Arjuna Battles the Nivatakavachas

Verse 1 (3.172.1)

ततो निवातकवचाः सर्वे वेगेन भारत । अभ्यद्रवन्मां सहिताः प्रगृहीतायुधा रणे ॥

tato nivātakavacāḥ sarve vegena bhārata | abhyadravanmāṃ sahitāḥ pragṛhītāyudhā raṇe

Then, O Bharata, all the Nivatakavachas rushed at me together with great speed in the battle, weapons in hand.

Note on the text: Restored a missing word space (सर्वेवेगेन → सर्वे वेगेन).

Verse 2 (3.172.2)

आच्छाद्य रथपन्थानमुत्क्रोशन्तो महारथाः । आवृत्य सर्वतस्ते मां शरवर्षैरवाकिरन् ॥

ācchādya rathapanthānamutkrośanto mahārathāḥ | āvṛtya sarvataste māṃ śaravarṣairavākiran

Blocking the chariot's path and roaring, those great warriors surrounded me on every side and covered me with showers of arrows.

Note on the text: Corrected अवृत्य → आवृत्य (misprint in Wikisource; अ for आ, the critical edition reads āvṛtya). आच्छाद्य for the critical edition's ācchidya is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 3 (3.172.3)

ततोऽपरे महावीर्याः शूलपट्टसपाणयः । शूलानि च भुशुण्डीश्च मुमुचुर्दानवा मयि ॥

tato'pare mahāvīryāḥ śūlapaṭṭasapāṇayaḥ | śūlāni ca bhuśuṇḍīśca mumucurdānavā mayi

Then other danavas of great might, with spears and pattishas in hand, hurled spears and bhushundis at me.

Verse 4 (3.172.4)

सुमहत्तुमुलं वर्षं गदाशक्तिसमाकुलम् । अनिशं सृज्यमानं तैरपतन्मद्रथोपरि ॥

sumahattumulaṃ varṣaṃ gadāśaktisamākulam | aniśaṃ sṛjyamānaṃ tairapatanmadrathopari

A vast and tumultuous shower, thick with maces and lances, loosed by them without pause, fell upon my chariot.

Note on the text: The first line (सुमहत्तुमुलं वर्षं) differs from the critical edition's tac chūlavarṣaṃ sumahad; a recension variant, kept.

Verse 5 (3.172.5)

अन्ये मामभ्यधावन्त निवातकवचा युधि । शितशस्त्रायुधा रौद्राः कालरूपाः प्रहारिणः ॥

anye māmabhyadhāvanta nivātakavacā yudhi | śitaśastrāyudhā raudrāḥ kālarūpāḥ prahāriṇaḥ

Other Nivatakavachas ran at me in the battle, fierce and like Death in form, striking out with sharpened weapons.

Note on the text: Corrected सुधि → युधि (misprint in Wikisource; स for य, the critical edition reads yudhi).

Verse 6 (3.172.6)

तानहं विविधैर्बाणैर्वेगवद्भिरजिह्मगैः । गाण्डीवमुक्तैरभ्यघ्नमेकैकं दशभिर्मृधे ॥

tānahaṃ vividhairbāṇairvegavadbhirajihmagaiḥ | gāṇḍīvamuktairabhyaghnamekaikaṃ daśabhirmṛdhe

With many kinds of swift, straight-flying arrows loosed from the Gandiva, I struck each one of them with ten in that battle.

Note on the text: Matches the first two lines of CE 3.167.6 (the critical edition groups verses 6–7 in three-line verses).

Verse 7 (3.172.7)

ते कृता विमुखाः सर्वे मत्प्रयुक्तैः शिलाशितैः । ततो मातलिना तूर्णं हयास्ते संप्रचोदिताः ॥

te kṛtā vimukhāḥ sarve matprayuktaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ | tato mātalinā tūrṇaṃ hayāste saṃpracoditāḥ

All of them were turned back by the stone-whetted arrows I loosed. Then Matali swiftly urged on the horses,

Note on the text: Corrected संप्रयोदिताः → संप्रचोदिताः (misprint in Wikisource; य for च, the critical edition reads saṃpracoditāḥ). The first line is the last line of CE 3.167.6; the second line is the first line of CE 3.167.7.

Verse 8 (3.172.8)

अथ मार्गान्बहूंस्तत्र विचेरुर्वातरंहसः । सुसंयता मातलिना प्रामथ्नन्त दितेः सुतान् ॥

atha mārgānbahūṃstatra vicerurvātaraṃhasaḥ | susaṃyatā mātalinā prāmathnanta diteḥ sutān

and, swift as the wind, they ran along many courses there; held well in check by Matali, they trampled the sons of Diti.

Note on the text: Corrected बहूस्तत्र → बहूंस्तत्र (misprint in Wikisource; dropped anusvara, the critical edition reads bahūṃs tatra) and restored a missing word space (दितेःसुतान् → दितेः सुतान्). अथ मार्गान् for the critical edition's rathamārgād is a recension variant and is kept. Matches the last two lines of CE 3.167.7.

Verse 9 (3.172.9)

शतं शतास्ते हरयस्तस्मिन्युक्ता महारथे । तदा मातलिना यत्ता व्यचरन्नल्पका इव ॥

śataṃ śatāste harayastasminyuktā mahārathe | tadā mātalinā yattā vyacarannalpakā iva

A hundred hundreds of those bay horses were yoked to that great chariot, yet under Matali's careful hand they moved as if they were only a few.

Note on the text: Corrected यथ्ता → यत्ता (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct, the critical edition reads yattā).

Verse 10 (3.172.10)

तेषां चरणपातेन रथनेमिस्वनेन च । मम बाणनिपातैश्च हतास्ते शतशोऽसुराः ॥

teṣāṃ caraṇapātena rathanemisvanena ca | mama bāṇanipātaiśca hatāste śataśo'surāḥ

By the trampling of their hooves, by the rumble of the chariot's rims and by the fall of my arrows, the asuras were slain in hundreds.

Verse 11 (3.172.11)

गतासवस्तथैवान्ये दानवाः पाण्डवर्षभ । हतसारथयस्तत्र व्यकृष्यन्त तुरंगमैः ॥

gatāsavastathaivānye dānavāḥ pāṇḍavarṣabha | hatasārathayastatra vyakṛṣyanta turaṃgamaiḥ

Other danavas, O bull among the Pandavas, lay lifeless in the same way, and, their charioteers slain, they were dragged about there by their horses.

Note on the text: The first line (… दानवाः पाण्डवर्षभ) differs from the critical edition's gatāsavas tathā cānye pragṛhītaśarāsanāḥ; a recension variant, kept.

Verse 12 (3.172.12)

ते दिशो विदिशः सर्वे प्रतिरुध्य प्रहारिणः । अभ्यघ्नन्विविधैः शस्त्रैस्ततो मे व्यथितं मनः ॥

te diśo vidiśaḥ sarve pratirudhya prahāriṇaḥ | abhyaghnanvividhaiḥ śastraistato me vyathitaṃ manaḥ

Blocking all the directions and the spaces between them, those warriors struck at me with many kinds of weapons, and my mind grew troubled.

Verse 13 (3.172.13)

ततोऽहं मातलेर्वीर्यमद्भुतं समदर्शयम् । अश्वांस्तथा वेगवतो यदयत्नादधारयत् ॥

tato'haṃ mātalervīryamadbhutaṃ samadarśayam | aśvāṃstathā vegavato yadayatnādadhārayat

Then I witnessed the wonderful prowess of Matali, how effortlessly he held those swift horses.

Note on the text: अद्भुतं समदर्शयम् for the critical edition's apaśyaṃ paramādbhutam is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 14 (3.172.14)

ततोऽहं लघुभिश्चित्रैरस्त्रैस्तानसुरान्रणे । चिच्छेद सायुधान्राजञ्छतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ॥

tato'haṃ laghubhiścitrairastraistānasurānraṇe | ciccheda sāyudhānrājañchataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ

Then, O king, with light and wondrous weapons I cut down those asuras in battle, weapons and all, by the hundred and the thousand.

Note on the text: चिच्छेद (glossed in Wikisource's own note as having अहम् understood) for the critical edition's acchinaṃ is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 15 (3.172.15)

एवं मे चरतस्तत्र सर्वयत्नेन शत्रुहन् । प्रीतिमानभवद्वीरो मातलिः शक्रसारथिः ॥

evaṃ me caratastatra sarvayatnena śatruhan | prītimānabhavadvīro mātaliḥ śakrasārathiḥ

As I ranged there thus with all my strength, O slayer of foes, the heroic Matali, Shakra's charioteer, was delighted.

Verse 16 (3.172.16)

वध्यमानास्ततस्तैस्तु हयैस्तेन रथेन च । अगमन्प्रक्षयं केचिन्न्यवर्तन्त तथाऽपरे ॥

vadhyamānāstatastaistu hayaistena rathena ca | agamanprakṣayaṃ kecinnyavartanta tathā'pare

Then, struck down by those horses and by that chariot, some were destroyed, while others turned back.

Verse 17 (3.172.17)

स्पर्धमाना इवास्माभिर्निवातकवचा रणे । शरवर्षैः शरार्तं मां महद्भिः प्रत्यवारयन् ॥

spardhamānā ivāsmābhirnivātakavacā raṇe | śaravarṣaiḥ śarārtaṃ māṃ mahadbhiḥ pratyavārayan

The Nivatakavachas, as if vying with us in battle, held me back with mighty showers of arrows, though I was already wounded by arrows.

Note on the text: The second line (शरार्तं मां … प्रत्यवारयन्) differs in order and wording from the critical edition's; a recension variant, kept.

Verse 18 (3.172.18)

शरवेगैर्निहत्याहमस्त्रैः शरविघातिभिः । ज्वलद्भिः परमैः शीघ्रैस्तानविध्यं सहस्रशः ॥

śaravegairnihatyāhamastraiḥ śaravighātibhiḥ | jvaladbhiḥ paramaiḥ śīghraistānavidhyaṃ sahasraśaḥ

Striking down the force of their arrows with weapons that destroy arrows, I pierced them by the thousand with excellent, swift and blazing shafts.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's text; its apparatus has these two lines as 3.167.16d*0850. The verse nearly repeats verse 26 (CE 3.167.25), and both are kept as Wikisource prints them. The critical edition's 3.167.17 (tato 'haṃ laghubhiś citrair brahmāstraparimantritaiḥ …) has no counterpart in Wikisource.

Verse 19 (3.172.19)

ततः संपीड्यमानास्ते क्रोधाविष्टा महासुराः । अपीडयन्मां सहिताः शक्तिशूलासिवृष्टिभिः ॥

tataḥ saṃpīḍyamānāste krodhāviṣṭā mahāsurāḥ | apīḍayanmāṃ sahitāḥ śaktiśūlāsivṛṣṭibhiḥ

Then, hard pressed, the great asuras, filled with rage, assailed me all together with showers of lances, spears and swords.

Verse 20 (3.172.20)

ततोऽहमस्त्रं प्रायुञ्जं गान्धर्वं नाम भारत । दयितं देवराजस्य माधवं नाम भारत ॥

tato'hamastraṃ prāyuñjaṃ gāndharvaṃ nāma bhārata | dayitaṃ devarājasya mādhavaṃ nāma bhārata

Then, O Bharata, I employed the weapon called Gandharva, the one known as Madhava and dear to the king of the gods.

Note on the text: Corrected देवराजस् → देवराजस्य (misprint in Wikisource; truncated ending, the critical edition reads devarājasya). The first line, which names the weapon गान्धर्व, differs from the critical edition's tato 'ham astram ātiṣṭhaṃ paramaṃ tigmatejasam; a recension variant, kept.

Verse 21 (3.172.21)

ततः खड्गांस्त्रिशूलांश्च तोमरांश्च सहस्रशः । अस्त्रवीर्येण शतधा तैर्मुक्तानहमच्छिदम् ॥

tataḥ khaḍgāṃstriśūlāṃśca tomarāṃśca sahasraśaḥ | astravīryeṇa śatadhā tairmuktānahamacchidam

Then by the power of that weapon I cut into a hundred pieces the swords, tridents and javelins they had hurled by the thousand.

Note on the text: Corrected खङ्गांस् → खड्गांस् (misprint in Wikisource; ङ्ग for ड्ग, the critical edition reads khaḍgāṃs) and तोमरांशच् → तोमरांश्च (misprint; transposed conjunct, the critical edition reads tomarāṃś ca).

Verse 22 (3.172.22)

छित्त्वा प्रहरणान्येषां ततस्तानपि सर्वशः । प्रत्यविध्यमहं रोषाद्दशभिर्दशभिः शरैः ॥

chittvā praharaṇānyeṣāṃ tatastānapi sarvaśaḥ | pratyavidhyamahaṃ roṣāddaśabhirdaśabhiḥ śaraiḥ

Having cut down their weapons, I then in anger pierced every one of them in return with ten arrows each.

Verse 23 (3.172.23)

गाण्डीवाद्धि तदा सङ्ख्ये यथा भ्रमरपङ्क्तयः । निष्पतन्ति महाबाणास्तन्मातलिरपूजयत् ॥

gāṇḍīvāddhi tadā saṅkhye yathā bhramarapaṅktayaḥ | niṣpatanti mahābāṇāstanmātalirapūjayat

For in that battle great arrows flew from the Gandiva like swarms of bees, and Matali praised it.

Verse 24 (3.172.24)

तेषामपि तु बाणास्ते बहुत्वाच्छलभा इव । अवाकिरन्मां बलवत्तानहं व्यधमं शरैः ॥

teṣāmapi tu bāṇāste bahutvācchalabhā iva | avākiranmāṃ balavattānahaṃ vyadhamaṃ śaraiḥ

Their arrows too, so many that they were like locusts, covered me with force, but I scattered them with my own arrows.

Verse 25 (3.172.25)

वध्यमानास्ततस्ते तु निवातकवचाः पुनः । शरवर्षैर्महद्भिर्मां समन्तात्पर्यवारयन् ॥

vadhyamānāstataste tu nivātakavacāḥ punaḥ | śaravarṣairmahadbhirmāṃ samantātparyavārayan

Struck down in this way, the Nivatakavachas again surrounded me on every side with mighty showers of arrows.

Verse 26 (3.172.26)

शरवेगान्निहत्याहमस्त्रैरस्त्रविघातिभिः । ज्वलद्भिः परमैः शीघ्रैस्तानविध्यं सहस्रशः ॥

śaravegānnihatyāhamastrairastravighātibhiḥ | jvaladbhiḥ paramaiḥ śīghraistānavidhyaṃ sahasraśaḥ

Striking down the force of their arrows with weapons that destroy weapons, I pierced them by the thousand with excellent, swift and blazing shafts.

Note on the text: Matches CE 3.167.25 (the automatic alignment had given that verse to verse 18, which nearly repeats it). अस्त्रविघातिभिः for the critical edition's śaravighātibhiḥ is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 27 (3.172.27)

तेषां छिन्नानि गात्राणि विसृजन्ति स्म शोणितम् । प्रावृषीवाभिवृष्टानि शृङ्गाण्यथ धराभृताम् ॥

teṣāṃ chinnāni gātrāṇi visṛjanti sma śoṇitam | prāvṛṣīvābhivṛṣṭāni śṛṅgāṇyatha dharābhṛtām

Their severed limbs poured out blood, like mountain peaks drenched by the rains of the monsoon.

Note on the text: Restored a missing word space (विसृजन्तिस्म → विसृजन्ति स्म).

Verse 28 (3.172.28)

इन्द्राशनिसमस्पर्शैर्वेगवद्भिरजिह्मगैः । मद्बाणैर्वध्यमानास्ते समुद्विग्नाः स्म दानवाः ॥

indrāśanisamasparśairvegavadbhirajihmagaiḥ | madbāṇairvadhyamānāste samudvignāḥ sma dānavāḥ

Struck by my swift, straight-flying arrows, whose touch was like Indra's thunderbolt, the danavas were thrown into dismay.

Note on the text: Corrected मद्वाणैः → मद्बाणैः (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब, the critical edition reads madbāṇair) and समुद्विग्राः → समुद्विग्नाः (misprint; ग्र for ग्न, the critical edition reads samudvignāḥ).

Verse 29 (3.172.29)

शतधा भिन्नदेहास्ते क्षीणप्रहरणौजसः । ततो निवातकवचा मामयुध्यन्त मायया ॥

śatadhā bhinnadehāste kṣīṇapraharaṇaujasaḥ | tato nivātakavacā māmayudhyanta māyayā

Their bodies split in a hundred places, their weapons and their strength spent, the Nivatakavachas then began to fight me with sorcery.