(O janamejaya!) Then all three of them like three fires, mounted on the son of vinatA (garuDa), stood in the battle field, fighting with the enemies.

Then, they, mounted on the son of vinatA (garuDa) started oppressing the enemies forcefully in the battle by showering a group of arrows all over on the army.

Oppressed by the strikes of chakra and plough and by shower of arrows, that great army of demons, difficult to conquer, became highly angry.

Like a fire flourishing with the fuel of dry wood, the fire generated by kR^iShNa's arrows blazed and flourished the most all around.

That fire blazed like the fire at the end of era (pralaya) burning thousands of demons in the forefront of the battle.

That great army was set ablaze, struck by many varieties of weapons. Seeing this bANa tried to stop them and said the following words:

(bANa said:) Why are you, born in the race of demons, running away from the great battle, overcome by fear, becoming light hearted?

Why are you who can move in the sky, running away (from the battle), leaving your armour, knives, maces, darts, knives, shields and axes?

Respecting the nature of your race as well as the association with hara (shiva), you should not leave (the battle field). I am here to protect you.

(vaishampAyana said: O janamejaya!) Even after hearing these words, spoken (by bANa) they did not think about these words. All the demons, confused by fear, ran away from the battlefield.

The remaining army with the oppressing groups, stood there. Whatever army was left over after being broken up, again prepared for battle.

Seeing that his army is broken, the valiant friend and minister of bANa, named kumbhANDa, spoke the following words:

Here bANa is standing in the battle field , as well as sha~Nkara (shiva) as also guha (subrahmaNya). Why are you running away, confused, leaving the army?

All the prominent demons are running away, abandoning their life.

Even after hearing kumbhANDa's words, the demons, one by one, overcome with fear, ran away in all the ten directions, confused with fear.

Seeing that kR^iShNa with unlimited splendor has broken up the army, sthANu (shiva) with blood red eyes came to the battle field.

shiva was mounted on a highly bright chariot for protecting bANa. The god kumAra (subrahmaNya) was also mounted on a chariot, dazzling like the chariot of the fire god.

The valiant rudra , biting his lips, mounted on a chariot driven by nandIshvara, came to the place in the battle field, where hari (kR^iShNa) was located.

The chariot. yoked with lions produced a huge sound as if swallowing the sky. The chariot dazzled like the moon released by the clouds on a full moon day.

Thousands of shiva's followers, terrible, having many forms and shouting in different ways, added splendor to the chariot of the lord.

Some were with the face of lions, others were with the face of tigers. Some were with the face of serpents, horses and camels. All of them, highly tormented (by arrows), trembled.

Some, highly powerful, were wearing serpents as their sacred thread. Some had faces of donkeys, camels and elephants. Some were having necks similar to horses.

Some had faces like goats as well as cats. Others had faces of sheep. Some were wearing barks of trees. Others had hair locks, matted hair as also some others kept their hair dressed as an upward heap.

Some of them fell down by the sound of conch and kettle drums. Some of them with gentle faces were decorated with divine weapons.

Some kept varieties of flowers on their heads. Some were armed with varieties of weapons. Some were dwarfs, some monstrous as well as wearing the skins of lions and tigers.

Some were having large mouths, moist with blood, having fangs, who liked sacrifices (to be offered to them). They stood surrounding the lord (shiva), the great oppressor of enemies.

They stood in the battle field as though playing, ready for battle, facing the enemy.

Then seeing the divine chariot of rudra (shiva) who performs difficult tasks, kR^iShNa mounted on garuDa, for fighting with rudra (shiva).

shiva, becoming angry, shot one hundred sharp arrows at hari (kR^iShNa), who came to the front of the battle shooting arrows, mounted on garuDa.

hari, (kR^iShNa) who was oppressed by the arrows shot by hara (shiva), the performer of difficult tasks, became angry and took up the best arrow, pArjanya.

Then the earth, oppressed by (the battle between) viShNu (kR^iShNa) and rudra (shiva) shook. The oppressed serpents moved with their faces held up.

The mountains fell off, bathing in fountains of water. Some of them lost their peaks there, all over.

As sthANu (shiva) and kR^iShNa fought against each other, all the directions, the entire earth as well as the sky was seen as though, lighted.

Thunderstorms fell all over the face of earth. Jackals, fierce to look at, howled aloud indicating inauspiciousness.

vAsava (indra) showered terrible torrents of blood. Meteors surrounded the tail of bAnA's army.

The wind blew with tremendous force. The stars became sad. The medicinal plants lost their splendor. Those moving in the sky (birds) did not fly.

etasminnantare brahmA sarvadevagaNairvR^itaH ||2-124-35
tripurAntakamudhyantaM j~nAtvA rudramupAgamat |

During this time, brahma, surrounded by all the groups of deva-s, knowing that the destroyer of tripura, rudra (shiva) is fighting (with) kR^iShNa, came to shiva's side.

gandharvApsarasashchaiva yakShA vidyAdharAstathA ||2-124-36
siddhachAraNasa~NghAshcha pashyanto.atha divi sthitAH |

Groups of gandharva-s, divine women as also yakSha-s, vidyAdhara-s, siddha-s and chAraNa-s stood in the sky watching.

tataH pArjanyamastraM tatkShiptaM rudrAya viShNunA ||2-124-37
yayau jvalannatha tadA yato rudro rathasthitaH |

Then viShNu (kR^iShNa) shot the arrow pArjanya at rudra. It went blazing to the place where the chariot of rudra was located.

tataH shatasahasrANi sharANAM nataparvaNAm ||2-124-38
nipetuH sarvato digbhyo yato hararathasthitaH |

Then hundreds of thousands of arrows with soft head fell all over from all directions at the place where hara's (shiva's) chariot was located.

athAgneyaM mahAraudramastramastravidAM varaH ||2-124-39
mumocha ruShito rudrastadadbhutamivAbhavat |

Then rudra (shiva), the best among the experts of archery, became angry and released the highly terrible arrow, Agneya (belonging to the deity of fire). This became a wonder.

tato vishIrNadehAste chatvAro.api samantataH ||2-124-40
nAdR^ishyanta sharaishChannA dahyamAnAshcha vahninA |

Then all the bodies of all four (kR^iShNa, balarAma, pradyumna and garuDa) were split by the arrow. Covered by the arrows, their bodies, not to be seen, were burned by fire.

simhanAdaM tatashchakruH sarva evAsurottamAH ||2-124-41
hato.ayamiti vij~nAya AgneyAstreNa vai tadA |

Then the best among demons roared like lions, thinking that they were killed by the weapon, Agneya.

tatastadvisahitvAjo hyastramastravidAM varaH ||2-124-42
jagrAha vAruNaM so.astraM vAsudevaH pratApavAn |

Bearing the power of that arrow, the splendorous son of vasudeva, (kR^iShNa) the best among the experts of archery, took up the arrow, vAruNa (belonging to the deity of water, sea).

pratyukte vAsudevena vAruNAstre.atitejasi ||2-124-43
AgneyaM prashamaM yAtamastraM vAruNatejasA |

As the son of vasudeva, the one with high splendor (kR^iShNa) shot the weapon vAruNa in response, the weapon Agneya was pacified by the splendor of the weapon vAruNa.

tasminpratihate tvastre vAsudevena saMyuge ||2-124-44
paishAchaM rAkShasaM raudraM tathaivA~NgirasaM bhavaH |
mumochAstrANi chatvAri yugAntAgninibhAni vai ||2-124-45

As the weapon Agneya was pacified by the son of vasudeva (kR^iShNa) in the battle, bhava (shiva) released four weapons paishAcha, rAkShasa, raudra and A~Ngirasa having the splendor of fire at the end of the world.

vAyavyamatha sAvitraM vAsavaM mohanaM tathA |
astrAnAM vAraNArthAya vAsudevo hyamu~nchata ||2-124-46

The son of vasudeva (kR^iShNa) released four weapons, vAyavya (belonging to the deity of wind) , sAvitra (belonging to the deity, sun), vAsava (belonging to vAsava, indra) and mohana (depriving consciousness) to block the weapons (shot by shiva).

astraishchaturbhishchatvAri vArayitvAshu mAdhavaH |
mumocha vaiShNavaM so.astraM vyAditAsyAntakopamam ||2-124-47

mAdhava (kR^iShNa) blocking the four weapons (shot by shiva) by shooting four weapons, released the weapon, vaiShNava (belonging to viShNu) having open mouth, similar to the god of death.

vaiShNavAstre prayukte tu sarva evAsurottamAH |
bhUtayakShagaNAshchaiva bANAnIkaM cha sarvashaH ||2-124-48
dishaH sarvA prAdravanta bhayamohena viklavAH |

As kR^iShNa shot the weapon vaiShNava, all the best among demons, all beings, groups of yakSha-s as also the army of bANa, confused by fear and becoming distressed, ran away in all directions.

pramAthagaNabhUyiShThe dIrNe sainye mahAsuraH ||2-124-49
nirjagAma tato bANo yuddhAyAbhimukhastvaran |

Seeing that the groups of oppressing fighters and the army was scattered, the great demon, bANa, quickly started, eager to fight.

bhImapraharaNairghorairdaityaishcha sumahAbalaiH |
vR^ito mAhArathairvIrairvajrIva sursattamaiH ||2-124-50

Like the best among deva-s, indra surrounded by the gods, bANa, surrounded by great strikers, terrible and greatly powerful demons and great, valiant chariot fighters, started for the battle.

vaishampAyana uvAcha

japaishcha homaishcha tathauShadhIbhi-
rmahAtmanaH svastyayanaM prachakruH |

vaishampAyana said:

(O janamejaya!) The great soul, bANa, prayed, offered sacrifices and herbs for an auspicious venture (battle).

sa tatra vastrANi shubhAshcha gAvaH
phalAni puShpANi tathaiva niShkAn ||2-124-51
baleH suto brAhmaNebhyaH prayachCha-
nvirAjate tena yathA dhaneshaH |

The son of bali (bANa) offered good clothes, auspicious cows, fruits, flowers as well as gold coins to the best of Brahmins, dazzling there, like the god of wealth.

sahasrasUryo bahuki~NkiNIkaH
parArghyajAmbUnadaratnachitraH ||2-124-52
sahasrachandrAyutatArakashcha
ratho mahAnagnirivAvabhAti |

The great chariot dazzled there like fire, decorated by thousands of suns, many bells, costly gold and beautiful jewels, thousands of moons and ten thousand stars.

tamAsthito dAnavasa~NgR^ihItaM
mahAdhvajaM kArmukadhR^iksa bANaH ||2-124-53

bANa, holding the bow, mounted the chariot having a great flagstaff, driven by the dAnava (kumbhANDa).

udvartayiShyanyadupu~NgavAnA-
matIva raudraM sa bibharti rUpam |
sa manyumAnvIrarathaughasa~Nkulo
viniryayau tAnprati daityasAgaraH ||2-124-54

bANa took up a terrible and fearful form, ready for making the prominent yAdava-s return (from the battle). Immediately the ocean (many) of valiant demons, became angry and advanced towards the yAdava-s, assembling all the chariots together.

vAtapravR^iddhastu tara~Ngasa~Nkulo
yathArNavA lokavinAshanAya |
bhImAni saMtrAsakarairvapurbhi-
stAnyagrato bhAnti balAni tasya ||2-124-55

Like the ocean attempting to destroy the world with powerful winds and huge waves, the huge and frightening army of demons dazzled before him.

mahArathAnyuchChritakArmukANi
saparvatAnIva vanAni rAjan |
viniHsR^itaH sAgaratoyavAsA-
datyadbhutashchAhavadraShTukAmaH ||2-124-56

O king! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) With great chariots, holding the bows high, the army appeared like a huge forest with mountains. bANa with a most wonderful form, started for the battle, rising up from his place among the waters of the ocean.

iti shrImahAbhArate khileShu harivaMshe viShNuparvaNi rudrakR^iShNayuddhe chaturviMshatyadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH

Thus this is the one hundred and twenty fourth chapter of viShNuparva, harivaMsha, khila of mahAbhArata, kR^iShNa's battles with bANa army and with rudra

nIlakaNTha commentary

2-124-1 tata iti ||
2-124-2 ardayan apIDayan | ADabhAva ArShaH ||
2-124-5 dahamAnaH dahan ||
2-124-10 achintayan achintayantaH ||
2-124-19 gaNasahariarvR^ita iti sheShaH | devasya rathaH shobhayan dishaH iti sheShaH ||
2-124-22 jaTilAshcha UrdhvashiroruhAshcheti dvandaH |
2-124-23 lagnAH anyonyasaMsaktAH bhUmAviti sheShaH |
2-124-26 abhimukhAH sAdarAH | unmukhA shatrorantarIkShastvAt abhimukhAshcha te unmukhAshcheti vigrahaH ||
2-124-34 puchChena puchChapradesham iyuH IryuH ||
2-124-56 viniHsruto bANaH | sAgaratoyavasAt samudranikaTasthanAt svasthAnAt ||

Itranslated by K S Ramachandran, ramachandran_ksr @ yahoo.ca, February 18, 2009
Further proof-read by Gilles Schaufelberger, schaufel @ wanadoo.fr
If you find any errors compared to Chitrashala Press edition, send corrections to A. Harindranath, harindranath_a @ yahoo.com
Translated to English by A. Purushothaman [purushothaman_avaroth @ yahoo.com] and A. Harindranath
September 17, 2011