07.044
Pancharatra and Core: Abhimanyu kills Rukmaratha, son of Shalya; then takes on Duryodhana and his sons.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said.
ādadānastu śūrāṇām āyūṃṣyabhavadārjuniḥ। antakaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ prāṇānkāla ivāgate ॥7-44-1॥
Arjuna, in the battle, took away the lives of the heroes, becoming like the end of time for all beings when he arrived.
sa śakra iva vikrāntaḥ śakrasūnoḥ suto balī। abhimanyustadānīkaṃ loḍayanbahvaśobhata ॥7-44-2॥
Abhimanyu, the valiant son of Arjuna, shone brilliantly as he shook the enemy army, much like the mighty Indra.
praviśyaiva tu rājendra kṣatriyendrāntakopamaḥ। satyaśravasamādatta vyāghro mṛgamivolbaṇam ॥7-44-3॥
Having entered, the truthful one, like a fierce tiger, took the deer, O king of kings, O lord of warriors, resembling the destroyer.
satyaśravasi cākṣipte tvaramāṇā mahārathāḥ। pragṛhya vipulaṃ śastramabhimanyumupādravan ॥7-44-4॥
In the midst of the truthful hearing, the agitated great charioteers, in their haste, took up abundant weapons and attacked Abhimanyu.
ahaṁ pūrvamahaṁ pūrvamiti kṣatriyapuṅgavāḥ। spardhamānāḥ samājagmurjighāṁsanto'rjunātmajam ॥7-44-5॥
The warrior chiefs, each claiming 'I am first, I am first,' gathered with the intent to kill Arjuna's son.
kṣatriyāṇāmanīkāni pradrutānyabhidhāvatām। jagrāsa timirāsādya kṣudramatsyānivārṇave ॥7-44-6॥
The armies of the warriors, in their flight, were pursued and consumed by darkness, much like small fish are swallowed by the vast ocean.
ye kecana gatāstasya samīpamapalāyinaḥ। na te pratinyavartanta samudrādiva sindhavaḥ ॥7-44-7॥
Those who approached him did not flee; they did not return, just as rivers do not return from the ocean.
mahāgrāhagr̥hīteva vātavegabhayārditā। samakampata sā senā vibhr̥ṣṭā naurivārṇave ॥7-44-8॥
The army trembled as if seized by a great crocodile, afflicted by the fear of the wind's speed, and was dislodged like a boat in the ocean.
atha rukmaratho nāma madreśvarasuto balī। trastāmāśvāsayansenāmatrasto vākyamabravīt ॥7-44-9॥
Then Rukmaratha, the strong son of the king of Madra, fearlessly spoke words of comfort to the frightened army.
alaṁ trāsena vaḥ śūrā naiṣa kaścinmayi sthite। ahamenaṁ grahīṣyāmi jīvagrāhaṁ na saṁśayaḥ ॥7-44-10॥
"Enough of your fear, heroes; as long as I stand, no one can harm you. I will capture him alive, without a doubt."
evamuktvā tu saubhadramabhidudrāva vīryavān। sukalpitenohyāmānaḥ syandanena virājatā ॥7-44-11॥
After speaking thus, the valiant warrior charged towards Saubhadra, carried by his well-equipped and resplendent chariot.
so'bhimanyuṁ tribhirbāṇairviddhvā vakṣasyathānadat। tribhiśca dakṣiṇe bāhau savye ca niśitaistribhiḥ ॥7-44-12॥
He pierced Abhimanyu in the chest with three arrows and then roared. He also pierced the right and left arms with three sharp arrows.
sa tasyeṣvasanaṃ chittvā phālguṇiḥ savyadakṣiṇau। bhujau śiraśca svakṣibhru kṣitau kṣipramapātayat ॥7-44-13॥
Arjuna swiftly severed his bow and cast down his left and right arms, head, and eyebrows onto the ground.
dṛṣṭvā rukmarathaṃ rugṇaṃ putraṃ śalyasya māninam। jīvagrāhaṃ jighṛkṣantaṃ saubhadreṇa yaśasvinā ॥7-44-14॥
Upon seeing the broken golden chariot and the proud son of Śalya, the glorious Abhimanyu desired to capture him alive.
saṅgrāmadurmadā rājanrājaputrāḥ prahāriṇaḥ। vayasyāḥ śalyaputrasya suvarṇavikṛtadhvajāḥ ॥7-44-15॥
O king, the arrogant princes, who are strikers and friends of Shalya's son, have banners adorned with gold.
tālamātrāṇi cāpāni vikarṣanto mahārathāḥ। ārjuniṃ śaravarṣeṇa samantātparyavārayan ॥7-44-16॥
The great warriors, timing their bow draws, encircled Arjuna with a barrage of arrows from every direction.
śūraiḥ śikṣābalopetaiḥ taruṇair atyamarsaṇaiḥ। dṛṣṭvaikaṃ samare śūraṃ saubhadram aparājitam ॥7-44-17॥
The heroes, endowed with education and strength, and the young men, who were excessively intolerant, saw the heroic and undefeated son of Subhadra in battle.
chādyamānaṃ śaravrātairhṛṣṭo duryodhano'bhavat। vaivasvatasya bhavanaṃ gatamenamamanyata ॥7-44-18॥
Duryodhana, delighted by the showers of arrows covering him, believed that he had reached the abode of Vaivasvata.
suvarṇapuṅkhairiṣubhirnānāliṅgaistribhistribhiḥ। adṛśyamārjuniṃ cakrurnimeṣātte nṛpātmajāḥ ॥7-44-19॥
The princes, using golden-feathered arrows with various marks, made Arjuna invisible in an instant.
sasūtāśvadhvajaṃ tasya syandanaṃ taṃ ca māriṣa। ācitaṃ samapaśyāma śvāvidhaṃ śalalairiva ॥7-44-20॥
O gentle one, we saw his chariot adorned with a charioteer, horse, and banner, covered with arrows like a jackal.
sa gāḍhaviddhaḥ kruddhaśca totrairgaja ivārditaḥ। gāndharvamastamāyacchadrathamāyāṃ ca yojayat ॥7-44-21॥
Deeply wounded and enraged, he took up the Gandharva weapon and prepared his chariot, like an elephant tormented by goads.
arjunena tapastaptvā gandharvebhyo yadāhṛtam। tumburupramukhebhyo vai tenāmohayatāhitān ॥7-44-22॥
Arjuna, after performing penance, brought something from the Gandharvas, and with it, he deluded those present, including Tumburu.
ekaḥ sa śatadhā rājandṛśyate sma sahasradhā। alātacakravatsaṅkhye kṣipramastrāṇi darśayan ॥7-44-23॥
O king, he appeared as one, yet seemed to multiply into hundreds and thousands, swiftly displaying his weapons like a rotating firebrand in the battle.
rathacaryāstramāyābhirmohayitvā parantapaḥ। bibheda śatadhā rājañśarīrāṇi mahīkṣitām ॥7-44-24॥
The mighty warrior, using deceptive chariot maneuvers and weapons, confused the enemy and shattered the bodies of the earth's rulers into a hundred pieces, O king.
prāṇāḥ prāṇabhṛtāṃ saṅkhye preṣitā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ। rājanprāpuramuṃ lokaṃ śarīrāṇyavaniṃ yayuḥ ॥7-44-25॥
O king, the life forces of the warriors, struck by sharp arrows in the battle, departed to the other world, while their bodies fell to the earth.
dhanūṃṣyaśvānniyantr̥̄ṃśca dhvajānbāhūṃśca sāṅgadān। śirāṃsi ca śitairbhallaistēṣāṃ cicchēda phālguṇiḥ ॥7-44-26॥
Arjuna skillfully severed the bows, horses, charioteers, flags, arms adorned with ornaments, and heads of his enemies using sharp arrows.
cūtārāmo yathā bhagnaḥ pañcavarṣaphalopagaḥ। rājaputraśataṃ tadvatsaubhadreṇāpataddhatam ॥7-44-27॥
Just as a mango grove, once broken, takes five years to bear fruit, similarly, a hundred princes were struck down by Abhimanyu.
kruddhāśīviṣasaṅkāśānsukumārānsukhocitān। ekena nihatāndṛṣṭvā bhīto duryodhano'bhavat ॥7-44-28॥
Duryodhana was terrified when he saw the delicate ones, who were accustomed to comfort and resembled angry serpents, being killed by one.
rathinaḥ kuñjarānaśvānpadātīṃścāvamarditān। dṛṣṭvā duryodhanaḥ kṣipramupāyāttamamarṣitaḥ ॥7-44-29॥
Duryodhana, upon seeing the crushed charioteers, elephants, horses, and foot-soldiers, quickly approached him in anger.
tayoḥ kṣaṇamivāpūrṇaḥ saṅgrāmaḥ samapadyata। athābhavatte vimukhaḥ putraḥ śaraśatārditaḥ ॥7-44-30॥
The battle between them seemed to last only for a moment. Then, their son, struck by hundreds of arrows, became disheartened.
