The Terrible Being at the Gate; Ashvatthama Turns to Shiva

Verse 1 (10.6.1)

द्वारदेशे ततो द्रौणिमवस्थितमवेक्ष्य तौ । अकुर्वतां भोजकृपौ किं सञ्जय वदस्व मे ॥

dvāradeśe tato drauṇimavasthitamavekṣya tau | akurvatāṃ bhojakṛpau kiṃ sañjaya vadasva me

When Drona's son stood at the gate, what did the two of them, Bhoja and Kripa, do on seeing him? Tell me, Sanjaya.

Note on the text: Speaker per the page's heading (धृतराष्ट्र उवाच); CE 10.6.1 has the same.

Verse 2 (10.6.2)

कृतवर्माणमामन्त्र्य कृपं च स महारथः । द्रौणिर्मन्युपरीतात्मा शिबिरद्वारमासदत् ॥

kṛtavarmāṇamāmantrya kṛpaṃ ca sa mahārathaḥ | drauṇirmanyuparītātmā śibiradvāramāsadat

Having taken leave of Kritavarman and Kripa, that great warrior, Drona's son, his heart full of fury, came to the gate of the camp.

Note on the text: Wikisource's heading reads 'स़ञ्जय' (stray nukta); read as सञ्जय.

Verse 3 (10.6.3)

तत्र भूतं महाकायं चन्द्रार्कसदृशद्युतिम् । सोऽपश्यद्द्वारमावृत्य तिष्ठन्तं रोमहर्षणम् ॥

tatra bhūtaṃ mahākāyaṃ candrārkasadṛśadyutim | so'paśyaddvāramāvṛtya tiṣṭhantaṃ romaharṣaṇam

There he saw a huge being, radiant as the moon and the sun, standing and blocking the gateway, a sight to make the hair stand on end.

Verse 4 (10.6.4)

वसानं चर्म वैयाघ्रं वसारुधिरविस्रवम् । कृष्णाजिनोत्तरासङ्गं नागयज्ञोपवीतिनम् ॥

vasānaṃ carma vaiyāghraṃ vasārudhiravisravam | kṛṣṇājinottarāsaṅgaṃ nāgayajñopavītinam

It wore a tiger's hide dripping with fat and blood, a black antelope skin as its upper garment, and a snake for its sacred thread.

Verse 5 (10.6.5)

बाहुभिः स्वायतैर्भीमैर्नानाप्रहरणोद्यतैः । बद्धाङ्गदमहासर्पं ज्वालामालाकुलाननम् ॥

bāhubhiḥ svāyatairbhīmairnānāpraharaṇodyataiḥ | baddhāṅgadamahāsarpaṃ jvālāmālākulānanam

Its long, huge arms were raised with many weapons; great serpents were bound on them as armlets, and its face was ringed with garlands of flame.

Verse 6 (10.6.6)

दंष्ट्राकरालवदनं व्यादितास्यं भयानकम् । नयनानां सहस्रैश्च विचित्रैरभिभूषितम् ॥

daṃṣṭrākarālavadanaṃ vyāditāsyaṃ bhayānakam | nayanānāṃ sahasraiśca vicitrairabhibhūṣitam

Its mouth was terrible with tusks and gaping wide, a frightening sight, and it was adorned with thousands of strange eyes.

Verse 7 (10.6.7)

नैव तस्य वपुः शक्यं प्रवक्तुं वेष एव च । सर्वथा तु तदालक्ष्य स्फुटेयुरपि पर्वताः ॥

naiva tasya vapuḥ śakyaṃ pravaktuṃ veṣa eva ca | sarvathā tu tadālakṣya sphuṭeyurapi parvatāḥ

Neither its body nor its dress could be described; at the mere sight of it even mountains would have split open.

Verse 8 (10.6.8)

तस्यास्यनासिकाभ्यां च श्रवणाभ्यां च सर्वशः । तेभ्यश्चाक्षिसहस्रेभ्यः प्रादुरासन्महार्चिषः ॥

tasyāsyanāsikābhyāṃ ca śravaṇābhyāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ | tebhyaścākṣisahasrebhyaḥ prādurāsanmahārciṣaḥ

From its mouth, its nostrils and its ears on every side, and from those thousand eyes, great flames burst forth.

Verse 9 (10.6.9)

तथा तेजोमरीचिभ्यः शङ्खचक्रगदाधराः । प्रादुरासन्हृषीकेशाः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ॥

tathā tejomarīcibhyaḥ śaṅkhacakragadādharāḥ | prādurāsanhṛṣīkeśāḥ śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ

And from the rays of its radiance there appeared, in hundreds and thousands, Hrishikeshas bearing conch, discus and mace.

Verse 10 (10.6.10)

तदत्यद्भुतमालोक्य भूतं लोकभयङ्करम् । द्रौणिरव्यथितो दिव्यैरस्त्रवर्षैरवाकिरत् ॥

tadatyadbhutamālokya bhūtaṃ lokabhayaṅkaram | drauṇiravyathito divyairastravarṣairavākirat

Seeing that most marvellous being, a terror to the world, Drona's son, unshaken, covered it with showers of divine missiles.

Verse 11 (10.6.11)

द्रौणिमुक्ताञ्छरांस्तांस्तु तद्भूतं महदग्रसत् । उदधेरिव वार्योघान्पावको बडबामुखः ॥

drauṇimuktāñcharāṃstāṃstu tadbhūtaṃ mahadagrasat | udadheriva vāryoghānpāvako baḍabāmukhaḥ

But that great being swallowed the arrows loosed by Drona's son, as the submarine fire swallows the floods of the ocean.

Verse 12 (10.6.12)

अश्वत्थामा तु सम्प्रेक्ष्य शरौघांस्तान्निरर्थकान् । रथशक्तिं मुमोचास्मै दीप्तामग्निशिखामिव ॥

aśvatthāmā tu samprekṣya śaraughāṃstānnirarthakān | rathaśaktiṃ mumocāsmai dīptāmagniśikhāmiva

Seeing those floods of arrows come to nothing, Ashvatthama hurled at it a chariot-spear, blazing like a tongue of fire.

Verse 13 (10.6.13)

सा तमाहत्य दीप्ताग्रा रथशक्तिरदीर्यत । युगान्ते सूर्यमाहत्य महोल्केव दिवश्च्युता ॥

sā tamāhatya dīptāgrā rathaśaktiradīryata | yugānte sūryamāhatya maholkeva divaścyutā

Striking it, that spear with its blazing point shattered, like a great meteor that has struck the sun at the end of an age and falls from the sky.

Verse 14 (10.6.14)

अथ हेमत्सरुं दिव्यं खङ्गमाकाशवर्चसम् । कोशात्समुद्बबर्हाशु बिलाद्दीप्तमिवोरगम् ॥

atha hematsaruṃ divyaṃ khaṅgamākāśavarcasam | kośātsamudbabarhāśu bilāddīptamivoragam

Then he quickly drew from its sheath a divine sword with a golden hilt, bright as the sky, like a gleaming serpent from its hole.

Verse 15 (10.6.15)

ततः खङ्गवरं धीमान्भूताय प्राहिणोत्तदा । स तदासाद्य भूतं वै विलयं तूलवद्ययौ ॥

tataḥ khaṅgavaraṃ dhīmānbhūtāya prāhiṇottadā | sa tadāsādya bhūtaṃ vai vilayaṃ tūlavadyayau

Then the wise one hurled that excellent sword at the being; but on reaching it, the sword vanished like cotton.

Verse 16 (10.6.16)

ततः स कुपितो द्रौणिरिन्द्रकेतुनिभां गदाम् । ज्वलन्तीं प्राहिणोत्तस्मै भूतं तामपि चाग्रसत् ॥

tataḥ sa kupito drauṇirindraketunibhāṃ gadām | jvalantīṃ prāhiṇottasmai bhūtaṃ tāmapi cāgrasat

Then Drona's son, enraged, hurled at it a blazing mace like Indra's banner; the being swallowed that too.

Verse 17 (10.6.17)

ततः सर्वायुधाभावे वीक्षमाणस्ततस्ततः । अपश्यत्कृतमाकाशमनाकाशं जनार्दनैः ॥

tataḥ sarvāyudhābhāve vīkṣamāṇastatastataḥ | apaśyatkṛtamākāśamanākāśaṃ janārdanaiḥ

Then, all his weapons gone, looking about on every side, he saw the sky made spaceless, filled with Janardanas.

Verse 18 (10.6.18)

तदद्भुततमं दृष्ट्वा द्रोणपुत्रो निरायुधः । अचिन्तयत्सुसन्त्रस्तः कृपभोजवचः स्मरन् ॥

tadadbhutatamaṃ dṛṣṭvā droṇaputro nirāyudhaḥ | acintayatsusantrastaḥ kṛpabhojavacaḥ smaran

Seeing that most wondrous sight, Drona's son, weaponless and greatly alarmed, began to reflect, remembering the words of Kripa and Bhoja.

Note on the text: Page reads अचिन्तयत् ('began to reflect'); the CE has abravīt ('said', 10.6.18c), a recension variant. Verses 19-34 are his unspoken thoughts, so they stay with Sanjaya as narrator.

Verse 19 (10.6.19)

ब्रुवतामप्रियं पथ्यं सुहृदां न शृणोति यः । स शोचत्यापदं प्राप्य यथाऽहमवमत्य तौ ॥

bruvatāmapriyaṃ pathyaṃ suhṛdāṃ na śṛṇoti yaḥ | sa śocatyāpadaṃ prāpya yathā'hamavamatya tau

A man who will not listen to friends when they tell him what is unwelcome but good grieves when calamity falls on him, as I do, having slighted those two.

Note on the text: Corrected शृमोति → शृणोति (misprint in Wikisource; ण→म; CE śṛṇoti). Corrected थाऽहम → यथाऽहम (misprint in Wikisource; the syllable य is dropped; CE yathāham).

Verse 20 (10.6.20)

शास्त्रदृष्टानविद्वान्यः समतीत्य जिघांसति । स पथः प्रच्युतो धर्म्यात्कुपथे प्रतिहन्यते ॥

śāstradṛṣṭānavidvānyaḥ samatītya jighāṃsati | sa pathaḥ pracyuto dharmyātkupathe pratihanyate

The ignorant man who oversteps what the scriptures lay down and seeks to kill falls from the path of dharma and is struck down on an evil road.

Verse 21 (10.6.21)

गोब्राह्मणनृपस्त्रीषु सख्युर्मातुर्गुरोस्तथा । वृद्धबालजडान्धेषु सुप्तभीतोत्थितेषु च ॥

gobrāhmaṇanṛpastrīṣu sakhyurmāturgurostathā | vṛddhabālajaḍāndheṣu suptabhītotthiteṣu ca

Cows, brahmanas, kings, women, a friend, a mother, a teacher, the old, children, the dull-witted and the blind, those asleep, those in fear, those who have just risen,

Verse 22 (10.6.22)

मत्तोन्मत्तप्रमत्तेषु न शस्त्राणि च पातयेत् । इत्येवं गुरुभिः पूर्वमुपदिष्टं नृणां सदा ॥

mattonmattapramatteṣu na śastrāṇi ca pātayet | ityevaṃ gurubhiḥ pūrvamupadiṣṭaṃ nṛṇāṃ sadā

the drunk, the mad, and the careless: against these one must not let weapons fall. So the elders have always taught men.

Note on the text: Corrected मातयेत् → पातयेत् (misprint in Wikisource; म for प; 'let weapons fall'; CE reads a different verb, upadhārayet, but the sense is the same).

Verse 23 (10.6.23)

सोऽहमुत्क्रम्य पन्थानं शास्त्रदृष्टं सनातनम् । अमार्गेणैवमारभ्य घोरामापदमागतः ॥

so'hamutkramya panthānaṃ śāstradṛṣṭaṃ sanātanam | amārgeṇaivamārabhya ghorāmāpadamāgataḥ

Such as I am, I have left the age-old road the scriptures show, begun by a wrong path, and fallen into a dreadful calamity.

Verse 24 (10.6.24)

तां चापदं घोरतरां प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः । यदुद्यम्य महत्कृत्यं भयादपि निवर्तते ॥

tāṃ cāpadaṃ ghoratarāṃ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ | yadudyamya mahatkṛtyaṃ bhayādapi nivartate

And the wise call that calamity the more dreadful, when a man who has taken up a great task turns back from it out of fear.

Verse 25 (10.6.25)

अशक्यं चैव कः कर्तुं शक्तः शक्तिबलादिह । न हि दैवाद्गरीयो वै मानुष्यं किञ्चिदिष्यते ॥

aśakyaṃ caiva kaḥ kartuṃ śaktaḥ śaktibalādiha | na hi daivādgarīyo vai mānuṣyaṃ kiñcidiṣyate

Who, by the strength of his own power, can accomplish here what cannot be done? Nothing human is held to be greater than fate.

Verse 26 (10.6.26)

मानुष्यं कुर्वतः कर्म यदि दैवान्न सिध्यति । स पथः प्रच्युतो धर्म्याद्विपदं प्रतिपद्यते ॥

mānuṣyaṃ kurvataḥ karma yadi daivānna sidhyati | sa pathaḥ pracyuto dharmyādvipadaṃ pratipadyate

If a man doing human work finds it does not succeed because of fate, then, fallen from the path of dharma, he meets with disaster.

Verse 27 (10.6.27)

प्रतिज्ञानं ह्यविज्ञानं प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः । यदारभ्य क्रियां काञ्चिद्भयादिह निवर्तते ॥

pratijñānaṃ hyavijñānaṃ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ | yadārabhya kriyāṃ kāñcidbhayādiha nivartate

The wise say that a vow is mere want of understanding when a man, having begun some undertaking, turns back from it here out of fear.

Verse 28 (10.6.28)

तदिदं दुष्प्रणीतेन भयं मां समुपस्थितम् । न हि द्रोणसुतः सङ्ख्ये निवर्तेत कथञ्चन ॥

tadidaṃ duṣpraṇītena bhayaṃ māṃ samupasthitam | na hi droṇasutaḥ saṅkhye nivarteta kathañcana

So this fear has come upon me through ill-judged action; for Drona's son would never turn back from battle in any way.

Note on the text: Corrected मा समुपस्थितम् → मां समुपस्थितम् (misprint in Wikisource; the anusvara is dropped, leaving no object for the verb; CE māṃ).

Verse 29 (10.6.29)

इदं च सुमहद्भूतं दैवदण्डमिवोद्यतम् । न चैतदभिजानामि चिन्तयन्नपि सर्वथा ॥

idaṃ ca sumahadbhūtaṃ daivadaṇḍamivodyatam | na caitadabhijānāmi cintayannapi sarvathā

And this vast being, raised up like the rod of fate, I cannot make out at all, however I ponder it.

Verse 30 (10.6.30)

ध्रुवं येयमधर्मेण प्रहिता कलुषा मतिः । तस्याः फलमिदं घोरं प्रतिघाताय कल्पते ॥

dhruvaṃ yeyamadharmeṇa prahitā kaluṣā matiḥ | tasyāḥ phalamidaṃ ghoraṃ pratighātāya kalpate

Surely this dreadful thing is the fruit of the sinful intent that I sent forth in unrighteousness, and it has come to thwart me.

Verse 31 (10.6.31)

तदिदं दैवविहितं मम सङ्ख्ये निवर्तनम् । नान्यत्र दैवादुद्यन्तुमिह शक्यं कथञ्चन ॥

tadidaṃ daivavihitaṃ mama saṅkhye nivartanam | nānyatra daivādudyantumiha śakyaṃ kathañcana

So this turning back of mine in battle is ordained by fate; here no one can rise to action apart from fate's will.

Verse 32 (10.6.32)

सोऽहमद्य महादेवं प्रपद्ये शरणं विभुम् । दैवदण्डमिमं घोरं स हि मे नाशयिष्यति ॥

so'hamadya mahādevaṃ prapadye śaraṇaṃ vibhum | daivadaṇḍamimaṃ ghoraṃ sa hi me nāśayiṣyati

Therefore today I take refuge in the great god, the all-pervading Mahadeva; he will surely destroy for me this dreadful rod of fate.

Verse 33 (10.6.33)

कपर्दिनं प्रपद्येऽहं देवदेवमुमापतिम् । कपालमालिनं रुद्रं भगनेत्रहरं हरम् ॥

kapardinaṃ prapadye'haṃ devadevamumāpatim | kapālamālinaṃ rudraṃ bhaganetraharaṃ haram

I take refuge in Kapardin, the god of gods, the lord of Uma, Rudra who wears a garland of skulls, Hara, who tore out Bhaga's eyes.

Verse 34 (10.6.34)

स हि देवोऽत्यगाद्देवांस्तपसा विक्रमेण च । तस्माच्छरणमभ्येष्ये गिरिशं शूलपाणिनम् ॥

sa hi devo'tyagāddevāṃstapasā vikrameṇa ca | tasmāccharaṇamabhyeṣye giriśaṃ śūlapāṇinam

That god surpassed the gods in austerity and in prowess; therefore I shall go for refuge to Girisha, the trident-bearer.