but they greatly afflicted me. (3-170-36)
Afflicted by many skillful and expert warriors in battle, I am distressed in this great war, and great fear has come upon me. (03-170-37)
Then, having bowed in battle to Rudra, the god of gods, and having said, "Auspiciousness to beings," I invoked the Raudra missile, which is renowned as the destroyer of all enemies. (03-170-38)
Then I beheld a three-headed man, with nine eyes and three faces, having six arms, shining with hair blazing like the fire of the sun, his head adorned with great serpents licking, a destroyer of enemies. (03-170-39)
O bull among the Bharatas, being afraid, then, upon seeing the terrible, fierce, eternal missile and the taking up of the Gandiva (bow), (he) brought (it forth). (3-170-40)
O Bhārata, having bowed to the three-eyed Śarva of immeasurable brilliance, (he) released (the weapon) for the defeat of the lords of the Dānavas. (03-170-41)
As soon as it was released, thousands of forms appeared there—of deer, lions, tigers, O lord of men; as well as bears, buffaloes, serpents, and cows. (03-170-42)
Of elephants, antelopes, śarabhas, bulls, boars, cats, jackals, corpses, and vultures—of all of these, in every respect. (03-170-43)
Of vultures, Garuḍas, makaras, similarly of piśācas, yakṣas, and likewise of the enemies of the gods. (03-170-44)
There were also battles among the Guhyakas, similarly among the Nairṛtas, as well as among the fishes, the elephant-faced beings, and the owls. (03-170-45)
Of groups of fishes and turtles, and of those holding various weapons and swords; likewise, of the yātudhānas, of those bearing maces and clubs. (03-170-46)
By these and also by many others of various forms, the entire world was pervaded when that weapon was released. (03-170-47)
Those Dānavas who had assembled, along with beings of three heads, four fangs, four faces, and four arms, united in various forms and feeding on flesh, marrow, and fat, were constantly being slaughtered. (03-170-48)
O Bhārata, with arrows made of the essence of the mountains, having the power and brilliance of the sun, fire, thunderbolt, and lightning, and with other enemy-destroying arrows, I struck down all the asuras in an instant. (03-170-49)
Seeing those, driven by the Gandiva weapon, lifeless and fallen from the sky, I bowed again to the destroyer of Tripura, to the Creator. (03-170-50)
Thus, seeing those adorned with divine ornaments who had been crushed by Rudra's weapon, the charioteer of the gods felt supreme joy. (03-170-51)
Seeing me, Mātali, the charioteer of Śakra, honored me for that unbearable deed, which is difficult even for the gods to approach. (03-170-52)
Being pleased, with joined hands, he said these words: This insurmountable feat, which has been accomplished by you—a feat not even the lord of the gods could perform in battle—has not been possible for gods or asuras. (03-170-53)
O hero, this great aerial city, which could not be destroyed by the gods and asuras, was indeed destroyed by you through your own strength, weapons, penance, and power. (03-170-54)
When that city had been destroyed and the dānavas slain, then all the women, wailing, came out of the city to the outside. (03-170-55)
With their hair disheveled, agitated and distressed, like female curlews, lamenting sons, fathers, and brothers, they fell upon the earth. (03-170-56)
Those women, whose lords were slain, weeping with feeble voices and wailing loudly, struck their breasts with their hands; their garlands and ornaments had fallen. (3-170-57)
That city, weighed down with sorrow, deprived of its fortune and overwhelmed by misery, no longer shone—the city of the Dānavas, bereft of splendor and its ruler slain. (03-170-58)
The city became invisible, resembling a phantom gandharva-city, like a lake from which serpents have been driven off, or like a forest of withered trees. (03-170-59)
But Mātali quickly led me, cheerful in mind, from the battle to the abode of the king of the gods, after the task was accomplished. (03-170-60)
After ascending the city of gold and destroying the great asuras and the Nivātakavaca demons, I then came to Indra. (03-170-61)
Mātali recounted all my actions to Devendra in detail just as they had happened, O greatly radiant one. (03-170-62)
The destruction of Hiranyapura, thwarting of the Māyās, and slaying in battle of the mighty Nivātakavacas. (03-170-63)
Hearing that, the illustrious and pleased Indra, thousand-eyed Purandara, together with the Maruts, said, 'Well done! Well done!' (03-170-64)
Then the king of gods, Indra, having repeatedly consoled me, spoke these most sweet words together with the other gods. (03-170-65)
O Pārtha, in the battle you have performed a deed beyond those of gods and asuras. And, by slaying my enemies, you have accomplished a great act for the sake of the teacher. (3-170-66)
In this way always, O Dhananjaya, the steadfast in battle should consider; and one who is not deluded ought to apply the use of missiles. (03-170-67)
You are indeed impossible to be overcome in battle by gods, demons, and rākṣasas, together with yakṣas, asuras, gandharvas, and also flocks of birds and serpents. (03-170-68)
O son of Kunti, the earth that has been conquered by the strength of your arm will be protected by the righteous Yudhishthira, son of Kunti. (03-170-69)
