08.037
Core and Pancharatra: Arjuna continues to fight Suśarman and Saṃśaptakas. The Trigartas surrounded Arjuna, resolved either to die or to achieve victory.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
vartamāne tadā yuddhe kṣatriyāṇāṃ nimajjane। gāṇḍīvasya mahānghoṣaḥ śuśruve yudhi māriṣa ॥8-37-1॥
During the ongoing battle, as the warriors were being submerged, the great sound of the Gandiva bow was heard, O noble one.
saṃśaptakānāṃ kadanamakarodyatra pāṇḍavaḥ। kosalānāṃ tathā rājannārāyaṇabalasya ca ॥8-37-2॥
O king, the Pāṇḍava carried out the slaughter of the Saṃśaptakas, as well as the Kosalas and the Nārāyaṇa army.
saṃśaptakāstu samare śaravṛṣṭiṃ samantataḥ। apātayanpārthamūrdhni jayagṛddhāḥ pramanyavaḥ ॥8-37-3॥
The Trigartas, eager for victory and full of courage, launched a barrage of arrows from all directions at Arjuna's head during the battle.
tāṃ vṛṣṭiṃ sahasā rājaṃstarasā dhārayanprabhuḥ। vyagāhata raṇe pārtho vinighnanrathināṃ varaḥ ॥8-37-4॥
Suddenly, O king, the lord held back the rain with great force. Arjuna, the best among charioteers, entered the battlefield, slaying his enemies.
nigṛhya tu rathānīkaṃ kaṅkapatraiḥ śilāśitaiḥ। āsasāda raṇe pārthaḥ suśarmāṇaṃ mahāratham ॥8-37-5॥
Arjuna, having restrained the chariot army with his stone-sharpened arrows, approached the great chariot-warrior Suśarman in the battle.
sa tasya śaravarṣāṇi vavarṣa rathināṃ varaḥ। tathā saṃśaptakāścaiva pārthasya samare sthitāḥ ॥8-37-6॥
He, the best among charioteers, unleashed a shower of arrows. Likewise, the Saṃśaptakas stood firm in battle against Arjuna.
suśarmā tu tataḥ pārthaṃ viddhvā navabhir āśugaiḥ। janārdanaṃ tribhir bāṇair abhyahan dakṣiṇe bhuje ॥ tato 'pareṇa bhallena ketuṃ vivyādha māriṣa ॥8-37-7॥
Suśarmā, after attacking Arjuna with nine swift arrows, struck Kṛṣṇa on the right arm with three arrows. Then, with another broad-headed arrow, he pierced the flag, O lord.
sa vānaravaro rājanviśvakarmakṛto mahān। nanāda sumahannādaṃ bhīṣayanvai nanarda ca ॥8-37-8॥
He, the best of monkeys, created by Vishvakarma, let out a great roar that was truly frightening, O king.
kapestu ninadaṁ śrutvā santrastā tava vāhinī। bhayaṁ vipulamādāya niśceṣṭā samapadyata ॥8-37-9॥
Upon hearing the monkey's sound, your army was struck with terror and became completely motionless, overwhelmed by great fear.
tataḥ sā śuśubhe senā niśceṣṭāvasthitā nṛpa। nānāpuṣpasamākīrṇaṃ yathā caitrarathaṃ vanam ॥8-37-10॥
Then, O king, the army stood still, resplendent like the Caitraratha forest adorned with diverse flowers.
pratilabhya tataḥ sañjñāṃ yodhāste kurusattama। arjunaṃ siṣicur bāṇaiḥ parvataṃ jaladā iva ॥ parivavr̥s tadā sarve pāṇḍavasya mahāratham ॥8-37-11॥
After regaining their senses, the warriors, O best of the Kurus, attacked Arjuna with arrows as clouds shower a mountain. Then, all of them surrounded the great chariot of the Pandava.
te hayānrathacakre ca ratheṣāścāpi bhārata। nigṛhya balavattūrṇaṃ siṃhanādamathānadan ॥8-37-12॥
O Bharata, they held the horses, chariot wheels, and charioteers with great strength and speed, and then roared like a lion.
apare jagṛhuścaiva keśavasya mahābhujau। pārthamanye mahārāja rathasthaṃ jagṛhurmudā ॥8-37-13॥
Some others held the mighty arms of Keśava, while others, O great king, joyfully held Pārtha standing on the chariot.
keśavastu tadā bāhū vidhunvanraṇamūrdhani। pātayāmāsa tānsarvānduṣṭahastīva hastinaḥ ॥8-37-14॥
Keshava, at that time, shook his arms in the battlefield and made all of them fall, just like a wicked elephant would do to other elephants.
tataḥ kruddho raṇe pārthaḥ saṁvṛtastairmahārathaiḥ। nigṛhītaṁ rathaṁ dṛṣṭvā keśavaṁ cāpyabhidrutam ॥ rathārūḍhāṁśca subahūnpadātīṁścāpyapātayat ॥8-37-15॥
Then, in the battle, an enraged Arjuna, surrounded by great charioteers, saw his chariot seized and Krishna being attacked. In response, he caused many charioteers and foot soldiers to fall.
āsannāṃś ca tato yodhāñ śarair āsannayodhibhiḥ। cyāvayāmāsa samare keśavaṃ cedam abravīt ॥8-37-16॥
Then the nearby warriors, using arrows, displaced the near ones in battle, and said this to Keshava.
paśya kṛṣṇa mahābāho saṃśaptakagaṇānmayā। kurvāṇāndāruṇaṃ karma vadhyamānān sahasraśaḥ ॥8-37-17॥
Behold, O mighty-armed Krishna, the group of warriors sworn to fight to the death, engaged in terrible deeds, being slain by me in their thousands.
rathabandham imaṁ ghoraṁ pṛthivyāṁ nāsti kaścana। yaḥ saheta pumāṁl loke mad anyo yadupuṅgava ॥8-37-18॥
O chief of Yadus, there is no one else in the world who can endure this formidable chariot-binding other than myself.
ityevamuktvā bībhatsurdevadattamathādhamat। pāñcajanyaṃ ca kṛṣṇo'pi pūrayanniva rodasī ॥8-37-19॥
Thus, having spoken in this way, Arjuna (Bibhatsu) blew his conch named Devadatta. Krishna, on the other hand, blew his conch named Panchajanya, as if filling the entire universe.
taṁ tu śaṅkhasvanaṁ śrutvā saṁśaptakavarūthinī। sañcacāla mahārāja vitrastā cābhavadbhṛśam ॥8-37-20॥
Upon hearing the sound of the conch, the army of the Saṁśaptakas trembled and became very frightened, O great king.
padabandhaṃ tataścakre pāṇḍavaḥ paravīrahā। nāgam astraṃ mahārāja samprodīrya muhur muhuḥ ॥8-37-21॥
Then the Pāṇḍava, known for defeating enemy warriors, formed a strategic formation. O great king, he repeatedly unleashed the serpent weapon.
yānuddiśya raṇe pārthaḥ padabandhaṃ cakāra ha। te baddhāḥ padabandhena pāṇḍavena mahātmanā ॥ niśceṣṭā abhavanrājannaśmasāramayā iva ॥8-37-22॥
Arjuna devised a tactic in battle for which those bound by it, by the great-souled Pandava, became motionless, O king, as if they were made of stone.
niśceṣṭāṃstu tato yodhānavadhītpāṇḍunandanaḥ। yathendraḥ samare daityāṃstārakasya vadhe purā ॥8-37-23॥
The son of Pandu then killed the motionless warriors, just as Indra had done in the ancient battle with the demons during Taraka's slaying.
te vadhyamānāḥ samare mumucustaṃ rathottamam। āyudhāni ca sarvāṇi visraṣṭumupacakramuḥ ॥8-37-24॥
While being attacked in battle, they released the excellent chariot and began to unleash all their weapons.
tataḥ suśarmā rājendra gṛhītāṃ vīkṣya vāhinīm। sauparṇamastraṃ tvaritaḥ prāduścakre mahārathaḥ ॥8-37-25॥
Then, O King, Susharma, upon seeing his army captured, quickly deployed the Sauparna weapon, revealing his prowess as a great chariot-warrior.
tataḥ suparṇāḥ sampetur bhakṣayanto bhujaṅgamān। te vai vidudruvur nāgā dṛṣṭvā tān khacarān nṛpa ॥8-37-26॥
Then, O king, the Suparnas flew down and began devouring the serpents. Seeing the birds, the snakes fled in fear.
babhau balaṁ tadvimuktaṁ padabandhādviśāṁ pate। meghavṛndādyathā mukto bhāskarastāpayannprajāḥ ॥8-37-27॥
The strength, once freed from its constraints, shone brightly, O lord of the people, just as the sun, emerging from a cluster of clouds, warms the earth and its creatures.
vipramuktāstu te yodhāḥ phalgunasya rathaṃ prati। sasṛjurbāṇasaṅghāṃśca śastrasaṅghāṃśca māriṣa ॥8-37-28॥
The released warriors aimed their volleys of arrows and weapons at Arjuna's chariot, dear one.
tāṁ mahāstramayīṁ vṛṣṭiṁ sañchidya śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ। vyavātiṣṭhattato yodhānvāsaviḥ paravīrahā ॥8-37-29॥
The son of Vāsava (Indra), known as the destroyer of enemy heroes, stood firm among the warriors after cutting through the great weapon-formed shower with his own showers of arrows.
suśarmā tu tato rājanbāṇenānataparvaṇā। arjunaṃ hṛdaye viddhvā vivyādhānyaistribhiḥ śaraiḥ ॥ sa gāḍhavidddho vyathito rathopastha upāviśat ॥8-37-30॥
Susharma, however, then, O king, struck Arjuna in the heart with an arrow that had a bent joint and pierced him with three other arrows. Deeply wounded and distressed, Arjuna sat down on the chariot seat.
pratilabhya tataḥ sañjñāṃ śvetāśvaḥ kṛṣṇasārathiḥ। aindramastramameyātmā prāduścakre tvarānvitaḥ ॥ tato bāṇasahasrāṇi samutpannāni māriṣa ॥8-37-31॥
Upon regaining consciousness, Śvetāśva, Kṛṣṇa's charioteer, quickly manifested Indra's weapon. Then, O gentle one, thousands of arrows appeared.
sarvadikṣu vyadṛśyanta sūdayanto nṛpa dvipān। hayānrathāṃśca samare śastraiḥ śatasahasraśaḥ ॥8-37-32॥
In every direction, O king, elephants, horses, and chariots were being slaughtered in the battle by weapons in their hundreds of thousands.
vadhyamāne tataḥ sainye vipulā bhīḥ samāviśat. saṃśaptakagaṇānāṃ ca gopālānāṃ ca bhārata ॥ na hi kaścit pumāṃs tatra yo'rjunaṃ pratyayudhyata ॥8-37-33॥
As the army was being slain, a great fear gripped the Saṃśaptaka groups and the cowherds, O Bhārata. Indeed, no man there dared to fight against Arjuna.
paśyatāṃ tatra vīrāṇāmahan yata mahatbalam। hanyamānamapaśyaṃśca niśceṣṭāḥ sma parākrame ॥8-37-34॥
The observers there witnessed the great strength of the heroes being struck down. They saw the slaughter and stood motionless in the battle.
ayutaṃ tatra yodhānāṃ hatvā pāṇḍusuto raṇe। vyabhrajata raṇe rājanvidhūmo'gniriva jvalan ॥8-37-35॥
The son of Pandu, having slain ten thousand warriors there, shone in the battle, O king, like a blazing fire without smoke.
caturdaśa sahasrāṇi yāni śiṣṭāni bhārata। rathānāmayutaṃ caiva trisāhasrāśca dantinaḥ ॥8-37-36॥
O Bharata, there are fourteen thousand remaining, including ten thousand chariots and three thousand elephants.
tataḥ saṃśaptakā bhūyaḥ parivavrurdhanañjayam। martavyamiti niścitya jayaṃ vāpi nivartanam ॥8-37-37॥
Then the Trigartas once more surrounded Arjuna, resolved to either die or achieve victory, or even to return.
tatra yuddhaṁ mahaddhyāsīttāvakānāṁ viśāṁ pate। śūreṇa balinā sārdhaṁ pāṇḍavena kirīṭinā ॥8-37-38॥
There was a great battle, O lord of the people, between your forces and the Pandava Arjuna, who was both heroic and strong.
