The Fall of the Nivatakavachas

Verse 1 (3.174.1)

अदृश्यमानास्ते दैत्या योधयन्ति स्म मायया । अदृश्यानस्त्रवीर्येण तानप्यहमयोधयम् ॥

adṛśyamānāste daityā yodhayanti sma māyayā | adṛśyānastravīryeṇa tānapyahamayodhayam

Unseen, those daityas fought on by sorcery, and I too fought them, unseen as they were, by the power of my weapons.

Note on the text: Corrected अदृश्यनास्त्रवीर्येण → अदृश्यानस्त्रवीर्येण (misprint in Wikisource; misplaced vowel sign, the critical edition reads adṛśyān astravīryeṇa).

Verse 2 (3.174.2)

गाण्डीवमुक्ता विशिखाः सम्यगस्त्रप्रचोदिताः । अच्छिन्दन्नुत्तमाङ्गानि यत्रयत्र स्म तेऽभवन् ॥

gāṇḍīvamuktā viśikhāḥ samyagastrapracoditāḥ | acchindannuttamāṅgāni yatrayatra sma te'bhavan

Arrows loosed from the Gandiva, rightly guided by the weapon-spells, cut off their heads wherever they were.

Verse 3 (3.174.3)

ततो निवातकवचा वध्यमाना मया युधि । संहृत्य मायां सहसा प्राविशन्पुरमात्मनः ॥

tato nivātakavacā vadhyamānā mayā yudhi | saṃhṛtya māyāṃ sahasā prāviśanpuramātmanaḥ

Then the Nivatakavachas, being slain by me in battle, suddenly withdrew their sorcery and went back into their own city.

Note on the text: Corrected रमायां → मायां (misprint in Wikisource; stray र, the critical edition reads māyāṃ).

Verse 4 (3.174.4)

व्यपयातेषु दैत्येषु प्रादुर्भूते च दर्शने । अपश्यं दानवांस्तत्र हताञ्शतसहस्रशः ॥

vyapayāteṣu daityeṣu prādurbhūte ca darśane | apaśyaṃ dānavāṃstatra hatāñśatasahasraśaḥ

When the daityas had withdrawn and sight returned, I saw danavas lying slain there by the hundred thousand.

Verse 5 (3.174.5)

विनिष्पिष्टानि तत्रैषां शस्त्राण्याभरणानि च । शतशः स्म प्रदृश्यन्ते गात्राणि कवचानि च ॥

viniṣpiṣṭāni tatraiṣāṃ śastrāṇyābharaṇāni ca | śataśaḥ sma pradṛśyante gātrāṇi kavacāni ca

Their weapons and ornaments lay crushed there, and their limbs and armour could be seen in hundreds.

Note on the text: शतशः for the critical edition's kūṭaśaḥ is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 6 (3.174.6)

हयानां नान्तरं ह्यासीत्पदाद्विचलितुं पदम् । उत्पत्य सहसा तस्थुरन्तरिक्षगमास्ततः ॥

hayānāṃ nāntaraṃ hyāsītpadādvicalituṃ padam | utpatya sahasā tasthurantarikṣagamāstataḥ

There was no room for the horses to move even one step on from the last; so, being able to travel through the air, they leapt up at once and stood in the sky.

Verse 7 (3.174.7)

ततो निवातकवचा व्योम संछाद्य केवलम् । अदृश्या ह्यभ्यवर्तन्त विसृजन्तः शिलोच्चयान् ॥

tato nivātakavacā vyoma saṃchādya kevalam | adṛśyā hyabhyavartanta visṛjantaḥ śiloccayān

Then the Nivatakavachas, covering the whole sky and remaining unseen, came at me, hurling mountains.

Verse 8 (3.174.8)

अन्तर्भूमिगताश्चान्ये हयानां चरणानथ । व्यगृह्णन्दानवा घोरा रथचक्रे च भारत ॥

antarbhūmigatāścānye hayānāṃ caraṇānatha | vyagṛhṇandānavā ghorā rathacakre ca bhārata

Other dreadful danavas, who had gone beneath the ground, seized the horses' feet and the chariot's wheels, O Bharata.

Note on the text: व्यगृह्णन् and चरणानथ for the critical edition's nyagṛhṇan and caraṇāny atha are recension variants and are kept.

Verse 9 (3.174.9)

विनिगृह्य हयांश्चान्ये रथं च मम युध्यतः । सर्वतो मामविध्यन्त सरथं धरणीधरैः ॥

vinigṛhya hayāṃścānye rathaṃ ca mama yudhyataḥ | sarvato māmavidhyanta sarathaṃ dharaṇīdharaiḥ

Holding fast my horses and my chariot as I fought, others pelted me on every side, chariot and all, with mountains.

Note on the text: हयांश्चान्ये and अविध्यन्त for the critical edition's harīn aśvān and acinvanta are recension variants and are kept.

Verse 10 (3.174.10)

पर्वतैरुपचीयद्भिः पतद्भिश्च तथाऽपरैः । स देशो यत्र वर्तामि गुहेव समपद्यत ॥

parvatairupacīyadbhiḥ patadbhiśca tathā'paraiḥ | sa deśo yatra vartāmi guheva samapadyata

With mountains piling up and others falling, the place where I stood became like a cave.

Note on the text: Restored a missing word space (यत्रवर्तामि → यत्र वर्तामि). पतद्भिः and वर्तामि for the critical edition's patamānaiḥ and vartāma are recension variants and are kept.

Verse 11 (3.174.11)

पर्वतैश्छाद्यमानोऽहं निगृहीतैश्च वाजिभिः । अगच्छं परमामार्तिं मातलिस्तदलक्षयत् ॥

parvataiśchādyamāno'haṃ nigṛhītaiśca vājibhiḥ | agacchaṃ paramāmārtiṃ mātalistadalakṣayat

Covered by mountains, with my horses held fast, I fell into great distress, and Matali saw it.

Note on the text: Corrected पर्वतैश्चाद्यमानोऽहं → पर्वतैश्छाद्यमानोऽहं (misprint in Wikisource; च for छ, which yields no word; the critical edition reads parvataiś chādyamāno).

Verse 12 (3.174.12)

लक्षयित्वा च मां भीतमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् । अर्जुनार्जुन मा भैस्त्वं वज्रमस्त्रमुदीरय ॥

lakṣayitvā ca māṃ bhītamidaṃ vacanamabravīt | arjunārjuna mā bhaistvaṃ vajramastramudīraya

Seeing that I was afraid, he said these words: "Arjuna, Arjuna, do not be afraid! Invoke the Vajra weapon."

Note on the text: Corrected आर्जुनार्जुन → अर्जुनार्जुन (misprint in Wikisource; आ for अ, the critical edition reads arjunārjuna).

Verse 13 (3.174.13)

ततोऽहं तस्य तद्वाक्यं श्रुत्वा वज्रमुदीरयम् । देवराजस्य दयितं वज्रमस्त्रं नराधिप ॥

tato'haṃ tasya tadvākyaṃ śrutvā vajramudīrayam | devarājasya dayitaṃ vajramastraṃ narādhipa

Then, O lord of men, hearing his words, I invoked the Vajra, the weapon dear to the king of the gods.

Note on the text: Corrected देवराजस् → देवराजस्य (misprint in Wikisource; truncated ending, the critical edition reads devarājasya).

Verse 14 (3.174.14)

अचलं स्थानमासाद्य गाण्डीवमनुमन्त्र्य च । अमुञ्चं वज्रसंस्पर्शानायतान्निशिताञ्शरान् ॥

acalaṃ sthānamāsādya gāṇḍīvamanumantrya ca | amuñcaṃ vajrasaṃsparśānāyatānniśitāñśarān

Taking a firm stance and charging the Gandiva with mantras, I loosed long, sharp arrows whose touch was like the thunderbolt.

Note on the text: Corrected निशिताञ्सरान् → निशिताञ्शरान् (misprint in Wikisource; स for श, the critical edition reads śarān). आयतान् (long) for the critical edition's āyasān (iron) is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 15 (3.174.15)

ततो मायाश्च ताः सर्वा निवातकवचांश्च तान् । ते वज्रचोदिता बाणा वज्रभूताः समाविशन् ॥

tato māyāśca tāḥ sarvā nivātakavacāṃśca tān | te vajracoditā bāṇā vajrabhūtāḥ samāviśan

Those arrows, sped by the Vajra and turned into thunderbolts themselves, entered all those illusions and the Nivatakavachas too.

Note on the text: Corrected मायाश् → मायाश्च (misprint in Wikisource; dropped च, the critical edition reads māyāś ca) and रसमाविशन् → समाविशन् (misprint; stray र, the critical edition reads samāviśan).

Verse 16 (3.174.16)

ते वज्रवेगविहता दानवाः पर्वतोपमाः । इतरेतरमाश्लिष्य न्यपतन्पृथिवीतले ॥

te vajravegavihatā dānavāḥ parvatopamāḥ | itaretaramāśliṣya nyapatanpṛthivītale

Struck down by the force of the Vajra, the danavas, huge as mountains, fell to the ground clinging to one another.

Verse 17 (3.174.17)

अन्तर्भूमौ च येऽगृह्णन्दानवा रथवाजिनः । अनुप्रविश्य तान्बाणाः प्राहिण्वन्यमसादनम् ॥

antarbhūmau ca ye'gṛhṇandānavā rathavājinaḥ | anupraviśya tānbāṇāḥ prāhiṇvanyamasādanam

As for the danavas who had seized the chariot's horses from beneath the ground, the arrows went in after them and sent them to the abode of Yama.

Note on the text: Corrected वाणाः → बाणाः (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब, the critical edition reads bāṇāḥ).

Verse 18 (3.174.18)

हतैर्निवातकवचैर्निरस्तैः पर्वतोपमैः । समाच्छाद्यत देशः स विकीर्णैरिव पर्वतैः ॥

hatairnivātakavacairnirastaiḥ parvatopamaiḥ | samācchādyata deśaḥ sa vikīrṇairiva parvataiḥ

With the slain Nivatakavachas, huge as mountains, flung about, the place was covered as though with scattered mountains.

Verse 19 (3.174.19)

न हयानां क्षतिः काचिन्न रथस्य न मातलेः । मम चादृश्यत तदा तदद्भुतमिवाभवत् ॥

na hayānāṃ kṣatiḥ kācinna rathasya na mātaleḥ | mama cādṛśyata tadā tadadbhutamivābhavat

No harm at all could be seen to the horses, to the chariot, to Matali or to me; it seemed a wonder.

Note on the text: Corrected रथस् → रथस्य (misprint in Wikisource; truncated ending, the critical edition reads rathasya).

Verse 20 (3.174.20)

ततो मां प्रहसन्राजन्मातलिः प्रत्यभाषत । नैतदर्जुन देवेषु त्वयि वीर्यं यदीक्ष्यते ॥

tato māṃ prahasanrājanmātaliḥ pratyabhāṣata | naitadarjuna deveṣu tvayi vīryaṃ yadīkṣyate

Then, O king, Matali laughed and said to me: "Arjuna, the prowess that is seen in you is not found even among the gods."

Verse 21 (3.174.21)

हतेष्वसुरसङ्घेषु दारास्तेषां तु सर्वशः । प्राक्रोशन्नगरे तस्मिन्यथा शरदि लक्ष्मणाः ॥

hateṣvasurasaṅgheṣu dārāsteṣāṃ tu sarvaśaḥ | prākrośannagare tasminyathā śaradi lakṣmaṇāḥ

When the hosts of asuras had been slain, their wives all wailed in that city like cranes in autumn.

Verse 22 (3.174.22)

ततो मातलिना सार्धमहं तत्पुरमभ्ययाम् । त्रासयन्रथघोषेण निवातकवचस्त्रियः ॥

tato mātalinā sārdhamahaṃ tatpuramabhyayām | trāsayanrathaghoṣeṇa nivātakavacastriyaḥ

Then I went with Matali to that city, terrifying the women of the Nivatakavachas with the rumble of the chariot.

Verse 23 (3.174.23)

तान्दृष्ट्वा दशसाहस्रान्मयूरसदृशान्हयान् । रथं च रविसंकाशं प्राद्रवन्गणशः स्त्रियः ॥

tāndṛṣṭvā daśasāhasrānmayūrasadṛśānhayān | rathaṃ ca ravisaṃkāśaṃ prādravangaṇaśaḥ striyaḥ

Seeing those ten thousand horses, like peacocks, and the chariot bright as the sun, the women fled in crowds.

Verse 24 (3.174.24)

ताभिराभरणैः शब्दस्त्रासिताभिः समीरितः । शिलानामिव शैलेषु पतन्तीनामभूत्तदा ॥

tābhirābharaṇaiḥ śabdastrāsitābhiḥ samīritaḥ | śilānāmiva śaileṣu patantīnāmabhūttadā

The sound raised by the ornaments of those terrified women was like that of rocks falling on mountains.

Verse 25 (3.174.25)

वित्रस्ता दैत्यनार्यस्ताः स्वानि वेश्मान्यथाविशन् । बहुरत्नविचित्राणि शातकुम्भमयानि च ॥

vitrastā daityanāryastāḥ svāni veśmānyathāviśan | bahuratnavicitrāṇi śātakumbhamayāni ca

Those terrified daitya women went into their own houses, which were bright with many jewels and made of gold.

Verse 26 (3.174.26)

तदद्भुताकारमहं दृष्ट्वा नगरमुत्तमम् । विशिष्टं देवनगरादपृच्छं मातलिं ततः ॥

tadadbhutākāramahaṃ dṛṣṭvā nagaramuttamam | viśiṣṭaṃ devanagarādapṛcchaṃ mātaliṃ tataḥ

Seeing that excellent city of wondrous form, finer even than the city of the gods, I then asked Matali:

Verse 27 (3.174.27)

इदमेवंविधं कस्माद्देवता न विशन्त्युत । पुरंदरपुराद्धीदं विशिष्टमिति लक्षये ॥

idamevaṃvidhaṃ kasmāddevatā na viśantyuta | puraṃdarapurāddhīdaṃ viśiṣṭamiti lakṣaye

"Why do the gods not dwell in a city such as this? For I see that it surpasses even the city of Purandara."

Verse 28 (3.174.28)

आसीदिदं पुरा पार्थ देवराजस्य नः पुरम् । ततो निवातकवचैरितः प्रच्याविताः सुराः ॥

āsīdidaṃ purā pārtha devarājasya naḥ puram | tato nivātakavacairitaḥ pracyāvitāḥ surāḥ

Long ago, Partha, this was the city of our king of the gods. Then the gods were driven out of it by the Nivatakavachas.

Note on the text: Speaker: Matali's reply fills verses 28–34; Wikisource prints no heading before it (it prints the heading for Arjuna again before verse 35).

Verse 29 (3.174.29)

तपस्तप्त्वा महत्तीव्रं प्रसाद्य च पितामहम् । इदं वृतं निवासाय देवेभ्यश्चाभयं युधि ॥

tapastaptvā mahattīvraṃ prasādya ca pitāmaham | idaṃ vṛtaṃ nivāsāya devebhyaścābhayaṃ yudhi

Having practised great and severe austerities and won the favour of the Grandsire, they chose this city as their dwelling, and freedom from fear of the gods in battle.

Note on the text: Speaker: Matali's reply fills verses 28–34; Wikisource prints no heading before it (it prints the heading for Arjuna again before verse 35).

Verse 30 (3.174.30)

ततः शक्रेण भगवान्स्वयंभूरभिचोदितः । विधत्तां भगवानत्रेत्यात्मनो हितकाम्यया ॥

tataḥ śakreṇa bhagavānsvayaṃbhūrabhicoditaḥ | vidhattāṃ bhagavānatretyātmano hitakāmyayā

Then Shakra, seeking his own good, urged the blessed Self-born One: "Let the Lord ordain something in this matter."

Note on the text: Speaker: Matali's reply fills verses 28–34; Wikisource prints no heading before it (it prints the heading for Arjuna again before verse 35).

Verse 31 (3.174.31)

तत उक्तो भगवता दिष्टमत्रेति भारत । भवितान्तस्त्वमप्येषां देहेनान्येन वृत्रहन् ॥

tata ukto bhagavatā diṣṭamatreti bhārata | bhavitāntastvamapyeṣāṃ dehenānyena vṛtrahan

Then, O Bharata, the Lord told him, "This is what is ordained: you too, slayer of Vritra, will be their end, in another body."

Note on the text: भारत and त्वमप्येषां for the critical edition's vāsavaḥ and tvam evaiṣāṃ are recension variants and are kept. Speaker: Matali's reply fills verses 28–34; Wikisource prints no heading before it (it prints the heading for Arjuna again before verse 35).

Verse 32 (3.174.32)

तत एषां वधार्थाय शक्रोऽस्त्राणि ददौ तव । न हि शक्याः सुरैर्हन्तुं य एते निहतास्त्वया ॥

tata eṣāṃ vadhārthāya śakro'strāṇi dadau tava | na hi śakyāḥ surairhantuṃ ya ete nihatāstvayā

So it was for their destruction that Shakra gave you the weapons; for the gods could not slay those whom you have slain.

Note on the text: Speaker: Matali's reply fills verses 28–34; Wikisource prints no heading before it (it prints the heading for Arjuna again before verse 35).

Verse 33 (3.174.33)

कालस्य परिणामेन ततस्त्वमिह भारत । एषामन्तकरः प्राप्तस्तत्त्वया च कृतं तथा ॥

kālasya pariṇāmena tatastvamiha bhārata | eṣāmantakaraḥ prāptastattvayā ca kṛtaṃ tathā

In the course of time, O Bharata, you have come here to bring about their end, and you have done just that.

Note on the text: Speaker: Matali's reply fills verses 28–34; Wikisource prints no heading before it (it prints the heading for Arjuna again before verse 35).

Verse 34 (3.174.34)

दानवानां विनाशार्थं महास्त्राणां महद्बलम् । ग्राहितस्त्वं महेन्द्रेण पुरुषेन्द्र तदुत्तमम् ॥

dānavānāṃ vināśārthaṃ mahāstrāṇāṃ mahadbalam | grāhitastvaṃ mahendreṇa puruṣendra taduttamam

It was for the destruction of the danavas, O best of men, that the great Indra made you master the supreme might of the great weapons.

Note on the text: Speaker: Matali's reply fills verses 28–34; Wikisource prints no heading before it (it prints the heading for Arjuna again before verse 35).

Verse 35 (3.174.35)

ततः प्रशाम्य नगरं दानवांश्च निहत्य तान् । पुनर्मातलिना सार्धमगमं देवसद्म तत् ॥

tataḥ praśāmya nagaraṃ dānavāṃśca nihatya tān | punarmātalinā sārdhamagamaṃ devasadma tat

Then, having surveyed the city thoroughly and slain those danavas, I went back with Matali to the abode of the gods.

Note on the text: Wikisource prints the speaker heading as उर्जुन उवाच, a misprint for अर्जुन उवाच; the speaker is Arjuna. प्रशाम्य (glossed in Wikisource's own note as "having surveyed thoroughly") and अगमं for the critical edition's praviśya and agacchaṃ are recension variants and are kept.