The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol. 1 (of 4)Valmiki
Religion
The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol. 1 (of 4)
Valmiki
Hinduism -- Doctrines -- Early works to 1800; Religious life -- Hinduism -- Early works to 1800
Ráma said:—Sir, relate to me in short and promptly, about this
warfare, as my ears are delighted with narratives of this kind.
2. Vasishtha said:—These ladies then, in order to have a better view
of the battle below, ascended in their imaginary aerial cars _vimánas_,
to a more retired spot in the higher regions of the sky.
3. At this interval, there began a mingled fight of the forces face to
face, with a commingled shout of the two armies, as the dashing of the
waves against one another in the raging sea.
4. At this instant, Vidúratha the lord of the realm, (formerly
Padma—the husband of Lílá), seeing a daring warrior of the hostile
force attack one of his soldiers, struck him impatiently on the breast,
with the blow of a ponderous mallet.
5. Then the battle raged with the impetuosity of the rolling waves of
the stormy main, and the arms on both sides, flamed with living fire
and flash of fiery lightnings.
6. Now the edges of waving swords (larattarat), glittered in the sky,
and cracking and clashing noise (Kanakana), filled the air with a
hideous crackling (kadkada).
7. Then flew the winged arrows, overshadowing the beams of the sun, and
emitting a booming noise (hunkára), which hushed the rattling clamour
(gharghara) of summer clouds.
8. Armours clashed against armours (Kankata), with a clanking noise
(tankára), and shot forth the sparks of glistening fire (Kanatkana);
and arms, hashing (ch’hina-bhinna) and slashing (Khanda-khanda)
against arms, filled the air with their fragments flying like birds in
the air.
9. The shaking (dodulya) shanks and arms of the army, appeared as a
moving forest (dordruma) on the land, and the twangings of their bows
(tankára), and rumbling of the disks (krenkára), drove away the birds
of the air, and crackled like the rattling drive of wheels (dravat) in
heaven.
10. The hissing of their loosened strings (halhala), resembled the
(ghunghuna) buzzing of bees, heard in the _samádhi_ yoga (by shutting
the ears).
11. Iron shafts like sleets of hailstones, pierced the heads of the
soldiers, and the (ranat) crashing of armours (sanghatta), broke the
arms of the warriors in mail (Kankata sankata).
12. Weapons struck on brazen armours with a howling noise (hunkára),
made a clanking sound by the stroke (tánkára), and flying like drifts
of rain water (tartara), pierced the face of the air on all sides:
(literally, denticulated—dantura dingmukha).
13. The striking of steel on one another (sanghatta), made the hands
ring with a jingling sound (jhanjhanat); and the continued rapping
on the arms (ásphota), and clapping of hands, (karasphota), raised a
pattering and chattering sound (chat chat and pat pat).
14. The whizzing noise of unsheathing the sword (shitkára), and the
hissing of the sparks of fire (sansana); the flinging of arrows in all
ways (sadatkára), and the flying of darts, likened the rustling of
falling leaves (Kharkhara) in autumn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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