Arjuna Chooses to Fight the Samshaptakas

Verse 1 (7.27.1)

यन्मां पार्थस्य सङ्ग्रामे कर्माणि परिपृच्छसि । तच्छृणुष्व महाबाहो पार्थो यदकरोद्रणे ॥

yanmāṃ pārthasya saṅgrāme karmāṇi paripṛcchasi | tacchṛṇuṣva mahābāho pārtho yadakarodraṇe

You ask me about Partha's deeds in battle, O mighty-armed one; hear what Partha did in the fight.

Note on the text: Corrected तृच्छृणुष्व → तच्छृणुष्व (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct — the critical edition reads tac chṛṇuṣva). महाबाहो kept as a recension variant (critical edition: mahārāja).

Verse 2 (7.27.2)

रजो दृष्ट्वा समुद्भूतं श्रुत्वा च गजनिःस्वनम् । भगदत्ते विकुर्वाणे कौन्तेयः कृष्णमब्रवीत् ॥

rajo dṛṣṭvā samudbhūtaṃ śrutvā ca gajaniḥsvanam | bhagadatte vikurvāṇe kaunteyaḥ kṛṣṇamabravīt

Seeing the dust that had risen and hearing the trumpeting of elephants, as Bhagadatta wrought his varied feats, the son of Kunti said to Krishna:

Note on the text: भगदत्ते विकुर्वाणे kept as a recension variant (critical edition: bhajyatāṃ bhagadattena).

Verse 3 (7.27.3)

यथा प्राग्ज्योतिषो राजा गजेन मधुसूदन । त्वरमाणोऽभिनिष्क्रान्तो ध्रुवं तस्यैष निःस्वनः ॥

yathā prāgjyotiṣo rājā gajena madhusūdana | tvaramāṇo'bhiniṣkrānto dhruvaṃ tasyaiṣa niḥsvanaḥ

"O Madhusudana, King Pragjyotisha has surely gone forth in haste on his elephant, for this is certainly his sound."

Note on the text: Verses 3–9 are Arjuna's speech to Krishna: no heading is printed after the introductory verse 2, so the speaker is taken from the sense.

Verse 4 (7.27.4)

इन्द्रादनवरः सङ्ख्ये गजयानविशारदः । प्रथमो गजयोधानां पृथिव्यामिति मे मतिः ॥

indrādanavaraḥ saṅkhye gajayānaviśāradaḥ | prathamo gajayodhānāṃ pṛthivyāmiti me matiḥ

"In battle he is not inferior to Indra, and he is skilled in riding elephants; in my judgment he is the foremost of elephant-warriors on earth."

Note on the text: Corrected गजघोधानां → गजयोधानां (misprint in Wikisource; घो for यो). Line 2 is a recension variant (critical edition: prathamo vā dvitīyo vā pṛthivyām iti me matiḥ).

Verse 5 (7.27.5)

स चापि द्विरदश्रेष्ठः सदाऽप्रतिगजो युधि । सर्वशस्त्रातिगः सङ्ख्ये कृतकर्मा जितक्लमः ॥

sa cāpi dviradaśreṣṭhaḥ sadā'pratigajo yudhi | sarvaśastrātigaḥ saṅkhye kṛtakarmā jitaklamaḥ

"And his elephant too, the best of elephants, is always without a rival in battle, proof against every weapon, tried in action and untiring."

Verse 6 (7.27.6)

सहः शस्त्रनिपातानामग्निस्पर्शस्य चानघ । स पाण्डवबलं सर्वमद्यैको नाशयिष्यति ॥

sahaḥ śastranipātānāmagnisparśasya cānagha | sa pāṇḍavabalaṃ sarvamadyaiko nāśayiṣyati

"O sinless one, he can bear the fall of weapons and the touch of fire. Alone he will destroy the whole Pandava force today."

Note on the text: Corrected सस्त्रनिपातानाम् → शस्त्रनिपातानाम् (misprint in Wikisource; सस्त्र is not a word — the critical edition reads śastranipātānām). Removed a stray zero-width joiner inside पाण्डवबलं. स पाण्डवबलं सर्वमद्यैको kept as a recension variant (critical edition: vyaktam).

Verse 7 (7.27.7)

सिंहनादं महत्कृत्वा धनुर्बाणरवैः सह । विद्राव्यमाणं सम्पश्य हतभूयिष्ठनायकम् । दृष्ट्वा विनद्य सहसा मम सेनां प्रमृद्नति ॥

siṃhanādaṃ mahatkṛtvā dhanurbāṇaravaiḥ saha | vidrāvyamāṇaṃ sampaśya hatabhūyiṣṭhanāyakam | dṛṣṭvā vinadya sahasā mama senāṃ pramṛdnati

"Having raised a great lion's roar together with the twang of his bow and arrows, look: he is driving to flight the army whose leaders are mostly slain; and having roared, he suddenly tramples down my host."

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's constituted text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it in its apparatus as the star passage 7.26.6d*0203_01–03. Three lines. Corrected प्रमृद्गति → प्रमृद्नति (misprint in Wikisource; a mistyped द्न — the critical edition reads pramṛdnati). Removed the backtick and the closing quote mark the page prints around the lines.

Verse 8 (7.27.8)

न चावाभ्यामृतेऽन्योऽस्ति शक्तस्तं प्रतिबाधितुम् । त्वरमाणस्ततो याहि यतः प्राग्ज्योतिषाधिपः ॥

na cāvābhyāmṛte'nyo'sti śaktastaṃ pratibādhitum | tvaramāṇastato yāhi yataḥ prāgjyotiṣādhipaḥ

"Apart from the two of us, no one else is able to hold him back. So go quickly to where the lord of Pragjyotisha is."

Verse 9 (7.27.9)

दृप्तं सङ्ख्ये द्विपबलाद्वयसा चापि विस्मितम् । अद्यैनं प्रेषयिष्यामि बलहन्तुः प्रियातिथिम् ॥

dṛptaṃ saṅkhye dvipabalādvayasā cāpi vismitam | adyainaṃ preṣayiṣyāmi balahantuḥ priyātithim

"He is swollen with pride in battle on account of his elephant force, and vain of his age as well. Today I shall send him as a dear guest to the slayer of Bala."

Verse 10 (7.27.10)

वचनादथ कृष्णस्तु प्रययौ सव्यसाचिनः । दीर्यते भगदत्तेन यत्र पाण्डववाहिनी ॥

vacanādatha kṛṣṇastu prayayau savyasācinaḥ | dīryate bhagadattena yatra pāṇḍavavāhinī

At Savyasachin's word Krishna drove on to where Bhagadatta was tearing the Pandava host apart.

Verse 11 (7.27.11)

तं प्रयान्तं ततः पश्चादाह्वयन्तो महारथाः । संशप्तकाः समारोहन्सहस्राणि चतुर्दश ॥

taṃ prayāntaṃ tataḥ paścādāhvayanto mahārathāḥ | saṃśaptakāḥ samārohansahasrāṇi caturdaśa

As he went, great chariot-warriors, the Samshaptakas, fourteen thousand of them, closed in behind him, calling him to battle.

Verse 12 (7.27.12)

दशैव तु सहस्राणि त्रिगर्तानां महारथाः । चत्वारि च सहस्राणि वासुदेवस्य चानुगाः ॥

daśaiva tu sahasrāṇi trigartānāṃ mahārathāḥ | catvāri ca sahasrāṇi vāsudevasya cānugāḥ

Ten thousand of them were great warriors of the Trigartas, and four thousand were the followers of Vasudeva.

Verse 13 (7.27.13)

दीर्यमाणां चमूं दृष्ट्वा भगदत्तेन मारिष । आहूयमानस्य च तैरभवद्धृदयं द्विधा ॥

dīryamāṇāṃ camūṃ dṛṣṭvā bhagadattena māriṣa | āhūyamānasya ca tairabhavaddhṛdayaṃ dvidhā

Seeing his army being torn apart by Bhagadatta, and being challenged by these men, his heart, O sire, was divided in two.

Note on the text: Corrected मानिष → मारिष (misprint in Wikisource; the vocative māriṣa).

Verse 14 (7.27.14)

किन्नु श्रेयस्करं कर्म भवेदद्येत्यचिन्तयत् । इह वा विनिवर्तेयं गच्छेयं वा युधिष्ठिरम् ॥

kinnu śreyaskaraṃ karma bhavedadyetyacintayat | iha vā vinivarteyaṃ gaccheyaṃ vā yudhiṣṭhiram

"What would be the better course today?" he wondered. "Shall I turn back from here, or go to Yudhishthira?"

Verse 15 (7.27.15)

तस्य बुद्ध्या विचार्यैवमर्जुनस्य कुरूद्वह । अभवद्भूयसी बुद्धिः संशप्तकवधे स्थिरा ॥

tasya buddhyā vicāryaivamarjunasya kurūdvaha | abhavadbhūyasī buddhiḥ saṃśaptakavadhe sthirā

Having weighed it so in his mind, O scion of the Kurus, Arjuna's resolve grew stronger and became fixed on the slaying of the Samshaptakas.

Verse 16 (7.27.16)

स सन्निवृत्तः सहसा कपिप्रवरकेतनः । एको रथसहस्राणि निहन्तुं वासवी रणे ॥

sa sannivṛttaḥ sahasā kapipravaraketanaḥ | eko rathasahasrāṇi nihantuṃ vāsavī raṇe

Suddenly he turned back, Indra's son, whose banner bore the foremost of monkeys, to slay alone thousands of chariot-warriors in the battle.

Verse 17 (7.27.17)

सा हि दुर्योधनस्यासीन्मतिः कर्णस्य चोभयोः । अर्जुनस्य वधोपाये या वै द्वैधमकल्पयत् ॥

sā hi duryodhanasyāsīnmatiḥ karṇasya cobhayoḥ | arjunasya vadhopāye yā vai dvaidhamakalpayat

This was the design of both Duryodhana and Karna for bringing about Arjuna's death — the design that gave rise to his divided mind.

Verse 18 (7.27.18)

स तु दोलायमानोऽभूद्द्वैधीभावेन पाण्डवः । वधेन तु नराग्र्याणामकरोत्तां मृषा तदा ॥

sa tu dolāyamāno'bhūddvaidhībhāvena pāṇḍavaḥ | vadhena tu narāgryāṇāmakarottāṃ mṛṣā tadā

But the Pandava, wavering in his two minds, then made that design vain by the slaughter of the foremost of men.

Note on the text: Corrected दोलायमानोऽबूद् → दोलायमानोऽभूद् (misprint in Wikisource; the verb is भू).

Verse 19 (7.27.19)

ततः शतसहस्राणि शराणां नतपर्वणाम् । असृजन्नर्जुने राजन्संशप्तकमहारथाः ॥

tataḥ śatasahasrāṇi śarāṇāṃ nataparvaṇām | asṛjannarjune rājansaṃśaptakamahārathāḥ

Then, O king, the Samshaptaka great chariot-warriors loosed hundreds of thousands of straight-jointed arrows upon Arjuna.

Verse 20 (7.27.20)

नैव कुन्तीसुतः पार्थो नैव कृष्णो जनार्दनः । न हया न रथो राजन्दृश्यन्ते स्म शरैश्चिताः ॥

naiva kuntīsutaḥ pārtho naiva kṛṣṇo janārdanaḥ | na hayā na ratho rājandṛśyante sma śaraiścitāḥ

Neither Kunti's son Partha, nor Krishna Janardana, nor the horses, nor the chariot could be seen, O king, so thickly were they covered with arrows.

Verse 21 (7.27.21)

तदा मोहमनुप्राप्तः सिष्विदे हि जनार्दनः । ततस्तान्प्रायशः पार्थो ब्रह्मास्त्रेण निजघ्निवान् ॥

tadā mohamanuprāptaḥ siṣvide hi janārdanaḥ | tatastānprāyaśaḥ pārtho brahmāstreṇa nijaghnivān

Then Janardana, overcome by bewilderment, broke into a sweat; and Partha, with the Brahma weapon, killed most of them.

Note on the text: ब्रह्मास्त्रेण kept as a recension variant (critical edition: vajrāstreṇa); line 1 is also a variant (critical edition: yadā moham anuprāptaḥ sasvedaś ca janārdanaḥ).

Verse 22 (7.27.22)

शतशः पाणयश्छिन्नाः सेषुज्यातलकार्मुकाः । केतवो वाजिनः सूता रथिनश्चापतन्क्षितौ ॥

śataśaḥ pāṇayaśchinnāḥ seṣujyātalakārmukāḥ | ketavo vājinaḥ sūtā rathinaścāpatankṣitau

Hundreds of hands, cut off together with their arrows, bowstrings, gloves and bows, and banners, horses, charioteers and warriors fell to the ground.

Verse 23 (7.27.23)

द्रुमाचलाग्राम्बुधरैः समकायाः सुकल्पिताः । हतारोहाः क्षितौ पेतुर्द्विपाः पार्थशराहताः ॥

drumācalāgrāmbudharaiḥ samakāyāḥ sukalpitāḥ | hatārohāḥ kṣitau peturdvipāḥ pārthaśarāhatāḥ

Elephants, well equipped and with bodies like trees, mountain peaks and clouds, fell to the ground with their riders slain, struck down by Partha's arrows.

Verse 24 (7.27.24)

विप्रविद्धकुथा नागाश्छिन्नभाण्डाः परासवः । सारोहास्तु रणे पेतुर्मथिता मार्गणैर्भृशम् ॥

vipraviddhakuthā nāgāśchinnabhāṇḍāḥ parāsavaḥ | sārohāstu raṇe peturmathitā mārgaṇairbhṛśam

Elephants with their trappings torn and harness cut away fell lifeless in the battle together with their riders, crushed by the arrows.

Verse 25 (7.27.25)

सर्ष्टिप्रासासिनखराः समुद्गरपरश्वथाः । विच्छिन्ना बाहवः पेतुर्नृणां भल्लैः किरीटिना ॥

sarṣṭiprāsāsinakharāḥ samudgaraparaśvathāḥ | vicchinnā bāhavaḥ peturnṛṇāṃ bhallaiḥ kirīṭinā

Men's arms, with their spears, lances, swords, claw-blades, maces and axes, were cut off by Kiritin with broad-headed arrows and fell.

Verse 26 (7.27.26)

बालादित्याम्बुजेन्दूनां तुल्यरूपाणि मारिष । संच्छिन्नान्यर्जुनशरैः शिरांस्युर्वी प्रपेदिरे ॥

bālādityāmbujendūnāṃ tulyarūpāṇi māriṣa | saṃcchinnānyarjunaśaraiḥ śirāṃsyurvī prapedire

O sire, heads as lovely as the morning sun, lotuses and the moon, cut off by Arjuna's arrows, fell to the earth.

Verse 27 (7.27.27)

जज्वालालङ्कृता सेना पत्रिभिः प्राणिभोजनैः । नानारूपैस्तदाऽमित्रान्क्रुद्धेनिघ्नति फल्गुने ॥

jajvālālaṅkṛtā senā patribhiḥ prāṇibhojanaiḥ | nānārūpaistadā'mitrānkruddhenighnati phalgune

As Phalguna, enraged, struck down his foes, the army, studded with arrows of many forms that feed on living beings, seemed to blaze.

Note on the text: Printed run together as क्रुद्धेनिघ्नति (critical edition: kruddhe nighnati, 'as he, enraged, struck'); kept as printed.

Verse 28 (7.27.28)

क्षोभयन्तं तदा सेनां द्विरदं नलिनीमिव । धनञ्जयं भूतगणाः साधुसाध्वित्यपूजयन् ॥

kṣobhayantaṃ tadā senāṃ dviradaṃ nalinīmiva | dhanañjayaṃ bhūtagaṇāḥ sādhusādhvityapūjayan

As Dhananjaya stirred up the army as an elephant stirs a lotus pond, the hosts of beings honoured him, crying, "Well done! Well done!"

Verse 29 (7.27.29)

दृष्ट्वा तत्कर्म पार्थस्य वासवस्येव माधवः । विस्मयं परमं गत्वा प्राञ्जलिस्तमुवाच ह ॥

dṛṣṭvā tatkarma pārthasya vāsavasyeva mādhavaḥ | vismayaṃ paramaṃ gatvā prāñjalistamuvāca ha

Seeing that deed of Partha, which was like a deed of Vasava, Madhava was filled with the greatest wonder, and with folded hands he said to him:

Note on the text: Line 2 is a recension variant (critical edition 7.26.28c: talam āhatya pūjayat — Krishna slapped his hands in applause and honoured him). Krishna's words, which the page gives in verses 30–31, are in the critical edition only a star passage (7.26.28d*0207).

Verse 30 (7.27.30)

कर्मैतत्पार्थ शक्रेण यमेन धनदेन च । दुष्करं समरे यत्ते कृतमद्येति मे मतिः ॥

karmaitatpārtha śakreṇa yamena dhanadena ca | duṣkaraṃ samare yatte kṛtamadyeti me matiḥ

"Partha, this deed that you have done in the battle today would be hard even for Shakra, Yama and the giver of wealth. So I think."

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's constituted text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it in its apparatus as the star passage 7.26.28d*0207_01–02. The verse is Krishna's speech to Arjuna (no heading is printed, so the speaker is taken from the sense).

Verse 31 (7.27.31)

युगपच्चैव सङ्ग्रामे शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः । पतिता एव मे दृष्टाः संशप्तकमहारथाः ॥

yugapaccaiva saṅgrāme śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ | patitā eva me dṛṣṭāḥ saṃśaptakamahārathāḥ

"I have seen the Samshaptaka great charioteers fall all at once in the battle, by hundreds and thousands."

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's constituted text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it in its apparatus as the star passage 7.26.28d*0207_03–04.

Verse 32 (7.27.32)

संशप्तकांस्ततो हत्वा भूयिष्ठा ये व्यवस्थिताः । भगदत्ताय याहीति कृष्णं पार्थोऽभ्यनोदयत् ॥

saṃśaptakāṃstato hatvā bhūyiṣṭhā ye vyavasthitāḥ | bhagadattāya yāhīti kṛṣṇaṃ pārtho'bhyanodayat

Having slain the Samshaptakas, most of those who had stood their ground, Partha urged Krishna on: "Go to Bhagadatta."

Note on the text: Corresponds to the critical edition's 7.26.29 (the alignment listed that verse as unmatched), with variants: भूयिष्ठा for bhūyiṣṭhaṃ, पार्थोऽभ्यनोदयत् for pārthaḥ … acodayat.