07.027
Pancharatra and Core: Arjuna returns to fight Shusharman of Trigarts; then he deals with Bhagadatta.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
yiyāsatastataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ pārthasyāśvānmanojavān। apraiṣīddhemasañchannāndroṇānīkāya pāṇḍurān ॥7-27-1॥
Then Krishna, eager for battle, sent Arjuna's swift and golden-adorned horses towards Drona's army.
taṃ prayāntaṃ kuruśreṣṭhaṃ svāṃstrātuṃ droṇatāpitān। suśarmā bhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṃ yuddhārthī pṛṣṭhato'nvayāt ॥7-27-2॥
As the best of the Kurus was departing to protect his own men afflicted by Drona, Susharma, along with his brothers, followed him from behind, eager for battle.
tataḥ śvetahayaḥ kṛṣṇam abravīd ajitaṃ jayaḥ। eṣa māṃ bhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṃ suśarmāhvayate'cyuta ॥7-27-3॥
Then the white-horsed Arjuna said to Krishna, "O unconquered one, victory is ours! Susharma, along with his brothers, is challenging me, O infallible one."
dīryate cottareṇaitatsainyaṃ naḥ śatrusūdana। dvaidhībhūtaṃ mano me'dya kṛtaṃ saṃśaptakairidam ॥7-27-4॥
O enemy-slayer, our army is expanding towards the north, and today my mind has been divided by the Saṃśaptakas.
kiṁ nu saṁśaptakānhanmi svānrakṣāmyahitārditān। iti me tvaṁ mataṁ vettha tatra kiṁ sukṛtaṁ bhavet ॥7-27-5॥
What should I do? Should I kill the Saṁśaptakas or protect my own people who are afflicted by enemies? You know my opinion on this matter, what would be the right thing to do?
evamuktastu dāśārhaḥ syandanaṃ pratyavartayat। yena trigartādhipatiḥ pāṇḍavaṃ samupāhvayat ॥7-27-6॥
Upon hearing these words, the descendant of the Daśārhas turned his chariot back, responding to the challenge posed by the lord of the Trigartas to the son of Pandu.
tato'rjunaḥ suśarmāṇaṃ viddhvā saptabhirāśugaiḥ। dhvajaṃ dhanuścāsya tathā kṣurābhyāṃ samakṛntata ॥7-27-7॥
Then Arjuna shot seven swift arrows at Suśarman, cutting off his flag and bow with two razor-sharp arrows.
trigartādhipateścāpi bhrātaraṃ ṣaḍbhirāyasaiḥ। sāśvaṃ sasūtaṃ tvaritaḥ pārthaḥ praiṣīdyamakṣayam ॥7-27-8॥
Arjuna swiftly dispatched the brother of the Trigarta king, along with his horse and charioteer, to an endless death using six iron arrows.
tato bhujagasaṅkāśāṃ suśarmā śaktimāyasīm। cikṣepārjunamādiśya vāsudevāya tomaram ॥7-27-9॥
Then Susharma, resembling a serpent, hurled the iron spear at Arjuna, directing it towards Vasudeva.
śaktiṃ tribhiḥ śaraiśchittvā tomaraṃ tribhirarjunaḥ। suśarmāṇaṃ śaravrātairmohayitvā nyavartata ॥7-27-10॥
Arjuna skillfully cut through the power and spear with his arrows, bewildered Suśarman, and then turned back from the battlefield.
taṁ vāsavamivāyāntaṁ bhūrivarṣaśaraughiṇam। rājaṁstāvakasainyānāṁ nograṁ kaścidavārayat ॥7-27-11॥
No one could stop him, who was approaching like Indra, with a flood of arrows as abundant as rain, O king, not even your fierce armies.
tato dhanañjayo bāṇaistata eva mahārathān। āyādvinighnankauravyāndahankṣamivānalaḥ ॥7-27-12॥
Then Arjuna, with his arrows, approached and began to slay the great warriors, burning the Kauravas like a fire consuming the earth.
tasya vegamasahyaṃ tu kuntīputrasya dhīmataḥ। nāśaknuvṃste saṃsoḍhuṃ sparśamagneriva prajāḥ ॥7-27-13॥
The people could not endure the unbearable speed of the wise son of Kunti, just as they cannot endure the touch of fire.
saṁveṣṭayannanīkāni śaravarṣeṇa pāṇḍavaḥ। suparṇapātavad rājann āyāt prāgjyotiṣaṁ prati ॥7-27-14॥
The Pandava, enveloping the troops with a shower of arrows, approached Pragjyotisha like the swoop of Garuda, O King.
yattadānāmayajjiṣṇurbharatānāmapāyinām। dhanuḥ kṣemakaraṃ saṅkhye dviṣatāmaśruvardhanam ॥7-27-15॥
The bow, known as the victorious sacrifice of the Bharatas, brings auspiciousness in battle and increases the tears of the departing enemies.
tadeva tava putrasya rājandurdyūtadevinaḥ। kṛte kṣatravināśāya dhanurāyacchadarjunaḥ ॥7-27-16॥
O king, it was indeed for the destruction of the kshatriyas that your son, the gambler of the evil dice game, caused Arjuna to take up the bow.
tathā vikṣobhyamāṇā sā pārthena tava vāhinī। vyadīryata mahārāja naurivāsādya parvatam ॥7-27-17॥
O great king, your army was shattered by Arjuna as if a ship had struck a mountain.
tato daśa sahasrāṇi nyavartanta dhanuṣmatām। matiṁ kṛtvā raṇe kruddhā vīrā jayaparājaye ॥7-27-18॥
Then, ten thousand bowmen, having resolved in their minds, turned back in the battle, as angry heroes contemplating victory and defeat.
vyapetahṛdayatrāsa āpaddharmātigo rathaḥ। ārchatpārtho guruṃ bhāraṃ sarvabhārasaho yudhi ॥7-27-19॥
Freed from the fear in his heart, the chariot transcended the duty in calamity. Arjuna, capable of bearing all burdens, approached the heavy burden in battle.
yathā naḍavanaṃ kruddhaḥ prabhinnah ṣaṣṭihāyanaḥ। mṛdnīyāttadvadāyastaḥ pārtho'mṛdnāccamūṃ tava ॥7-27-20॥
In the same way that an angry old man of sixty years might crush a forest of reeds, the weary Arjuna devastated your forces.
tasmin pramathite sainye bhagadatto narādhipaḥ। tena nāgena sahasā dhanañjayam upādravat ॥7-27-21॥
In the midst of the shattered army, King Bhagadatta, riding his elephant, suddenly charged at Arjuna.
taṁ rathena naravyāghraḥ pratyagṛhṇādabhītavat। sa saṁnipātastumulo babhūva rathanāgayoḥ ॥7-27-22॥
The fearless warrior, like a tiger among men, received him with his chariot. The encounter between the chariots and elephants became tumultuous.
kalpitābhyāṃ yathāśāstraṃ rathena ca gajena ca। saṅgrāme ceraturvīrau bhagadattadhanañjayau ॥7-27-23॥
Bhagadatta and Dhananjaya, the two heroes, moved into the battle with their chariot and elephant, as per the scriptures.
tato jīmūtasaṅkāśānnāgādindra ivābhibhūḥ। abhyavarṣaccharaugheṇa bhagadatto dhanañjayam ॥7-27-24॥
Then Bhagadatta, like Indra overpowering from the clouds, showered Arjuna with a multitude of arrows.
sa cāpi śaravarṣaṃ taccharavarṣeṇa vāsaviḥ। aprāptameva ciccheda bhagadattasya vīryavān ॥7-27-25॥
The mighty son of Vāsava intercepted and cut off Bhagadatta's arrow shower with his own, before it could reach him.
tataḥ prāgjyotiṣo rājā śaravarṣaṃ nivārya tat। śarairjaghne mahābāhuṃ pārthaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ ca bhārata ॥7-27-26॥
Then the king of Prāgjyotiṣa, after warding off the shower of arrows, attacked the mighty-armed Arjuna and Krishna with his arrows, O Bharata.
tataḥ sa śarajālena mahatābhyavakīrya tau। codayāmāsa taṃ nāgaṃ vadhāyācyutapārthayoḥ ॥7-27-27॥
Then he covered those two with a great shower of arrows and urged the elephant to kill Acyuta and Partha.
tamāpatantaṃ dviradaṃ dṛṣṭvā kruddhamivāntakam। cakre'pasavyaṃ tvaritaḥ syandanena janārdanaḥ ॥7-27-28॥
Janardana, seeing the elephant charging towards him as if it were death itself in anger, swiftly maneuvered his chariot to the left.
samprāptamapi neyeṣa parāvṛttaṃ mahādvipam। sārohaṃ mṛtyusātkartuṃ smarandharmaṃ dhanañjayaḥ ॥7-27-29॥
Arjuna, recalling his duty, refrained from killing the great elephant and its rider, even though they had approached.
sa tu nāgo dviparathānhayāṃścārujya māriṣa। prāhiṇonmṛtyulokāya tato'krudhyaddhanañjayaḥ ॥7-27-30॥
The serpent, after destroying the elephants, chariots, and horses, sent them to the world of death, which made Arjuna angry.
