The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Virata Parva
Religion
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Virata Parva
Epic literature, Sanskrit
Vaisampayana said, "Then, O Bharata, when the world was enveloped in
dust and the gloom of night, the warriors of both sides, without
breaking the order of battle, desisted for a while.[31] And then,
dispelling the darkness the moon arose illumining the night and
gladdening the hearts of the Kshatriya warriors. And when everything
became visible, the battle once more began. And it raged on so furiously
that the combatants could not distinguish one another. And then
Trigarta's lord, Susarman with his younger brother, and accompanied by
all his cars, rushed towards the king of Matsya. And descending from
their cars, those bulls among Kshatriyas, the (royal) brothers, mace in
hand, rushed furiously towards the cars of the foe. And the hostile
hosts fiercely assailed each other with maces and swords and scimitars,
battle-axes and bearded darts with keen edges and points of excellent
temper. And king Susarman, the lord of the Trigartas having by his
energy oppressed and defeated the whole army of the Matsyas, impetuously
rushed towards Virata himself endued with great energy. And the two
brothers having severally slain Virata's two steeds and his charioteer,
as also those soldiers that protected his rear, took him captive alive,
when deprived of his car. Then afflicting him sorely, like a lustful man
afflicting a defenceless damsel, Susarman placed Virata on his own car,
and speedily rushed out of the field. And when the powerful Virata,
deprived of his car, was taken captive, the Matsyas, harrassed solely by
the Trigartas, began to flee in fear in all directions. And beholding
them panic-stricken, Kunti's son, Yudhishthira, addressed that subduer
of foes, the mighty-armed Bhima, saying, 'The king of the Matsyas hath
been taken by the Trigartas. Do thou, O mighty-armed one, rescue him, so
that he may not fall under the power of the enemy. As we have lived
happily in Virata's city, having every desire of ours gratified, it
behoveth thee, O Bhimasena, to discharge that debt (by liberating the
king).' Thereat Bhimasena replied, 'I will liberate him, O king, at thy
command. Mark the feat I achieve (today) in battling with the foe,
relying solely on the might of my arms. Do thou, O king, stay aside,
along with our brothers and witness my prowess today. Uprooting this
mighty tree of huge trunk looking like a mace, I will rout the enemy.'"
[31] The word in the original is Muhurta equal to 48 minutes.
Nilakantha points out very ingeniously that the night being the
seventh of the dark fortnight, the moon would not rise till
after 14 Dandas from the hour of sunset, a Danda being equal to
24 minutes. A Muhurta, therefore implies not 48 minutes exactly,
but some time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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