07.079
Pancharatra and Core: Arjuna fights the eight great charioteers, appearing as if they were drinking the sky surrounding King Jayadratha.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
tāvakāstu samīkṣyaiva vṛṣṇyandhakakurūttamau। prāgatvarañjighāṃsantastathaiva vijayaḥ parān ॥7-79-1॥
Your forces, upon seeing the best among the Vṛṣṇis, Andhakas, and Kurus, hurried forward with the desire to conquer the enemies, and similarly, Arjuna did the same.
suvarṇacitrairvaiyāghraiḥ svanavadbhirmahārathaiḥ। dīpayanto diśaḥ sarvā jvaladbhiriva pāvakaiḥ ॥7-79-2॥
The great chariots, painted in gold and resembling tigers, resounded as they illuminated all directions like blazing fire.
rukmapṛṣṭhaiśca duṣprekṣyaiḥ kārmukaiḥ pṛthivīpate। kūjadbhiratulānnādānroṣitairuragairiva ॥7-79-3॥
O lord of the earth, with golden-backed bows that are difficult to look at, making incomparable sounds like those of angered serpents.
bhūriśravāḥ śalaḥ karṇo vṛṣaseno jayadrathaḥ। kṛpaśca madrarājaśca drauṇiśca rathināṃ varaḥ ॥7-79-4॥
Bhūriśravāḥ, Śalaḥ, Karṇaḥ, Vṛṣasenaḥ, Jayadrathaḥ, Kṛpaḥ, Madrarājaḥ, and Drauṇiḥ are the best among charioteers.
te pibanta ivākāśamaśvair aṣṭau mahārathāḥ। vyarājayan daśa diśo vaiyāghrair hemacandrakaiḥ ॥7-79-5॥
The eight great charioteers, appearing as if they were drinking the sky with their horses, shone in all ten directions like tigers adorned with golden moons.
te daṁśitāḥ susaṁrabdhā rathairmeghaughanisvanaiḥ। samāvṛṇvandiśaḥ sarvāḥ pārthaṁ ca viśikhaiḥ śitaiḥ ॥7-79-6॥
They, enraged and with chariots thundering like clouds, surrounded all directions and Arjuna with sharp arrows.
kaulūtakā hayāś citrā vahantas tān mahārathān। vyaśobhanta tadā śīghrā dīpayanto diśo daśa ॥7-79-7॥
The bright horses swiftly carried the great charioteers, illuminating all ten directions with their brilliance.
ājāneyairmahāvegairnānādeśasamutthitaiḥ। pārvatīyairnadījaśca saindhavaiśca hayottamaiḥ ॥7-79-8॥
The best of horses, born in Ajān, swift and originating from various regions, including the mountains, rivers, and Sindhu, were present.
kuruyodhavarā rājaṃstava putraṃ parīpsavaḥ। dhanañjayarathaṃ śīghraṃ sarvataḥ samupādravan ॥7-79-9॥
O king, the best of the Kuru warriors, your son, eager to protect, swiftly surrounded and attacked Arjuna's chariot from every direction.
te pragṛhya mahāśaṅkhāndadhmuḥ puruṣasattamāḥ। pūrayanto divaṃ rājnapṛthivīṃ ca sasāgarām ॥7-79-10॥
The best among men, having taken up the great conches, blew them, filling the sky and the earth along with the oceans, O king.
tathaiva dadhmatuḥ śaṅkhau vāsudevadhanañjayau। pravarau sarvabhūtānāṃ sarvaśaṅkhavarau bhuvi ॥ devadattaṃ ca kaunteyaḥ pāñcajanyaṃ ca keśavaḥ ॥7-79-11॥
Thus, Vasudeva and Dhananjaya, the best among all beings, blew their conches, which were the finest on earth. Devadatta was blown by the son of Kunti, and Panchajanya by Keshava.
śabdaḥ tu devadattasya dhanañjayasamīritaḥ। pṛthivīṃ ca antarikṣaṃ ca diśaḥ ca eva samāvṛṇot ॥7-79-12॥
The sound produced by Devadatta, carried by Dhananjaya, enveloped the earth, sky, and all directions.
tathaiva pāñcajanyo'pi vāsudevasamīritaḥ। sarvaśabdānatikramya pūrayāmāsa rodasī ॥7-79-13॥
Similarly, the conch Panchajanya, blown by Lord Vasudeva, resonated with a sound that surpassed all others, filling both heaven and earth.
tasmiṁstathā vartamāne dāruṇe nādasaṅkule। bhīrūṇāṁ trāsajanane śūrāṇāṁ harṣavardhane ॥7-79-14॥
In that dreadful situation filled with noise, it instilled fear in the timid and increased the joy of the brave.
pravāditāsu bherīṣu jharjhareṣvānakeṣu ca। mṛdaṅgeṣu ca rājendra vādyamāneṣvanekaśaḥ ॥7-79-15॥
O King, the drums, kettledrums, large drums, and mridangas were being sounded and played many times.
mahārathasamākhyātā duryodhanahitaiṣiṇaḥ। amṛṣyamāṇāstaṃ śabdaṃ kruddhāḥ paramadhanvinaḥ ॥ nānādeśyā mahīpālāḥ svasainyaparirakṣiṇaḥ ॥7-79-16॥
Renowned as great charioteers and well-wishers of Duryodhana, the intolerant and angry great archers, kings from various regions, were protectors of their own armies, reacting to that sound.
amarṣitā mahāśaṅkhāndadhmurvīrā mahārathāḥ। kṛte pratikariṣyantaḥ keśavasyārjunasya ca ॥7-79-17॥
In their anger, the mighty warriors and great charioteers blew their large conches, preparing to counter the actions of Keshava and Arjuna.
babhūva tava tatsainyaṃ śaṅkhaśabdasamīritam। udvignarathanāgāśvamasvasthamiva cābhibho ॥7-79-18॥
Your army was filled with the sound of conches, causing agitation among the chariots, elephants, and horses, making them unsteady, O lord.
tatprayuktamivākāśaṃ śūraiḥ śaṅkhanināditam। babhūva bhṛśamudvignaṃ nirghātairiva nāditam ॥7-79-19॥
The sky, as if employed by heroes, echoed with the sound of conches and became greatly disturbed, as if it was resonating with the sound of thunder.
sa śabdaḥ sumahān rājan diśaḥ sarvāḥ vyanādayat। trāsayām āsa tat sainyaṃ yugānta iva saṃbhṛtaḥ ॥7-79-20॥
The great sound echoed in all directions, O king, terrifying the army as if it were the end of an era.
tato duryodhano'ṣṭau ca rājānas te mahārathāḥ। jayadrathasya rakṣārthaṃ pāṇḍavaṃ paryavārayan ॥7-79-21॥
Then Duryodhana, along with eight great warrior kings, surrounded the Pāṇḍava to protect Jayadratha.
tato drauṇistrisaptyā vāsudevamatāḍayat। arjunaṃ ca tribhirbhallairdvajamaśvāṃśca pañcabhiḥ ॥7-79-22॥
Then Aśvatthāmā attacked Kṛṣṇa with seventy-three arrows, and Arjuna with three arrows, also targeting the flag and the horses with five arrows.
tamarjunaḥ pṛṣatkānāṃ śataiḥ ṣaḍbhiratāḍayat। atyarthamiva saṅkruddhaḥ pratividdhe janārdane ॥7-79-23॥
Arjuna, exceedingly enraged, struck with hundreds of arrows, as if Janardana was pierced.
karṇaṁ dvādaśabhirviddhvā vṛṣasenaṁ tribhistathā। śalyasya saśaraṁ cāpaṁ muṣṭau ciccheda vīryavān ॥7-79-24॥
The valiant warrior pierced Karna with twelve arrows and Vrishasena with three, and also cut Shalya's bow along with the arrow in his hand.
gṛhītvā dhanuranyattu śalyo vivyādha pāṇḍavam। bhūriśravāstribhirbāṇairhemapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ ॥7-79-25॥
Śalya, having taken another bow, pierced the Pāṇḍava, while Bhūriśravā attacked with three arrows that had golden feathers and were sharpened on stone.
karṇo dvātriṁśatā caiva vṛṣasenāśca pañcabhiḥ। jayadrathastrisaptatyā kṛpaśca daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ ॥ madrarājaśca daśabhirvivyadhuḥ phalgunaṁ raṇe ॥7-79-26॥
Karna, Vrishasena, Jayadratha, Kripa, and the king of Madra attacked Arjuna in battle with their respective numbers of arrows: thirty-two, five, seventy-three, ten, and ten.
tataḥ śarāṇāṃ ṣaṣṭyā tu drauṇiḥ pārtham avākirat। vāsudevaṃ ca saptatyā punaḥ pārthaṃ ca pañcabhiḥ ॥7-79-27॥
Then, Drona's son showered sixty arrows on Arjuna, seventy on Vasudeva, and again five on Arjuna.
prahaṁsaṁstu naravyāghraḥ śvetāśvaḥ kṛṣṇasārathiḥ। pratyavidhyatsa tānsarvāndarśayanpāṇilāghavam ॥7-79-28॥
The tiger among men, with white horses and Krishna as his charioteer, smiled and pierced them all, demonstrating his dexterity.
karṇaṁ dvādaśabhirviddhvā vṛṣasenaṁ tribhiḥ śaraiḥ। śalyasya samare cāpaṁ muṣṭideśe nyakṛntata ॥7-79-29॥
He pierced Karna with twelve arrows and Vrishasena with three, and then cut off Shalya's bow at the grip during the battle.
saumadattiṁ tribhirviddhvā śalyaṁ ca daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ। śitairagniśikhākārairdrauṇiṁ vivyādha cāṣṭabhiḥ ॥7-79-30॥
He pierced Saumadatti with three arrows and Śalya with ten. He also struck Drauni with eight sharp arrows resembling flames of fire.
gautamaṁ pañcaviṁśatyā śaindhavaṁ ca śatena ha। punardrauṇiṁ ca saptatyā śarāṇāṁ so'bhyatāḍayat ॥7-79-31॥
He struck Gautama with twenty-five arrows, the Sindhu prince with a hundred, and then Drona's son again with seventy arrows.
bhūriśravāstu saṅkruddhaḥ pratodaṃ cicchide hareḥ। arjunaṃ ca trisaptyā bāṇānāmājaghāna ha ॥7-79-32॥
Bhūriśravāḥ, in his anger, cut off Hari's whip and struck Arjuna with seventy-three arrows.
tataḥ śaraśataistīkṣṇaistānarīñśvetavāhanaḥ। pratyaṣedhaddrutaṃ kruddho mahāvāto ghanāniva ॥7-79-33॥
Then, Arjuna, with his swift and sharp arrows, angrily stopped the enemies, just as a mighty wind disperses the clouds.
