Ashvatthama Looses the Brahmashiras

Verse 1 (10.13.1)

एवमुक्त्वा कुरुश्रेष्ठं सर्वयादवनन्दनः । सर्वायुधवरोपेतमारुरोह रथोत्तमम् ॥

evamuktvā kuruśreṣṭhaṃ sarvayādavanandanaḥ | sarvāyudhavaropetamāruroha rathottamam

Having spoken so to the best of the Kurus, the delight of all the Yadavas mounted his noble chariot, furnished with the finest weapons,

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment; the critical edition’s 10.13.1 (three lines, 1a, 1c, 1e) is this verse’s two lines (1a evam uktvā yudhāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ sarvayādavanandanaḥ; 1c sarvāyudhavaropetam āruroha mahāratham), the first with a recension variant (kuruśreṣṭham for yudhāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ).

Verse 2 (10.13.2)

युक्तं परमकाम्भोजैस्तुरगैर्हेममालिभिः । उदितादित्यसङ्काशं सर्वरत्नविभूषितम् ॥

yuktaṃ paramakāmbhojaisturagairhemamālibhiḥ | uditādityasaṅkāśaṃ sarvaratnavibhūṣitam

yoked to horses of the finest Kamboja breed, wearing golden garlands; the chariot shone like the risen sun and was adorned with every kind of jewel.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment; line 1 is the critical edition’s 10.13.1e (yuktaṃ paramakāmbojais turagair hemamālibhiḥ); line 2 corresponds in sense to 10.13.2a (ādityodayavarṇasya …), in different words.

Verse 3 (10.13.3)

दक्षिणे ह्यावहच्छैब्यः सुग्रीवः सव्यतो धुरम् । पार्ष्णिवाहौ तु तस्यास्तां मेघपुष्पबलाहकौ ॥

dakṣiṇe hyāvahacchaibyaḥ sugrīvaḥ savyato dhuram | pārṣṇivāhau tu tasyāstāṃ meghapuṣpabalāhakau

On the right Shaibya drew, and on the left Sugriva drew the yoke; and the two rear horses of that chariot were Meghapushpa and Balahaka.

Note on the text: Corrected णर्ष्णिवाहौ → पार्ष्णिवाहौ (misprint in Wikisource; ण for पा; the critical edition (10.13.2e) has pārṣṇivāhau). Not matched by the alignment; the two lines are the critical edition’s 10.13.2c (dakṣiṇām avahat sainyaḥ sugrīvaḥ savyato ’vahat) and 10.13.2e (pārṣṇivāhau tu tasyāstāṃ meghapuṣpabalāhakau), the first with a recension variant (śaibyaḥ for sainyaḥ).

Verse 4 (10.13.4)

विश्वकर्मकृता दिव्या रत्नधातुविभूषिता । उच्छ्रिता च रथे तस्मिन्ध्वजयष्टिरदृश्यत ॥

viśvakarmakṛtā divyā ratnadhātuvibhūṣitā | ucchritā ca rathe tasmindhvajayaṣṭiradṛśyata

The flagstaff, made by Vishvakarma, divine and adorned with jewels and minerals, was seen towering on that chariot.

Verse 5 (10.13.5)

वैनतेयः स्थितस्तस्यां प्रभामण्डलरश्मिवान् । तस्य सत्यवतः केतुर्भुजगारिरदृश्यत ॥

vainateyaḥ sthitastasyāṃ prabhāmaṇḍalaraśmivān | tasya satyavataḥ keturbhujagāriradṛśyata

On it stood Garuda, son of Vinata, ringed with a halo of rays; the enemy of serpents was seen as the banner of that keeper of truth.

Verse 6 (10.13.6)

अथारोहद्धृषीकेशः केतुः सर्वधनुष्मताम् । अर्जुनः स च धर्मात्मा कुरुराजो युधिष्ठिरः ॥

athārohaddhṛṣīkeśaḥ ketuḥ sarvadhanuṣmatām | arjunaḥ sa ca dharmātmā kururājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Then Hrishikesha mounted, and Arjuna, the banner of all bowmen, and the righteous Yudhishthira, king of the Kurus.

Verse 7 (10.13.7)

अशोभेतां महात्मानौ दाशार्हमभितः स्थितौ । रथस्थं शार्ङ्गधन्वानमश्विनाविव वासवम् ॥

aśobhetāṃ mahātmānau dāśārhamabhitaḥ sthitau | rathasthaṃ śārṅgadhanvānamaśvināviva vāsavam

Standing on either side of Dasharha, the two great-souled men shone like the two Ashvins beside Vasava seated in his chariot.

Verse 8 (10.13.8)

उभावारोप्य दाशार्हः स्यन्दनं लोकपूजितम् । प्रतोदेन जवोपेतान्परमाश्वानचोदयत् ॥

ubhāvāropya dāśārhaḥ syandanaṃ lokapūjitam | pratodena javopetānparamāśvānacodayat

Having set both of them in that chariot honoured by the world, Dasharha urged on the superb horses, swift as the wind, with his goad.

Verse 9 (10.13.9)

ते हयाः सहसोत्पेतुर्गृहीत्वा स्यन्दनोत्तमम् । आस्थितं पाण्डवेयाभ्यां यदूनामृषभेण च ॥

te hayāḥ sahasotpeturgṛhītvā syandanottamam | āsthitaṃ pāṇḍaveyābhyāṃ yadūnāmṛṣabheṇa ca

Carrying that best of chariots, on which the two Pandavas and the bull of the Yadus were standing, the horses sprang forward all at once.

Verse 10 (10.13.10)

वहतां शार्ङ्गधन्वानमश्वानां शीघ्रगामिनाम् । प्रादुरासीन्महाञ्शब्दः पक्षिणां पततामिव ॥

vahatāṃ śārṅgadhanvānamaśvānāṃ śīghragāminām | prādurāsīnmahāñśabdaḥ pakṣiṇāṃ patatāmiva

As those fast horses bore Sharngadhanvan along, a great sound arose, like that of birds in flight.

Verse 11 (10.13.11)

ते समर्था महाबाहुं क्षणेन भरतर्षभ । भीमसेनं महेष्वासमनुसस्रुः सुवेगिताः ॥

te samarthā mahābāhuṃ kṣaṇena bharatarṣabha | bhīmasenaṃ maheṣvāsamanusasruḥ suvegitāḥ

Those powerful ones, O best of the Bharatas, sped in a moment after the mighty-armed Bhimasena, the great archer.

Verse 12 (10.13.12)

क्रोधदीप्तं तु कौन्तेयं द्विषदर्थे समुद्यतम् । नाशक्नुवन्वारयितुं समेत्यापि महारथाः ॥

krodhadīptaṃ tu kaunteyaṃ dviṣadarthe samudyatam | nāśaknuvanvārayituṃ sametyāpi mahārathāḥ

Even coming up to him, the great chariot-warriors had not been able to hold back the son of Kunti, blazing with rage and set on his enemy.

Verse 13 (10.13.13)

स तेषामग्रतः शूरः श्रीमतां दृढधन्विनाम् । ययौ भागीरथीतीरं हरिभिर्भृशवेगितैः । यत्र स श्रूयते द्रौणिः पुत्रहन्ता दुरात्मवान् ॥

sa teṣāmagrataḥ śūraḥ śrīmatāṃ dṛḍhadhanvinām | yayau bhāgīrathītīraṃ haribhirbhṛśavegitaiḥ | yatra sa śrūyate drauṇiḥ putrahantā durātmavān

Ahead of those splendid, firm-bowed men, that hero went with his swift horses to the bank of the Bhagirathi, where Drona’s son, the evil-hearted slayer of his sons, was said to be.

Verse 14 (10.13.14)

स ददर्श महात्मानमुदकान्ते यशस्विनम् । कृष्णद्वैपायनं व्यासमासीनमृषिभिः सह ॥

sa dadarśa mahātmānamudakānte yaśasvinam | kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaṃ vyāsamāsīnamṛṣibhiḥ saha

There he saw the renowned, great-souled Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa, seated at the water’s edge among sages.

Verse 15 (10.13.15)

तं चैव क्रूरकर्माणं घृताक्तं कुशचीरिणम् । रजसा ध्वस्तमासीनं ददर्श द्रौणिमन्तिके ॥

taṃ caiva krūrakarmāṇaṃ ghṛtāktaṃ kuśacīriṇam | rajasā dhvastamāsīnaṃ dadarśa drauṇimantike

And close by him he saw Drona’s son, cruel in deed, smeared with ghee, clothed in a garment of kusha-grass, seated and covered with dust.

Verse 16 (10.13.16)

तमभ्यधावत्कौन्तेयः प्रगृह्य सशरं धनुः । भीमसेनो महाबाहुस्तिष्ठतिष्ठेति चाब्रवीत् ॥

tamabhyadhāvatkaunteyaḥ pragṛhya saśaraṃ dhanuḥ | bhīmaseno mahābāhustiṣṭhatiṣṭheti cābravīt

The son of Kunti, mighty-armed Bhimasena, rushed at him with his bow taken up and an arrow set to it, shouting, “Stand! Stand!”

Verse 17 (10.13.17)

तं दृष्ट्वा भीमकर्माणं प्रगृहीतशरासनम् । भ्रातरौ पृष्ठतश्चास्य जनार्दनरथे स्थितौ । व्यथितात्माऽभवद्द्रौणिः प्राप्तं चेदममन्यत ॥

taṃ dṛṣṭvā bhīmakarmāṇaṃ pragṛhītaśarāsanam | bhrātarau pṛṣṭhataścāsya janārdanarathe sthitau | vyathitātmā'bhavaddrauṇiḥ prāptaṃ cedamamanyata

Seeing Bhima of dreadful deeds with his bow raised, and the two brothers behind him standing in Janardana’s chariot, Drona’s son was shaken in spirit and thought that his end had come.

Verse 18 (10.13.18)

स तद्दिव्यमदीनात्मा परमास्त्रमचिन्तयत् । जग्राह च शरैषीकां द्रौणिः सव्येन पाणिना ॥

sa taddivyamadīnātmā paramāstramacintayat | jagrāha ca śaraiṣīkāṃ drauṇiḥ savyena pāṇinā

Undismayed, he called to mind that supreme divine weapon, and Drona’s son took up a reed-stalk in his left hand.

Note on the text: Corrected परमास्‌रमचिन्तयत् → परमास्त्रमचिन्तयत् (misprint in Wikisource; the त् of स्त्र is lost behind a zero-width joiner). Not matched by the alignment; the two lines are the critical edition’s 10.13.17a (sa tad divyam adīnātmā paramāstram acintayat) and 17c (jagrāha ca sa caiṣīkāṃ drauṇiḥ savyena pāṇinā), the second with a recension variant (jagrāha ca śaraiṣīkāṃ). The critical edition’s star line 17b*0061_01 is not on the page.

Verse 19 (10.13.19)

स तामापदमासाद्य दिव्यमस्त्रमुदैरयत् । अमृष्यमाणस्ताञ्छूरान्दिव्यायुधधरान्स्थितान् । अपाण्डवायेति रुषा वाचमुत्सृज्य दारुणम् ॥

sa tāmāpadamāsādya divyamastramudairayat | amṛṣyamāṇastāñchūrāndivyāyudhadharānsthitān | apāṇḍavāyeti ruṣā vācamutsṛjya dāruṇam

Having come to that extremity, he called up the divine weapon. Unable to bear the sight of those heroes standing there with their divine arms, he cried out in anger the dreadful words, “Let there be no Pandavas!”

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment; line 1 is the critical edition’s 10.13.17e (sa tām āpadam āsādya divyam astram udīrayat), and lines 2 and 3 are 10.13.18a (amṛṣyamāṇas tāñ śūrān divyāyudhadharān sthitān) and 18c (apāṇḍavāyeti ruṣā vyasṛjad dāruṇaṃ vacaḥ), the last with a recension variant (vācam utsṛjya for vyasṛjad … vacaḥ).

Verse 20 (10.13.20)

इत्युक्त्वा राजशार्दूल द्रोणपुत्रः प्रतापवान् । सर्वलोकप्रमोहार्थं तदस्त्रं प्रमुमोच ह ॥

ityuktvā rājaśārdūla droṇaputraḥ pratāpavān | sarvalokapramohārthaṃ tadastraṃ pramumoca ha

Having said this, O tiger among kings, the mighty son of Drona loosed that weapon to bewilder all the worlds.

Note on the text: Corrected तदस्‌रं → तदस्त्रं (misprint in Wikisource; the त् of स्त्र is lost behind a zero-width joiner).

Verse 21 (10.13.21)

ततस्तस्यामिषीकायां पावकः समजायत । प्रधक्ष्यन्निव लोकांस्त्रीन्कालान्तकयमोपमः ॥

tatastasyāmiṣīkāyāṃ pāvakaḥ samajāyata | pradhakṣyanniva lokāṃstrīnkālāntakayamopamaḥ

Then from that reed a fire sprang up, like Kala, Antaka and Yama, as though it would burn up the three worlds.

Note on the text: Corrected कालान्कयमोपमः → कालान्तकयमोपमः (misprint in Wikisource; the letters न्त are lost; the critical edition (10.13.20) has kālāntakayamopamaḥ).