The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4: Books 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18
General
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4: Books 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18
Epic literature, Sanskrit
Indeed, it seemed to continually vomit fire. O thou of mighty arms,
that weapon is superior to the Brahma, the Narayana, the Aindra, the
Agneya, and the Varuna weapons. Verily, it is capable of neutralising
every other weapon in the universe. It was with that weapon that the
illustrious Mahadeva had in days of yore, burnt and consumed in a moment
the triple city of the Asuras. With the greatest ease, O Govinda,
Mahadeva, using that single arrow, achieved that feat. That weapon, shot
by Mahadeva's arms, can, without doubt consume in half the time taken up
by a twinkling of the eyes the entire universe with all its mobile and
immobile creatures. In the universe there is no being including even
Brahma and Vishnu and the deities, that are incapable of being slain by
that weapon. O sire, I saw that excellent, wonderful and incomparable
weapon in the hand of Mahadeva. There is another mysterious and very
powerful weapon which is equal or perhaps superior to the Pasupata
weapon. I beheld that also. It is celebrated in all the worlds as the Sum
of the Sula-armed Mahadeva. Hurled by the illustrious deity, that weapon
is competent to rive the entire Earth or dry up the waters of the ocean
or annihilate the entire universe. In days of yore, Yuvanaswa's son, king
Mandhatri, that conqueror of the three worlds, possessed of imperial sway
and endued with abundant energy, was, with all his troops, destroyed by
means of that weapon. Endued with great might and great energy and
resembling Sakra himself in prowess, the king, O Govinda, was slain by
the Rakshasa Lavana with the aid of this Sula which he had got from Siva.
The Sula has a very keen point. Exceedingly terrible, it is capable of
causing everybody's hair stand on its end. I saw it in the hand of
Mahadeva, as if roaring with rage, having contracted its forehead into
three wrinkles. It resembled, O Krishna, a smokeless fire or the sun that
rises at the end of the Yuga. The handle of that Sula, was made of a
mighty snake. It is really indescribable. It looked like the universal
Destroyer himself armed with his noose. I saw this weapon, O Govinda, in
the hand of Mahadeva. I beheld also another weapon, viz., that
sharp-edged battle-axe which, in days of yore, was given unto Rama by the
gratified Mahadeva for enabling him to exterminate the Kshatriyas. It was
with this weapon that Rama (of Bhrigu's race) slew in dreadful battle the
great Kartaviryya who was the ruler of all the world. It was with that
weapon that Jamadagni's son, O Govinda, was able to exterminate the
Kshatriyas for one and twenty times. Of blazing edge and exceedingly
terrible, that axe was hanging on the shoulder, adorned with a snake, of
Mahadeva. Indeed, it shone on Mahadeva's person like the flame of a
blazing fire. I beheld innumerable other celestial weapons with Mahadeva
of great intelligence. I have, however named only a few, O sinless one,
in consequence of their principal character. On the left side of the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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