Chapter 43 - The Boar Gives a Tough Fight to Ikṣvāku

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sukalā said:

1-8. Thus those boars stood up for fighting. The hunters stood by the king standing before them. O best king, the great hog resorted to the mountain-peak. He stood after arranging his great herd in an array. The tawny, fat, plump-bodied, irresistible hog having large fangs and mouth, roared very fearfully, O king. The great king saw them resorting to the groves of śāla and tāla. Hearing those words of them the brave son of Manu (said): “Seize the brave hog, kill him who is proud of his strength.” Thus the hero, the brave son of Manu, spoke to them. Then all the hunters, fascinated by the rapture of hunting became ready and furnished with armours, and proceeded with the dogs. The great and very mighty king was full of great joy. Mounted upon a horse, he was ready with his army having four constituents. He came to the bank of Gaṅgā on the best mountain Meru, full of gems and minerals and adorned with various kinds of trees.

Sukalā said:

9-19. (He came to the mountain) which best mountain, having the heap of the rays of the sun, was very lofty and high, had reached the sky itself, was beautified by many elephants that moved (on it); which shone with pure drops of water, resembling pearls, (and caused by) waves and ripples on the banks, rising from the pure stream of the Gaṅgā due to the crowds of people. The best mountain with its white slabs of stone washed everywhere, was endowed with excellent beauty. Surrounded (i.e. covered) by gods, Cāraṇas, Kinnaras and Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, Siddhas, bevies of celestial nymphs, sages, best elephants, Vidyādharas the mountain shone with (trees) like śrīkhaṇḍa, candana, sarala, śāla, tamāla, rudrākṣa, and desire-yielding trees giving divine powers. It was variegated with minerals of various kinds. It shone with aerial cars, variegated with various gems, with golden staffs and wives (i.e. women). It shone by the groves of coconut trees and divine betal-nut trees. It was adorned with flowers of divine white lotuses, bakula, and decorated with pieces of plantain trees, (also) with campaka-flowers. The mountain was decorated with reddish ketaka-flowers, and also the extensions of many creepers and with lotuses. It was adorned with beautiful flowers of many colours and with various trees. It was full of divine trees and crystal-slabs. It shone with the meditating saints, best meditating saints who had attained divine powers and who lived in its caves; and also with charming streams and many fountains. The mountain shone with the confluences bristling with the streams of rivers. The lord of mountains looked beautiful with deep lakes, small pools, having pure water and with peaks standing together. It was adorned with śarabhas, tigers and herds of deer. That lord of mountains always shone with highly intoxicated elephants, buffaloes and the ruru deer, and also with many divine substances.

20-22. Manu’s son, the brave lord of Ayodhyā, (named) Ikṣvāku, (was there) with his wife and the army having four constituents. In front (of him) the brave hunters and the fast dogs were going to the place where the brave, strong boar (remained) with his wife. He remained, after having resorted to the bank of Gaṅgā on the Meru-land, protected by many old and young hogs.

Sukalā said:

23-27. The delighted hog said to her very dear wife: “O dear one, see, the mighty lord of the Kośala country has come. The king is having the sport of hunting with me as the target. I shall just have the battle delighting gods and demons.” Then the very lustrous king, the archer with arrows in his hands, who was delighted, said to (his wife) Sudevā, of a truthful behaviour: “O darling, see the very powerful, roaring hog, accompanied by his attendants and irresistible for the hunters. O dear one, today only I shall kill him with good, sharp arrows. The very brave one will come to me only to fight (with me).”

28-31. The pleasing, brave (king), speaking thus to his wife, said to the hunters: “O very brave ones, urge on the hog.” The brave ones, having power, lustre and valour, and roaring, ran fast. All of them went to the hog with the speed of wind. The foresters pierced the hog of a brave form with volleys of sharp arrows and various weapons and missiles.

Sukalā said:

32-35. Arrows and javelins were discharged by the hunters; the arrows (discharged by them) showered on the mountain as clouds would shower on the earth. Struck by (hunters) giving strong strokes, the hog, the protector of the herd, who had gone to fight, was completely vanquished by hundred (of hunters). With his sons and grandsons he would destroy (i.e. he destroyed) his enemies. The hunters struck by his fang in the war fell down. Due to his speedy whir lings the hands and feet of a steady (person) dropped down. The hog saw the roar of (i.e. the roaring) hunter coming to him; and the lustre on his face was destroyed when struck with his fang. He went to the place where the king was. He (i.e. the king) did not want to fight. The lordly hog very much resisted and frightened the lord of the Ikṣvākus and was angry. Delighted with fighting, he desired to fight with Ikṣvāku (king) in the forest.

36-43. The hog skilled in fighting again desired to fight (with Ikṣvāku). The angry hog, shaking the earth with the front part of his mouth, sharp teeth and claws, and proudly making the huṃkāra sound, struck the sinless king. O king, finding him to have the valour like that of Viṣṇu, the son of Manu was thrilled with joy. The divine king, seeing the valour of the boar regarded him like Yama. Thinking that he was the enemy of gods in the form of a hog, and seeing the very powerful and huge opposing army, he suddenly collected (his army) for the destruction of the boar. He sent elephants, speedy chariots and hunters holding arrows and swords along with (missiles called) bhuśuṇḍi and mallets and having nooses in their hands. They were delighted and aimed at him. The horses and elephants that had gone to him, though warded off, remained (there only). At places he was seen, at places he was not seen. At times he would show (i.e. cause) fear, at times he would crush the horses. The hog, invincible in the battle, and with his eyes red due to anger, crushed the brave soldiers and made an inviolable sound. The brave lord of Kośala, seeing that boar, fighting, unconquerable in war, of a huge body and giving out a sound (i.e. thundering) like the clouds, roared; moved on the battlefield; and the brave one illumined the heroes with his own lustre. The fangs in his (i.e. the hog’s) mouth shone and flashed like lightning. The son of Manu saw the hog in that condition, and pierced him with sharp arrows, and each one of the rest was pierced by his relatives (i.e. fellow-warriors).

44. The king said: “O (my) armies (i.e. my soldiers), why should you, who are brave, not seize him through your prowess? (Just) fight there with him with (your) whetted and sharp arrows.”

45-59. Hearing the words of that noble one who was angry, all the soldiers stood together to fight. Many thousands of warriors, struck in all directions, and pierced the hog in battle, who had remained on the battlefield. On the battlefield, he was pierced with volleys of arrows by certain huge excellent warriors. The mighty ones hit the hog difficult to conquer in battle with the strokes of discs and throws of bolts. Then the angry hog having bravely cut off the nooses, remained in the battlefield. He went forth along with great boars. Then the brave hog, wet with the streams of blood, struck with his mouth and cut off the horses and elephants of the brave (soldiers). Angrily he struck the brave foot-soldiers with the sharp fore-part of his fang. Being angry he struck the trunk of an elephant and being delighted, hit, with the nails of his toes, the warriors that were struck (down). Then all the hogs and hunters, with their eyes red with anger, resorting to fighting, fought with one another. The boars were killed by the hunters, and many hunters were killed by the boars. Being struck and red with blood, they dropped on the ground. The boars, giving up (i.e. at the cost of) their life, killed the hunters, and they fell on the battlefield. There the boars died and dogs gave up their life (i.e. died). Here and there, the hunters that were dead (i.e. that were killed), lay on the ground. The king, with the strokes of his sword, killed many boars. Some boars fled away; some were killed; some, being frightened, resorted to inaccessible places, bowers and interiors of caves, O best king. Some hunters, pierced by hogs with the tips of their fangs, and some, cut off into pieces, died and went to heaven. On all sides snares, nooses, traps and tubular organs of the body had fallen here and there. The hog, proud of his strength, remained only with his wife and five or seven grandsons (ready) to fight. The female hog again spoke to that hog, dear to her:“O dear one, with me and these children move (to a safe place).”

60-77a. The pleased hog said to his very dear wife, who was afflicted: “Broken (like this) where shall I go? (Now) there is no place (for me) on the earth. When I run away, the herd of boars will perish. A hog drinks water by (remaining) between two lions; (but) a lion does (i.e. can) not drink water by (remaining) between two hogs. Thus excellent power is observed in the species of boars. Therefore I shall kill (the enemies); when broken I shall go (away). O you glorious one, I know piety causing many auspicious results. When a man, who is fighting, flees, leaving the holy battlefield through greed or fear, he would be a sinner. There is no doubt about it. He (who) is delighted at seeing the array of sharp arms, dives into the divine river and goes to the other end of the holy place. He goes to Viṣṇu’s world, and would, emancipate the men (of his family). When now that (fight) has come by, how should I, being broken, go (away from it)? Listen to the fruit of him (i.e. which he gets), who, on seeing the battle, crowded with weapons, and giving delight to great heroes, is delighted and goes forth (to fight). For him a great (i.e. sacred) bath in Bhāgīrathī is had at every step. O dear one, (now) listen (to the description of him), who, fleeing from the battle through greed, goes home. He would manifest his mother’s blemish, and is called a woman. O dear one, here (i.e. in a battle) are present sacrifices and holy places. Here (i.e. in a battle), gods of great prowess, sages, Siddhas and Cāraṇas witness (things creating) delight. All the three worlds are present there, where the heroes present themselves. The inhabitants of the three worlds watch him who has fled from the battle (-field), and curse and again and again laugh at the shameless sinner. King Dharma (i.e. Yama) would put him to pain (i.e. inflict pain upon him). There is no doubt about it. He, who faces (the enemy) and would drink blood from his own head (i.e. whose head would bleed while fighting), obtains the fruit of performing a horse-sacrifice and goes to Indra’s heaven. There is no doubt that when the brave one conquers his enemies in a battle, he enjoys glory and many pleasures, O you beautiful one. When, unsupported (i.e. all alone) he, facing (his enemy), gives up his life, he would go to the highest place, and enjoys a divine maiden. Thus I know piety; how should I flee (from battle) and go (away)? There is no doubt that on the battlefield I shall fight with this courageous Ikṣvāku-king, the son of Manu. O you beautiful one, take these young ones with you, and go. Live happily.”

77b-82. Hearing the words of him, she said: “I am bound by your bonds, called the sentiment of love, and which are the playthings of joy, O dear one. O you, who remove the pride (of others), with my sons I shall cast my life in front of you.” Thus the two desiring the good of each other, and having well conversed with each other, decided to fight, and observed the enemies, (and) the very intelligent, brave Ikṣvāku, the lord of Kośala. As the cloud thunders in the sky in the rainy season, he roared along with his beloved and would challenge (i.e. challenged), with the tips of his hoofs, the excellent king. The noble one saw the roaring hog, endowed with valour. The courageous king, with a horse’s speed, moved forward facing him (i.e. the hog).