Chapter 27

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Filled with rage, what did Partha, the son ofPandu, do to Bhagadatta? What also did the king of the Pragjyotishas doto Partha? Tell me all this, O Sanjaya!’

“Sanjaya said, ‘While Partha and Krishna were thus engaged with the rulerof the Pragjyotishas, all creatures regarded them to be very near thejaws of Death. Indeed, O monarch, from the neck of his elephant,Bhagadatta scattered showers of shafts on the two Krishnas, staying upontheir car. He pierced Devaki’s son with many arrows made wholly of blackiron, equipped with wings of gold, whetted on stone, and shot from hisbow, drawn to the fullest stretch. Those shafts whose touch resembledthat of fire, equipped with beautiful feathers, and shot by Bhagadatta,passing through Devaki’s son, entered the earth. Partha then cut offBhagadatta’s bow and slaying next the warrior that protected his elephantfrom the flank, began to fight with him as if in sport. Then Bhagadattahurled at him fourteen lances of sharp points, that were bright as therays of the sun. Arjuna, however, cut each of those lances into threefragments. Then Indra’s son cut open the armour in which that elephantwas eased, by means of a thick shower of arrows. The armour thus cut off,fell down on the earth. Exceedingly afflicted with arrows shot by Arjuna,that elephant, deprived of its coat of mail, looked like a prince ofmountains destitute of its cloudy robes and with streaks of water runningdown its breast. Then the ruler of the Pragjyotishas hurled at Vasudeva adart made wholly of iron and decked with gold. That dart Arjuna cut intwain. Then cutting off the king’s standard and umbrella by means of hisarrows Arjuna quickly pierced that ruler of the mountainous realms withten arrows, smiling all the while. Deeply pierced with those shafts ofArjuna, that were beautifully winged with Kanka feathers, Bhagadatta, Omonarch, became incensed with the son of Pandu. He then hurled somelances at Arjuna’s head and uttered a loud shout. In consequence of thoselances Arjuna’s diadem was displaced. Arjuna, then, having placed hisdiadem properly, addressed the ruler of the Pragjyotishas, saying, ‘Lookwell on this world!’ Thus addressed by him, Bhagadatta became filled withrage, and taking up a bright bow showered upon both the Pandava andGovinda his arrowy down-pours. Partha then cutting off his bow andquivers, quickly struck him with two and seventy shafts, afflicting hisvital limbs. Thus pierced, he was excessively pained. Filled then withrage, he with Mantras, turned his hook into the Vaishnava weapon andhurled it at Arjuna’s breast. That all-slaying weapon, hurled byBhagadatta, Kesava, covering Arjuna, received on his breast. Thereupon,that weapon became a triumphal garland on Kesava’s breast. Arjuna thencheerlessly addressed Kesava, saying, ‘O sinless one, without battlingthyself, thou art to only guide my steed! Thou hadst said so, Olotus-eyed one! Why then dost thou not adhere to thy promise? If I sinkin distress, or become unable to baffle, or resist a foe or weapon, thenmayst thou act so, but not when I am standing thus. Thou knowest thatwith my bow and arrows I am competent to vanquish these worlds with thegods, the Asuras, and men.’ Hearing these words of Arjuna, Vasudevareplied unto him, saying, ‘Listen, O Partha, to this secret and ancienthistory as it is, O sinless one! I have four forms, eternally engaged asI am in protecting the worlds. Dividing my own Self, I ordain the good ofthe worlds. One form of mine, staying on the earth, is engaged in thepractice of ascetic austerities. Another beholdeth the good and the evildeeds in the world. My third form, coming into the world of men, isengaged in action. My fourth form lieth down in sleep for a thousandyears. The form of mine which awaketh from sleep at the end of a thousandyears, granteth, upon awakening, excellent boons to persons deserving ofthem. The earth, knowing (on one occasion) that that time had come, askedof me a boon for (her son) Naraka. Hear, O Partha, what that boon was.Possessed of the Vaishnava weapon, let my son become incapable of beingslain by the gods and the Asuras. It behoveth thee to grant me thatweapon. Hearing this prayer, I then gave, in days of old, the supreme andinfallible Vaishnava weapon to the Earth’s son. I said also at that timethese words, ‘O Earth, let this weapon be infallible for the protectionof Naraka. None will be able to slay him. Protected by this weapon, thyson will always, in all the worlds, be invincible and crush all hostilehosts.’ Saying, So be it! the intelligent goddess went away, her wishesfulfilled. And Naraka also became invincible and always scorched hisfoes. It was from Naraka, O Partha, that the ruler of the Pragjyotishasgot this weapon of mine. There is none, in all the world, O sire,including even Indra and Rudra, who is unslayable by this weapon. It wasfor thy sake, therefore, that I baffled it, violating my promise. Thegreat Asura hath now been divested of that supreme weapon. Slay now, OPartha, that invincible foe of thine, viz., Bhagadatta, enemy of thegods, even as I formerly slew for the good of the worlds, the AsuraNaraka.’ Thus addressed by the high-souled Kesava, Partha suddenlyoverwhelmed Bhagadatta with clouds of whetted arrows. Then, themighty-armed and high-souled Arjuna fearlessly struck a long arrowbetween the frontal globes of his enemy’s elephant. That arrow, splittingthe elephant like the thunder splitting a mountain, penetrated into itsbody to the very wings, like a snake penetrating into an ant-hill. Thoughurged repeatedly then by Bhagadatta, the elephant refused to obey like apoor man’s wife her lord. With limbs paralysed, it fell down, strikingthe earth with its tusks. Uttering a cry of distress, that huge elephantgave up the ghost. The son of Pandu then, with a straight shaft furnishedwith a crescent-shaped head, pierced the bosom of king Bhagadatta. Hisbreast, being pierced through by the diadem-decked (Arjuna), kingBhagadatta, deprived of life, threw down his bow and arrows. Loosenedfrom his head, the valuable piece of cloth that had served him for aturban, fell down, like a petal from a lotus when its stalk is violentlystruck. And he himself, decked with golden garlands, fell down from hishuge elephant adorned with golden housings, like flowering Kinsuka brokenby the force of the wind from the mountain-top. The son of Indra then,having slain in battle that monarch who resembled Indra himself inprowess and who was Indra’s friend, broke the other warriors of thy armyinspired with hope of victory like the mighty wind breaking rows oftrees.'”