The Clash of the Brahma Weapons

Verse 1 (5.184.1)

ततो रात्रौ व्यतीतायां प्रतिबुद्धोऽस्मि भारत । ततः संचिन्त्य वै स्वप्नमवापं हर्षमुत्तमम् ॥

tato rātrau vyatītāyāṃ pratibuddho'smi bhārata | tataḥ saṃcintya vai svapnamavāpaṃ harṣamuttamam

Then, when the night had passed, I awoke, O Bharata, and thinking over the dream I felt the greatest joy.

Verse 2 (5.184.2)

ततः समभवद्युद्धं मम तस्य च भारत । तुमुलं सर्वभूतानां रोमहर्षणमद्भुतम् ॥

tataḥ samabhavadyuddhaṃ mama tasya ca bhārata | tumulaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ romaharṣaṇamadbhutam

Then the battle between him and me began, O Bharata — tumultuous and wondrous, making the hair of all creatures stand on end.

Verse 3 (5.184.3)

ततो बाणमयं वर्षं ववर्ष मयि भार्गवः । न्यवारयमहं तच्च शरजालेन भारत ॥

tato bāṇamayaṃ varṣaṃ vavarṣa mayi bhārgavaḥ | nyavārayamahaṃ tacca śarajālena bhārata

Bhargava rained a shower of arrows on me, and I warded it off with a net of arrows, O Bharata.

Verse 4 (5.184.4)

ततः परमसंक्रुद्धः पुनरेव महातपाः । ह्यस्तनेन च कोपेन शक्तिं वै प्राहिणोन्मयि ॥

tataḥ paramasaṃkruddhaḥ punareva mahātapāḥ | hyastanena ca kopena śaktiṃ vai prāhiṇonmayi

Then the great ascetic, enraged beyond measure and still carrying the anger of the day before, hurled a spear at me once more —

Verse 5 (5.184.5)

इन्द्राशनिसमस्पर्शां यमदण्डसमप्रभाम् । ज्वलन्तीमग्निवत्सङ्ख्ये लेलिहानां समन्ततः ॥

indrāśanisamasparśāṃ yamadaṇḍasamaprabhām | jvalantīmagnivatsaṅkhye lelihānāṃ samantataḥ

a spear whose touch was like Indra's thunderbolt and whose radiance was like Yama's staff, blazing like fire in the battle and licking about on every side.

Verse 6 (5.184.6)

ततो भरतशार्दूल धिष्ण्यमाकाशगं यथा । सा ममाभ्यवधीत्तूर्णं जत्रुदेशे कुरूद्वह ॥

tato bharataśārdūla dhiṣṇyamākāśagaṃ yathā | sā mamābhyavadhīttūrṇaṃ jatrudeśe kurūdvaha

Then, O tiger among the Bharatas, it struck me swiftly on the collarbone, like a fiery meteor coursing through the sky, O best of the Kurus.

Verse 7 (5.184.7)

अथास्रमस्रवद्धोरं गिरेर्गैरिकधातुवत् । रामेण सुमहाबाहो क्षतस्य क्षतजेक्षण ॥

athāsramasravaddhoraṃ girergairikadhātuvat | rāmeṇa sumahābāho kṣatasya kṣatajekṣaṇa

Then dreadful blood flowed from me, wounded by Rama, O mighty-armed one with eyes red as blood, as red ochre flows down a mountain.

Note on the text: Corrected धातुवात् → धातुवत् (misprint in Wikisource; "like red ochre", critical edition gairikadhātuvat).

Verse 8 (5.184.8)

ततोऽहं जामदग्न्याय भृशं क्रोधसमन्वितः । चिक्षेप मृत्युसंकाशं बाणं सर्पविषोपमम् ॥

tato'haṃ jāmadagnyāya bhṛśaṃ krodhasamanvitaḥ | cikṣepa mṛtyusaṃkāśaṃ bāṇaṃ sarpaviṣopamam

Then, filled with fury, I hurled at Jamadagni's son an arrow like Death, as deadly as a serpent's venom.

Verse 9 (5.184.9)

स तेनाभिहतो वीरो ललाटे द्विजसत्तमः । अशोभत महाराज सशृङ्ग इव पर्वतः ॥

sa tenābhihato vīro lalāṭe dvijasattamaḥ | aśobhata mahārāja saśṛṅga iva parvataḥ

Struck by it on the forehead, the heroic best of brahmins, O great king, looked as splendid as a mountain with its peak.

Note on the text: Corrected शश्रृङ्ग → सशृङ्ग (misprint in Wikisource; "with a peak", critical edition saśṛṅga).

Verse 10 (5.184.10)

स संरब्धः समावृत्य शरं कालान्तकोपमम् । संदधे बलवत्कृष्य घोरं शत्रुनिबर्हणम् ॥

sa saṃrabdhaḥ samāvṛtya śaraṃ kālāntakopamam | saṃdadhe balavatkṛṣya ghoraṃ śatrunibarhaṇam

Enraged, he turned and, drawing his bow mightily, fitted to it a terrible arrow like Death the destroyer, a slayer of foes.

Note on the text: Corrected शत्रनिबर्हणम् → शत्रुनिबर्हणम् (misprint in Wikisource; dropped vowel sign, critical edition śatrunibarhaṇam).

Verse 11 (5.184.11)

स वक्षसि पपातोग्रः शरो व्याल इव श्वसन् । महीं राजंस्ततश्चाहमगमं रुधिराविलः ॥

sa vakṣasi papātograḥ śaro vyāla iva śvasan | mahīṃ rājaṃstataścāhamagamaṃ rudhirāvilaḥ

That fierce arrow fell on my chest, hissing like a serpent, and I fell to the ground, O king, covered in blood.

Note on the text: Corrected पापतोग्रः → पपातोग्रः (misprint in Wikisource; "fell", critical edition papātograḥ).

Verse 12 (5.184.12)

संप्राप्य तु पुनः संज्ञां जामदग्न्याय धीमते । प्राहिण्वं विमलां शक्तिं ज्वलन्तीमशनीमिव ॥

saṃprāpya tu punaḥ saṃjñāṃ jāmadagnyāya dhīmate | prāhiṇvaṃ vimalāṃ śaktiṃ jvalantīmaśanīmiva

Regaining consciousness, I hurled at the wise son of Jamadagni a bright spear that blazed like a thunderbolt.

Note on the text: Corrected जामदघ्न्याय → जामदग्न्याय (misprint in Wikisource; घ for ग).

Verse 13 (5.184.13)

सा तस्य द्विजमुख्यस्य निपपात भुजान्तरे । विह्वलश्चाभवद्राजन्वेपथुश्चैनमाविशत् ॥

sā tasya dvijamukhyasya nipapāta bhujāntare | vihvalaścābhavadrājanvepathuścainamāviśat

It fell on the chest of that chief of brahmins; he was shaken, O king, and a trembling seized him.

Verse 14 (5.184.14)

तत एनं परिष्वज्य सखा विप्रो महातपाः । अकृतव्रणः शुभैर्वाक्यैराश्वासयदनेकधा ॥

tata enaṃ pariṣvajya sakhā vipro mahātapāḥ | akṛtavraṇaḥ śubhairvākyairāśvāsayadanekadhā

Then his friend Akritavrana, the brahmin of great austerity, embraced him and comforted him in many ways with kind words.

Verse 15 (5.184.15)

समाश्वस्तस्ततो रामः क्रोधामर्षसमन्वितः । प्रादुश्चक्रे तदा ब्राह्मं परमास्त्रं महाव्रतः ॥

samāśvastastato rāmaḥ krodhāmarṣasamanvitaḥ | prāduścakre tadā brāhmaṃ paramāstraṃ mahāvrataḥ

Revived, Rama of the great vows, full of anger and indignation, then brought forth the supreme Brahma weapon.

Verse 16 (5.184.16)

ततस्तत्प्रतिघातार्थं ब्राह्ममेवास्त्रमुत्तमम् । मया प्रयुक्तं जज्वाल युगान्तमिव दर्शयत् ॥

tatastatpratighātārthaṃ brāhmamevāstramuttamam | mayā prayuktaṃ jajvāla yugāntamiva darśayat

To counter it, I launched that same excellent Brahma weapon, and it blazed as if showing the end of an age.

Verse 17 (5.184.17)

तयोर्ब्रह्मास्त्रयोरासीदन्तरा वै समागमः । असंप्राप्यैव रामं च मां च भारतसत्तम ॥

tayorbrahmāstrayorāsīdantarā vai samāgamaḥ | asaṃprāpyaiva rāmaṃ ca māṃ ca bhāratasattama

The two Brahma weapons met midway, without reaching either Rama or me, O best of the Bharatas.

Verse 18 (5.184.18)

ततो व्योम्नि प्रादुरभूत्तेज एव हि केवलम् । भूतानि चैव सर्वाणि जग्मुरार्तिं विशांपते ॥

tato vyomni prādurabhūtteja eva hi kevalam | bhūtāni caiva sarvāṇi jagmurārtiṃ viśāṃpate

Then nothing but sheer radiance appeared in the sky, and all creatures fell into distress, O lord of the people.

Verse 19 (5.184.19)

ऋषयश्च सगन्धर्वा देवताश्चैव भारत । संतापं परमं जग्मुरस्त्रतेजोभिपीडिताः ॥

ṛṣayaśca sagandharvā devatāścaiva bhārata | saṃtāpaṃ paramaṃ jagmurastratejobhipīḍitāḥ

The sages and the Gandharvas, and the gods as well, O Bharata, were in the greatest torment, afflicted by the brilliance of the weapons.

Verse 20 (5.184.20)

ततश्चचाल पृथिवी सपर्वतवनद्रुमा । संतप्तानि च भूतानि विषादं जग्मुरुत्तमम् ॥

tataścacāla pṛthivī saparvatavanadrumā | saṃtaptāni ca bhūtāni viṣādaṃ jagmuruttamam

Then the earth shook with its mountains, forests and trees, and all creatures, scorched, sank into the deepest despair.

Note on the text: Corrected विषादंक → विषादं (misprint in Wikisource; stray akshara).

Verse 21 (5.184.21)

प्रजज्वाल नभो राजन्धूमायन्ते दिशो दश । न स्थातुमन्तरिक्षे च शेकुराकाशगास्तदा ॥

prajajvāla nabho rājandhūmāyante diśo daśa | na sthātumantarikṣe ca śekurākāśagāstadā

The sky blazed, O king, the ten directions filled with smoke, and the creatures that move through the air could not stay aloft.

Verse 22 (5.184.22)

ततो हाहाकृते लोके सदेवासुरराक्षसे । इदमन्तरमित्येवं मोक्तुकामोऽस्मि भारत ॥

tato hāhākṛte loke sadevāsurarākṣase | idamantaramityevaṃ moktukāmo'smi bhārata

Then, as the world with its gods, asuras and rakshasas cried out in dismay, I thought, "This is the moment," and resolved, O Bharata,

Verse 23 (5.184.23)

प्रस्वापमस्त्रं त्वरितो वचनाद्ब्रह्मवादिनाम् । चिन्तितं च तदस्त्रं मे मनसि प्रत्यभात्तदा ॥

prasvāpamastraṃ tvarito vacanādbrahmavādinām | cintitaṃ ca tadastraṃ me manasi pratyabhāttadā

to release at once the Prasvapa weapon, as the expounders of the Veda had told me; and as I thought of it, the weapon appeared in my mind.