Chapter 54 - Shalya Meets Kalayavana

1. Vaishampayana said:—Kalayavana, the king of Yavanas, was highly powerful and used to govern the inhabitants of his city in pursuance of royal duties.

2-5. He was wise, conversant with three Vargas,^[1] proficient in six Gunas^[2] innocent of sevenfold calamities,^[3] endued with all accomplishments, well-versed in Srutis, pious, truthful, a master of his senses, acquainted with the rules of war, an expert in capturing forts, heroic, of great strength and used to honor his ministers. One day encircled by his ministers he was seated at ease and the learned and intelligent Yavanas, discoursing amongst themselves on various celestial themes were adoring him.

5-18. In the meantime there blew delightful, but exciting, cold and fragrant wind. Thereat the assembled Yavanas and the king Kalayavana were all worked up and thought "Whence it has come?" Thereupon they saw a car coming from the south. It was golden and white, lighted up with the lustre of jewels, adorned with celestial flags and pennons, drawn by horses fleet like the mind or air, adorned with tiger-skins, a terror to the enemies, the enhancer of joy to the friends, constructed by the celestial Architect, effulgent like the sun, the grinder of others' cars and embellished with jems like the rays of the sun and moon. The powerful and beautiful king of Saubha was seated thereon. Delighted greatly at seeing his friend the mighty-armed king of Yavanas, the foremost of speakers, repeatedly sent for Arghya and water to wash feet. And rising up from his throne and with Arghya in his hands he went out and waited at the landing stair of the car. Be holding the king Kalayavana, powerful like Sakra the highly energetic Shalya was greatly delighted, got down alone from the chariot with a confident heart and joyously entered into the Palace of Yavana for seeing his friend. Observing arghya in the hands of the king of Yavanas, Shalya, the foremost of kings, said in sweet words:—"O you of great effulgence, I am not now worthy of arghya. I am now an envoy of the kings and have been despatched to you by the intelligent Jarasandha. I therefore do not deserve arghya from the kings".

19. Kalayavana said:—"O you of large-arms, I know that you have been despatched here as an envoy by the king of Magadha for the behoof of kings.

20-21. O intelligent king, I adore you duly with water to wash feet, seat and various other means of welcome because you have been sent here by the entire circle of kings. By adoring you, O king, I shall worship the entire host of kings and by honoring you all of them will be honored. Therefore, O king, sit with me on this throne".

92. Vaishampayana said:—Thereupon shaking hands with each other and enquiring of their mutual welfare those two kings sat at ease on the sacred throne.

23-24. Kalayavana said:—What has become impossible to him, depending on the might of whose arms you kings are all living without any anxiety as the gods do under the protection of Saci’s lord, that he has sent you to me. Tell me, truly, O king, what mandate, the powerful king of Magadha has issued to me. Even if it be very difficult I shall carry out his command.

25. Shalya said:—O king of Yavanas, hear I shall describe at length what the king of Magadha has deputed me to communicate to you.

26. Jarasandha said:—The highly irrepressable Krishna has been oppressing the world from his very birth. Informed of his wicked deeds I attempted to slay him.

27. Accompanied by a number of kings along with their four-fold forces and conveyances I besieged the mount Gomanta with a huge army.

28. And there listening to the highly sensible words of the king of Chedi I set fire to that best of mountains for their (Rama and Krishna’s) destruction.

30. Beholding that fire consisting of hundreds and thousands of flames and resembling the fire of dissolution, Rama, holding the golden hilt of a sword, leaped down from the mountain summit in the midst of the ocean-like army of the kings. And that highly irrepressible one began to kill the car-warriors, the infantry and cavalry.

31. He moved about like a serpent;and catching elephants, horses and soldiers with his plough-share he grinded them with his mace.

32-33. In that battle-field abounding in hundreds of kings that highly energetic Rama, endued with the prowess of the sun, ranging in various ways like the setting sun, destroyed elephants, with elephants, car-warriors with cars, and the cavalry with horses.

34-35. After Rama, the highly powerful and energetic Yadu hero, Krishna, taking up his discus effulgent like the sun, and his black iron club, forcibly leaped down in the midst of the enemie’s army agitating the mountain with the force of his feet as a lion attacks the poor deer.

36. O king, at that time whirling and bathed with shower that mountain extinguished the fire and entered into the earth as if dancing.

37. Jumping down from that burning mountain Janarddana with his hand holding the discus began to destroy our army.

38. Whirling his huge discus and throwing all down with his club he began to grind men, elephants and horses with his mace.

39. Then with the fire of discus and plough-share begotten by their anger that huge army, protected by sun-like kings, was consumed.

40. Within a moment our army consisting of men, elephants horses infantry and flags, was consumed by those two foot soldiers.

41-42. O king, beholding that army distressed by the fear of the fire of discus and routed, I, encircled by a huge collection of cars, engaged in battle. And Keshava’s brother the heroic and valiant Baladeva, the destroyer of Bala, stood before me with a club in his hand.

43. Having slain the twelve Akshouhinis of soldiers and cast off his plough-share and mace Saunanda, that leonine hero pursued me with his club.

44. O king, having thrown the club on me with a force like that of the fall of a thunder-bolt he again stood manfully on the ground.

45. Then like unto Kartikeya at the time of the destruction of Kraunch, he, with his two large eyes, as if consumed me, looking at my joints.

46. O king of Yavanas, beholding such a form of Baladeva, what person, having hopes of life, can stand before him in the battle-field?

47-50. When he stood before him holding up that terrible club resembling the rod of the Regent of the dead and whirling it along with his plough-share Brahma, the grand-father of all, filling the welkin with his invisible voice grave as the muttering of clouds, said:—"O sinless Rama, do not strike (him); O holder of plough-share, it has been destined that he shall not meet with his death from any other person." Hearing with my own ears those words given vent to by the Grand-father I was filled with anxiety and returned from the battle-field.

51. O king, for this reason, and for the behoof of the kings, I communicated this incident to you. Hearing this you should do what you think proper in pursuance of my words.

52. Desirous of having a son your father propitiated Sankara, the god of gods with hard austerities and obtained you as his son unslayable by the princes of Mathura.

53. Fasting and feeding on powdered iron for twelve years the great Muni Gargya propitiated the great god Siva, on whose lotus feet even the gods and Asuras meditate and therefore obtained his wished-for prosperity in the person of yourself.

54. By virtue of the asceticism of the ascetic Gargya and of the power of Mahadeva carrying the emblem of a crescent forsooth, shall Janarddana meet with his death as the dews are dried up by the rays of the sun,

55. O king, thus requested by the kings, be up and doing and march for vanquishing Krishna. And entering the city of Mathura with your army establish your glory there.

56. Vasudeva’s son is a native of Mathura and Baladeva is his brother. If you go to the city of Mathura you will be able to defeat them in battle.

57. Shalya said:—O king, I have thus communicated to you, the message entrusted to me by the Emperor Jarasandha for the behoof of the kings. Do you now undertake what is proper and conducive to your well-being after consulting duly with your ministers.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Three conditions of a king or state; prosperity, evenness or decay or loss, gain and equality.

[2]:

The six acts of a king in his military character, or peace, war, marching, halting, sowing, dissension, seeking potection.

[3]:

The seven calamities are gambling, sleeping in a day, calumny, whoring, playing, idle roaming, drinking and hunting.