Chapter 23

vāsudeva uvāca |
tato'haṃ bharataśreṣṭha pragṛhya ruciraṃ dhanuḥ |
śarairapātayaṃ saubhācchirāṃsi vibudhadviṣām || 1 ||
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śarāṃścāśīviṣākārānūrdhvagāṃstigmatejasaḥ |
apraiṣaṃ śālvarājāya śārṅgamuktānsuvāsasaḥ || 2 ||
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tato nādṛśyata tadā saubhaṃ kurukulodvaha |
antarhitaṃ māyayābhūttato'haṃ vismito'bhavam || 3 ||
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atha dānavasaṃghāste vikṛtānanamūrdhajāḥ |
udakrośanmahārāja viṣṭhite mayi bhārata || 4 ||
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tato'straṃ śabdasāhaṃ vai tvaramāṇo mahāhave |
ayojayaṃ tadvadhāya tataḥ śabda upāramat || 5 ||
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hatāste dānavāḥ sarve yaiḥ sa śabda udīritaḥ |
śarairādityasaṃkāśairjvalitaiḥ śabdasādhanaiḥ || 6 ||
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tasminnuparate śabde punarevānyato'bhavat |
śabdo'paro mahārāja tatrāpi prāharaṃ śarān || 7 ||
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evaṃ daśa diśaḥ sarvāstiryagūrdhvaṃ ca bhārata |
nādayāmāsurasurāste cāpi nihatā mayā || 8 ||
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tataḥ prāgjyotiṣaṃ gatvā punareva vyadṛśyata |
saubhaṃ kāmagamaṃ vīra mohayanmama cakṣuṣī || 9 ||
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tato lokāntakaraṇo dānavo vānarākṛtiḥ |
śilāvarṣeṇa sahasā mahatā māṃ samāvṛṇot || 10 ||
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so'haṃ parvatavarṣeṇa vadhyamānaḥ samantataḥ |
valmīka iva rājendra parvatopacito'bhavam || 11 ||
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tato'haṃ parvatacitaḥ sahayaḥ sahasārathiḥ |
aprakhyātimiyāṃ rājansadhvajaḥ parvataiścitaḥ || 12 ||
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tato vṛṣṇipravīrā ye mamāsansainikāstadā |
te bhayārtā diśaḥ sarvāḥ sahasā vipradudruvuḥ || 13 ||
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tato hāhākṛtaṃ sarvamabhūtkila viśāṃ pate |
dyauśca bhūmiśca khaṃ caivādṛśyamāne tathā mayi || 14 ||
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tato viṣaṇṇamanaso mama rājansuhṛjjanāḥ |
ruruduścukruśuścaiva duḥkhaśokasamanvitāḥ || 15 ||
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dviṣatāṃ ca praharṣo'bhūdārtiścādviṣatāmapi |
evaṃ vijitavānvīra paścādaśrauṣamacyuta || 16 ||
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tato'hamastraṃ dayitaṃ sarvapāṣāṇabhedanam |
vajramudyamya tānsarvānparvatānsamaśātayam || 17 ||
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tataḥ parvatabhārārtā mandaprāṇaviceṣṭitāḥ |
hayā mama mahārāja vepamānā ivābhavan || 18 ||
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meghajālamivākāśe vidāryābhyuditaṃ ravim |
dṛṣṭvā māṃ bāndhavāḥ sarve harṣamāhārayanpunaḥ || 19 ||
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tato māmabravītsūtaḥ prāñjaliḥ praṇato nṛpa |
sādhu saṃpaśya vārṣṇeya śālvaṃ saubhapatiṃ sthitam || 20 ||
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alaṃ kṛṣṇāvamanyainaṃ sādhu yatnaṃ samācara |
mārdavaṃ sakhitāṃ caiva śālvādadya vyapāhara || 21 ||
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jahi śālvaṃ mahābāho mainaṃ jīvaya keśava |
sarvaiḥ parākramairvīra vadhyaḥ śatruramitrahan || 22 ||
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na śatruravamantavyo durbalo'pi balīyasā |
yo'pi syātpīṭhagaḥ kaścitkiṃ punaḥ samare sthitaḥ || 23 ||
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sa tvaṃ puruṣaśārdūla sarvayatnairimaṃ prabho |
jahi vṛṣṇikulaśreṣṭha mā tvāṃ kālo'tyagātpunaḥ || 24 ||
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naiṣa mārdavasādhyo vai mato nāpi sakhā tava |
yena tvaṃ yodhito vīra dvārakā cāvamarditā || 25 ||
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evamādi tu kaunteya śrutvāhaṃ sārathervacaḥ |
tattvametaditi jñātvā yuddhe matimadhārayam || 26 ||
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vadhāya śālvarājasya saubhasya ca nipātane |
dārukaṃ cābruvaṃ vīra muhūrtaṃ sthīyatāmiti || 27 ||
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tato'pratihataṃ divyamabhedyamativīryavat |
āgneyamastraṃ dayitaṃ sarvasāhaṃ mahāprabham || 28 ||
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yakṣāṇāṃ rākṣasānāṃ ca dānavānāṃ ca saṃyuge |
rājñāṃ ca pratilomānāṃ bhasmāntakaraṇaṃ mahat || 29 ||
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kṣurāntamamalaṃ cakraṃ kālāntakayamopamam |
abhimantryāhamatulaṃ dviṣatāṃ ca nibarhaṇam || 30 ||
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jahi saubhaṃ svavīryeṇa ye cātra ripavo mama |
ityuktvā bhujavīryeṇa tasmai prāhiṇavaṃ ruṣā || 31 ||
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rūpaṃ sudarśanasyāsīdākāśe patatastadā |
dvitīyasyeva sūryasya yugānte pariviṣyataḥ || 32 ||
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tatsamāsādya nagaraṃ saubhaṃ vyapagatatviṣam |
madhyena pāṭayāmāsa krakaco dārvivocchritam || 33 ||
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dvidhā kṛtaṃ tataḥ saubhaṃ sudarśanabalāddhatam |
maheśvaraśaroddhūtaṃ papāta tripuraṃ yathā || 34 ||
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tasminnipatite saubhe cakramāgātkaraṃ mama |
punaścoddhūya vegena śālvāyetyahamabruvam || 35 ||
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tataḥ śālvaṃ gadāṃ gurvīmāvidhyantaṃ mahāhave |
dvidhā cakāra sahasā prajajvāla ca tejasā || 36 ||
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tasminnipatite vīre dānavāstrastacetasaḥ |
hāhābhūtā diśo jagmurarditā mama sāyakaiḥ || 37 ||
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tato'haṃ samavasthāpya rathaṃ saubhasamīpataḥ |
śaṅkhaṃ pradhmāpya harṣeṇa suhṛdaḥ paryaharṣayam || 38 ||
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tanmeruśikharākāraṃ vidhvastāṭṭālagopuram |
dahyamānamabhiprekṣya striyastāḥ saṃpradudruvuḥ || 39 ||
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evaṃ nihatya samare śālvaṃ saubhaṃ nipātya ca |
ānartānpunarāgamya suhṛdāṃ prītimāvaham || 40 ||
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etasmātkāraṇādrājannāgamaṃ nāgasāhvayam |
yadyagāṃ paravīraghna na hi jīvetsuyodhanaḥ || 41 ||
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vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
evamuktvā mahābāhuḥ kauravaṃ puruṣottamaḥ |
āmantrya prayayau dhīmānpāṇḍavānmadhusūdanaḥ || 42 ||
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abhivādya mahābāhurdharmarājaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram |
rājñā mūrdhanyupāghrāto bhīmena ca mahābhujaḥ || 43 ||
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subhadrāmabhimanyuṃ ca rathamāropya kāñcanam |
āruroha rathaṃ kṛṣṇaḥ pāṇḍavairabhipūjitaḥ || 44 ||
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sainyasugrīvayuktena rathenādityavarcasā |
dvārakāṃ prayayau kṛṣṇaḥ samāśvāsya yudhiṣṭhiram || 45 ||
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tataḥ prayāte dāśārhe dhṛṣṭadyumno'pi pārṣataḥ |
draupadeyānupādāya prayayau svapuraṃ tadā || 46 ||
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dhṛṣṭaketuḥ svasāraṃ ca samādāyātha cedirāṭ |
jagāma pāṇḍavāndṛṣṭvā ramyāṃ śuktimatīṃ purīm || 47 ||
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kekayāścāpyanujñātāḥ kaunteyenāmitaujasā |
āmantrya pāṇḍavānsarvānprayayuste'pi bhārata || 48 ||
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brāhmaṇāśca viśaścaiva tathā viṣayavāsinaḥ |
visṛjyamānāḥ subhṛśaṃ na tyajanti sma pāṇḍavān || 49 ||
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samavāyaḥ sa rājendra sumahādbhutadarśanaḥ |
āsīnmahātmanāṃ teṣāṃ kāmyake bharatarṣabha || 50 ||
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yudhiṣṭhirastu viprāṃstānanumānya mahāmanāḥ |
śaśāsa puruṣānkāle rathānyojayateti ha || 51 ||
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