War Cries of the Ganas and Danavas

Verse 1 (skanda.8.137.1)

ततो व्यतिकरो भूयः पार्षदासुरसैन्ययोः । संबभूवोदधिक्षोभान्मकराणामिवाद्भुतः ।।

tato vyatikaro bhūyaḥ pārṣadāsurasainyayoḥ | saṁbabhūvodadhikṣobhānmakarāṇāmivādbhutaḥ ||

Then once more a wondrous clash broke out between the armies of the divine attendants and the demons, like the astonishing turmoil among sea-monsters when the ocean is churned.

Verse 2 (skanda.8.137.2)

पट्टिशासिधनुष्मन्तो विद्युत्वन्त इवाम्बुदाः । विबभुर्दानवास्तत्र प्रमथाश्च युयुत्सवः ।।

paṭṭiśāsidhanuṣmanto vidyutvanta ivāmbudāḥ | vibabhurdānavāstatra pramathāśca yuyutsavaḥ ||

Armed with spears, swords and bows, the demons and the war-eager pramathas there shone like storm-clouds charged with lightning.

Verse 3 (skanda.8.137.3)

सहस्व प्रहरस्वेति नश्य नष्टस्त्वमित्यपि । तेषामेवं प्रवदतामश्रूयन्त गिरो मुहुः ।।

sahasva praharasveti naśya naṣṭastvamityapi | teṣāmevaṁ pravadatāmaśrūyanta giro muhuḥ ||

'Bear it!' 'Strike!' 'Flee!' 'You are done for already!' — such cries could be heard again and again from their throats.

Verse 4 (skanda.8.137.4)

शूलैस्त्रिशूलैश्चक्रैश्च हुण्डैर्लगुडकम्पनैः । भिन्दिपालैः करसमैः प्रसृतैर्निखरैरपि ।।

śūlaistriśūlaiścakraiśca huṇḍairlaguḍakampanaiḥ | bhindipālaiḥ karasamaiḥ prasṛtairnikharairapi ||

With tridents, spears, discs, clubs, quivering staves, javelins flung out like outstretched hands, and even with bare claws —

Verse 5 (skanda.8.137.5)

टंकैः कटंकटैः प्रासैः पाशैः परशुपट्टिशैः । द्रुमोपलशिलाघातैर्गिरीणां शिखरैरपि ।।

ṭaṁkaiḥ kaṭaṁkaṭaiḥ prāsaiḥ pāśaiḥ paraśupaṭṭiśaiḥ | drumopalaśilāghātairgirīṇāṁ śikharairapi ||

— with chisel-axes, hatchets, lances, nooses, battle-axes and spears, and with blows of uprooted trees, boulders, rocks, and whole mountain-peaks —

Verse 6 (skanda.8.137.6)

एतैः प्रहरणैस्ते वै सूदयन्ति परस्परम् । घण्टाकर्णोऽहमसुर जम्भोऽहं प्रमथेश्वर ।।

etaiḥ praharaṇaiste vai sūdayanti parasparam | ghaṇṭākarṇo'hamasura jambho'haṁ pramatheśvara ||

— with all these weapons they slew one another, crying: 'I am Ghantakarna, O demon!' — 'And I am Jambha, O lord of the pramathas!' —

Verse 7 (skanda.8.137.7)

सोमनन्द्यहमिन्द्रारे कुजम्भोऽहं गणाधिप । बिल्वकोऽहमहं यक्ष पिङ्गलो नाम दानव ।।

somanandyahamindrāre kujambho'haṁ gaṇādhipa | bilvako'hamahaṁ yakṣa piṅgalo nāma dānava ||

'I am Somanandi, O enemy of Indra!' — 'And I am Kujambha, O chief of the ganas!' — 'I am Bilvaka!' — 'I am the demon called Pingala, O yaksha!' —

Verse 8 (skanda.8.137.8)

प्रह्रादोऽहमहं नन्दी शंकुकर्णो बलो ह्यहम् । त्वं कः कुण्डोदरोऽहं वै वृत्रोऽहं कुण्डकोदर ।।

prahrādo'hamahaṁ nandī śaṁkukarṇo balo hyaham | tvaṁ kaḥ kuṇḍodaro'haṁ vai vṛtro'haṁ kuṇḍakodara ||

'I am Prahlada!' — 'I am Nandi!' — 'I am Shankukarna!' — 'I am Bala!' — 'And who are you?' — 'I am Kundodara!' — 'Then, O Kundodara, I am Vritra!' —

Verse 9 (skanda.8.137.9)

नन्दिषेणोऽस्म्यहं शंभुर्महाकालो मयो ह्यहम् । विशाखोऽहं बलिरहमहं बाणो गुहो ह्यहम् ।।

nandiṣeṇo'smyahaṁ śaṁbhurmahākālo mayo hyaham | viśākho'haṁ balirahamahaṁ bāṇo guho hyaham ||

'I am Nandishena!' — 'I am Shambhu!' — 'I am Mahakala!' — 'I am Maya!' — 'I am Vishakha!' — 'I am Bali!' — 'I am Bana!' — 'I am Guha!' —

Verse 10 (skanda.8.137.10)

प्रह्रादोऽहमहं शाखो नैगमेषोऽहमन्धकः । इत्येवं दानवानां च प्रमथानां च भैरवाः ।।

prahrādo'hamahaṁ śākho naigameṣo'hamandhakaḥ | ityevaṁ dānavānāṁ ca pramathānāṁ ca bhairavāḥ ||

'I am Prahlada!' — 'I am Shakha!' — 'I am Naigamesha!' — 'I am Andhaka!' — such were the fearsome war-cries of the demons and the pramathas.

Verse 11 (skanda.8.137.11)

दर्पोद्रेकादधिक्षेपाः श्रूयन्ते युध्यतां रणे । गजानामिव मत्तानां मेघानामिव चागमे ।।

darpodrekādadhikṣepāḥ śrūyante yudhyatāṁ raṇe | gajānāmiva mattānāṁ meghānāmiva cāgame ||

Their taunts, born of overweening pride, resounded through the fighting like the trumpeting of maddened elephants, or the roar of clouds at the onset of the rains.

Verse 12 (skanda.8.137.12)

भिद्यतामिव शैलानां समुद्राणां क्षयेष्विव । प्रलयान्तेषु महतां वायूनां जवतामिव ।।

bhidyatāmiva śailānāṁ samudrāṇāṁ kṣayeṣviva | pralayānteṣu mahatāṁ vāyūnāṁ javatāmiva ||

It was as though mountains were splitting apart, as though oceans were seething at the dissolution of the world, as though great winds were rushing at the very end of time.

Verse 13 (skanda.8.137.13)

तेषामासीन्महाञ्छब्दः परस्परनिजघ्नुषाम् । ब्रह्मदण्डप्रतीकाशैर्यमदण्डनिभैरपि । आयुधैस्सूदयन्ति स्म तेऽन्योन्यकुपिता भृशम् ।।

teṣāmāsīnmahāñchabdaḥ parasparanijaghnuṣām | brahmadaṇḍapratīkāśairyamadaṇḍanibhairapi | āyudhaissūdayanti sma te'nyonyakupitā bhṛśam ||

As they cut one another down, a great tumult arose. Fiercely enraged, they slew each other with weapons like unto the very rod of Brahma and the staff of Death.

Verse 14 (skanda.8.137.14)

वज्राणामिव शैलेषु वंशानामिव दह्यताम् । अभूच्चटचटाशब्दः शस्त्राणां पात्यतां तदा ।।

vajrāṇāmiva śaileṣu vaṁśānāmiva dahyatām | abhūccaṭacaṭāśabdaḥ śastrāṇāṁ pātyatāṁ tadā ||

As thunderbolts crash upon mountains, or burning bamboo crackles, so a sharp crackling sound arose then from weapon striking weapon.

Verse 15 (skanda.8.137.15)

गणेश्वरविमुक्ताभिः शक्तिभिः सुदृढाहताः । निपेतुरारसन्तस्ते सोल्का इव यथा घनाः ।।

gaṇeśvaravimuktābhiḥ śaktibhiḥ sudṛḍhāhatāḥ | nipeturārasantaste solkā iva yathā ghanāḥ ||

Struck hard by the spears hurled by the lords of the ganas, they fell screaming, like clouds tumbling down trailing meteor-fire.

Verse 16 (skanda.8.137.16)

द्रुमप्रहारभग्नाङ्गा गदाचूर्णितसन्धयः । दानवा निपतन्त्युर्व्यां वाजिनश्च्युतजीविताः ।।

drumaprahārabhagnāṅgā gadācūrṇitasandhayaḥ | dānavā nipatantyurvyāṁ vājinaścyutajīvitāḥ ||

Demons with limbs shattered by blows of trees, their joints crushed by maces, fell to the earth; horses too dropped, their lives fled from them.

Verse 17 (skanda.8.137.17)

छिन्नध्वजपताकेषा भग्नाक्षयुगकूबराः । विध्वस्तास्तत्र दृश्यन्ते विमानप्रतिमा रथाः ।।

chinnadhvajapatākeṣā bhagnākṣayugakūbarāḥ | vidhvastāstatra dṛśyante vimānapratimā rathāḥ ||

Chariots, once beautiful as flying palaces, lay shattered there, their banners cut down, their axles, yokes and shafts broken.

Verse 18 (skanda.8.137.18)

मातङ्गैश्च तुरङ्गैश्च स्यन्दनैश्चावचूर्णितैः । विन्ध्याक्रान्तेव सा भूमिर्दुर्गमा समपद्यत ।।

mātaṅgaiśca turaṅgaiśca syandanaiścāvacūrṇitaiḥ | vindhyākrānteva sā bhūmirdurgamā samapadyata ||

Strewn with shattered elephants, horses and chariots, that ground grew as impassable as land overrun by the Vindhya hills.

Verse 19 (skanda.8.137.19)

तत्र देवाः स गन्धर्वाः सयक्षोरगकिन्नराः । उत्क्रुष्टवरशब्दाढ्यं चक्रुः सुबहुशोऽम्बरम् ।।

tatra devāḥ sa gandharvāḥ sayakṣoragakinnarāḥ | utkruṣṭavaraśabdāḍhyaṁ cakruḥ subahuśo'mbaram ||

There the gods, together with gandharvas, yakshas, serpents and kinnaras, filled the sky again and again with loud, exultant cries.

Verse 20 (skanda.8.137.20)

दिव्यानां सुविचित्राणाममृतोपमगन्धिनाम् । वर्षं पपात पुष्पाणां युध्यन्ते यत्र ते रणे ।।

divyānāṁ suvicitrāṇāmamṛtopamagandhinām | varṣaṁ papāta puṣpāṇāṁ yudhyante yatra te raṇe ||

Where they fought, a shower of marvellous, heavenly blossoms fell, fragrant as nectar itself.

Verse 21 (skanda.8.137.21)

तथा तु ते गजघननादगर्जनाः शरासिशक्त्यृष्टिगदाविसर्जनाः । परस्परं युयुधुरतीव संहता दितेः सुताः प्रमथगणाश्च दर्पिताः ।।

tathā tu te gajaghananādagarjanāḥ śarāsiśaktyṛṣṭigadāvisarjanāḥ | parasparaṁ yuyudhuratīva saṁhatā diteḥ sutāḥ pramathagaṇāśca darpitāḥ ||

So, thundering like elephants and storm-clouds, hurling arrows, swords, spears, lances and maces, the sons of Diti and the proud hosts of pramathas fought on, locked together in fierce, unrelenting combat.