Part 10: Conquest of northern half of Bharatakṣetra by Bharata

After traversing the cave fifty yojanas long, the King started to conquer the north half of Bharatavarṣa. There dwell Kirātas, named Āpātas, arrogant, rich, powerful, fiery, like demons on earth. They have unlimited mansions, couches, seats, and vehicles, much gold and silver, like relatives of Kubera. They are rich with much livestock, have retinues of many slaves, in general free from humiliations, like trees in the garden of the gods. With strong forces ready for many battles they are always like oxen for loads of big carts. As soon as the Lord of Bharata started out like Kṛtānta, portents took place indicating misfortunes to them. The earth, houses and gardens being shaken, trembled as if pained by the weight of the vanguard of Bharata’s army advancing. Flames in the sky appeared like forest fires, as if from the great splendor of the Cakrin penetrating to the end of the horizon. The heavens became quite invisible from the floating dust. Evil winds spread, with a cruel noise painful to hear, striking against each other, like sea-animals in the ocean. Meteors fell on all sides from the sky like fire-brands, causing agitation in all the tigers of Mlecchas. There were claps of thunder, terrifying from their great noise like blows with the hand on the earth by Kṛtānta angered. Here and there in the sky circles of crows and kites wandered, like umbrellas of the approaching Śrī of Death.

The Kirātas became extremely angry when they saw Bharata who had come, making a sun with crores of rays in the sky, as it were, by the rays from the golden armor, axes, and darts; providing the sky with teeth by upraised staves, bows, and hammers; terrifying the troops of Khecaras in the sky by the lions, tigers, etc., on the banners; darkening the face of the sky by the clouds in the form of the troop of elephants; with the faces of the makaras on the front of the chariots rivaling the face of Yama; splitting open the earth, as it were, by the blows of the horses’ hooves; bursting open the sky, as it were, by the terrible noise of the drums of conquest; terrifying from the cakra, like the sun with the planet Mars going in advance.

Coming together, like a conjunction of cruel planets, as if wishing to seize the King, they said to each other angrily, “Who is this seeker of death, like a child of little wit, like a low-caste person, lacking in majesty, shame, resolution, and fame? Born on an auspicious fourteenth which was lost, devoid of marks, he comes to our territory, like a deer to a lion’s cave. Therefore we shall at once dispel him, whose appearance is arrogant, even though advancing from every direction, like a whirlwind dispelling a cloud.”

Talking like this, they rose together for battle against Bharata, like śarabhas against a cloud.^[1] The lords of the Kirātas wore armor, indivisible as if made of tortoise-shell. They put on their heads helmets covered with the hair of bears, etc., giving the appearance of Rākṣasa-heads with hair standing up. Their chain-armor split repeatedly from their bodies swelling with eagerness. Oh, their eagerness for battle! The helmets were lifted by the heads by their hair standing erect, as if saying from jealousy, “Is there another protector besides us?” Some, after stringing them with ease, held their bows made of horn curved like frowns of Yama angered; some drew from the scabbard terrible one-edged swords, hard to restrain in battle, like pleasure-couches of the Śrī of victory. Some, like younger brothers of Yama, took up staves; some made lances dance in the sky like comets. Some carried spears as if to impale enemies from friendship for Yama invited to the battle-festival. Others took in their hands iron arrows like hawks, robbers of the wealth of life of the circles of quails of the enemy. Some took at once hammers with a firm grasp as if wishing to knock down a multitude of stars from the sky. Others, desiring battle, took various weapons. No one was without a weapon, just as no serpent is without poison.

Then they ran forward at the same time as one person toward the army of Bharata, eager for the rasa belonging to an army (heroism). The Mlecchas fought ardently with the van of Bharata’s army, raining weapons like inauspicious clouds hail-stones. Weapons sprang up, as if from the middle of the earth; flew, as if from the quarters of the sky; fell, as if from the air, from them on all sides. There was no part of the van of Bharata’s army that was not divided by the arrows of the Kirātas as if by words of rogues. The advance cavalry of the Lord of Bharata, turned back by the army of Mlecchas, trembled like the waves at the mouth of a river turned back by the waves of the ocean. The Cakrin’s elephants were terrified, crying out with a disagreeable noise, as the lions of Mlecchas attacked them with sharp nails of arrows. The lung’s infantry fell, rolling like balls, struck repeatedly by the Mleccha-soldiers with their cruel staff-weapons. The chariots in the van of the king’s army were divided by the Mleccha-army at will by blows with dubs, like mountains by blows with the thunderbolt.

The general, Suṣeṇa, seeing the army defeated as if it had no general, was impelled by anger like a command of the king. Instantly his eyes became red, his face red, hard to look at like Agni himself in the form of a man. General Suṣeṇa armed himself like a king of the Rākṣasas to devour all the enemies’ soldiers. The golden armor, which became exceedingly tight from the body swelling from eagerness, looked like another skin of the general. The general mounted the king of horses that was like victory in person, eighty fingers in height,^[2] ninety-nine in circumference, one hundred and eight in length; his head was thirty-two fingers long, gradually arched; the ear was four fingers; the upper paṛt of the leg twenty, the shank sixteen, the knee four, the hoof four fingers high; the belly round and winkled; his back was broad, well-proportioned, curved and soft, covered with hair soft as threads of very fine cloth; having twelve auspicious locks of hair curled backwards; marked with favorable marks; his color attained by beautiful youth, pale like that of a parrot’s tail-feathers; free from blows with, a whip; following his rider’s thought; embraced by the arms of Śrī, as it were, in the guise of a bridle of jewels and gold; with sweet sounds from a multitude of small golden bells tinkling, as if worshipped with lotus-wreaths with bees buzzing inside; his face was like an ornament of a pennant of extraordinary beauty with the rays of ornaments of gold joined with five-colored jewels; with a tilaka of a golden lotus like the sky marked by Mars; having two extra ears, as it were, in the guise of chauri-ornaments; attracted by the Cakrin’s merit like a vehicle by Indra’s thought; setting down his arched feet as if they were sinking from a caress; like Suparṇa in another form, like the wind embodied, his power seen in the crossing of one hundred yojanas in a moment; skillful in transporting across mud, water, stones, gravel, holes, and uneven ground and from plateaux, mountains, caves, and inaccessible spots; apparently moving in the sky, to judge from the slight track left on the ground; intelligent, well-trained, overcoming fatigue by the five gaits,^[3] his breath fragrant as a lotus, named Kamalāpīḍa.

The general seized the sword-jewel, like Yama the (name-)paper of enemies, fifty fingers long, sixteen fingers wide, one-half finger thick, with a hilt of gold and jewels, its scabbard discarded, like a snake whose skin is discarded, sharp-bladed, very firm like a second thunderbolt, adorned with the clear colors of a row of variegated lotuses. With the sword-jewel, the general became like a winged king of serpents, like an armored lion. Waving his glittering sword, like a flash of lightning in the sky, the general urged on his war-like horse. Splitting a detachment of enemies, like the wind the water, Suṣeṇa entered the field of battle horseback. When Suṣeṇa began to hew down, some of the enemy were terrified like deer; some closing their eyes remained as they fell, like hares. Others remained standing, like tired antelopes; some climbed like monkeys to uneven ground. Of some the weapons fell like leaves of trees; of some the umbrellas fell on all sides like their glory. Of some the horses stood like serpents transfixed by a charm; of some the chariots were split as if made of clay. Some disregarded their own people as if they were strangers but, saving their own lives, the Mlecchas fled in every direction. Overthrown by Suṣeṇa, like trees by a stream of water, powerless, they retreated many yojanas. They came together in one place like friends and, after considering for a moment, went to the river Sindhu, like sick men to a mother. After making beds out of sand-piles on her sandy beach, they sat down like people waiting for a bath after a funeral. Nude, supine, they concentrated their minds on the Nāgakumāras, the Meghamukhas,^[4] their family deities, and made a tour days’ fast.

At the end of the four days’ fast, the seats of the Nāgakumāras trembled, as if from fear of the cakra’s brilliance. Seeing by clairvoyant knowledge the Mlecchas in distress like that, approaching like a father in case of sickness, they became visible to them. Standing in the air, they said to the Kirātas, “What desire have yon in mind now? Speak, sirs.” When they saw the Nāgakumāras, the Meghamukhas, in the air, they placed their folded hands on their foreheads, like people who want a great deal, and said, “Now, some one has come to our country, never conquered before. Make him go away.” The Meghamukhas said, “This is Bharata, the Cakravartin, invincible to gods, demons, and men, like Indra. The cakravartin on earth, he is impervious to charms, spells, poison, weapons, fire, magic powers, etc., like mountain-stone to chisels. Nevertheless, out of consideration for you, we will make trouble for him.” With these words they departed.

Clouds appeared at once spreading over the sky, black as collyrium, like oceans that had sprung up from earth. They scolded, as it were, the army of the Cakrabhṛt with the threatening finger of lightning; they screamed repeatedly, as it were, with loud cries of thunder. They stood above the King’s camp at once, resembling a thunderbolt the size of the camp lifted for crushing it. Then they began to rain with streams of water that were like pestles, like iron arrows, like tusks. The earth being completely filled with water, the chariots were like boats, the elephants, etc., like crocodiles. The sun seemed to go away somewhere; the mountains seemed to disappear because of the darkness of the cloud thundering like a night of destruction. On earth pure darkness and pure water appeared simultaneously like twins.

When the Cakravartin saw the prolonged, inauspicious rain, he touched with his hand the skin-jewel like a dear servant. Touched by the Cakrin’s hand, the skin-jewel expanded for twelve yojanas, like a cloud touched by the north wind. Together with his army, the King Stayed on the skin-jewel placed on top of the water, as if on the earth on top of the dense-vapor (sheath).^[5] The King touched with his hand the umbrella adorned with ninety-nine thousand golden ribs of beautiful splendor, like the Ocean of Milk with coral; beautiful with a golden handle free from cracks and joints and perfectly straight, like a lotus with its stalk; affording protection against water, heat, wind, and dust; and it expanded like the skin-jewel. The King set the gem-jewel, surpassing the sky-jewel in light, on top of the umbrella-handle to dispel darkness. The box made from the umbrella and skin looked like a floating egg; from that time the legend of the Brahmāṇda^[6] existed among the people. From the power of the steward-jewel grain sown at dawn on the skin-jewel like a good field was ready at evening. Pumpkin-gourds, greens, radishes, etc.., planted at dawn came up at the end of the day, like palaces of the moon.^[7] Fruit trees, such as mango and plantain, planted at dawn bear fruit at the end of day, like enterprises of the great. The people, delighted, ate this grain, vegetables, and fruit; resorting to pleasure in gardens, they did not know the fatigue of an army.

The Lord of the Middle World with his retinue remained as comfortable inside the skin- and umbrella-jewels as in his own house. For seven days and nights without interruption the Nāgakumāras rained there, as if it were the end of the world. “Who are these villains who are eager to cause me such trouble?” Knowing this conjecture of the powerful King, the sixteen thousand Yakṣas always in attendance came armed, with quivers fastened on, with bows strung, as if ready to burn enemies on all sides with the flame of their anger, and spoke to the Nāgakumāras, the Meghamukhas. “O wretches, do you, indeed, as if you were creatures without a mind, not know the King, the Cakrin, Lord of Bharata? This King being invincible to all, this undertaking of yours is doomed to calamity, like an attack on a huge mountain by elephants with their tusks. This being so, hurry away like bugs. Otherwise, sudden death as never seen before will surely befall you.” Confused by hearing this, the Meghamukha-gods dispelled at once the mass of clouds, like magicians an illusion.

The Meghamukhas went to the Kirātas, related this, and advised them, “Go and take refuge with Bharata.” Then the Mlecchas, their desires destroyed by that speech, took refuge with the Lord of Bharata, as they had no other refuge then. Bowing to the Lord of Bharata, they delivered as presents gems like the hood-jewels of snakes heaped together, a heap of beautiful gold like the internal contents of Meru, horses by the lac like images of the horse-jewel. With folded hands placed on their heads, they spoke aloud with flattery like brothers of bards: “Be victorious, O Lord of the World, who have severe, unbroken power. Yon are like Indra in the six-part country. Who except you is able to open the great gateway of Mt. Vaitāḍhya, the very rampart of our laud, O King? Who else is able, O conqueror, to support a camp above water like the circle of heavenly bodies in the sky? You are known as ‘invincible’ even by the Master of the gods, because of such wonderful power. Pardon our crime of ignorance. Ṇow place your hand, a new life-giving drug, on our backs. Henceforth we will remain subject to your commands, O Lord.” After making them subject to himself and entertaining them, Bharata, knowing what was suitable, dismissed them. For the anger of the great is limited by submission. Then at the King’s command Suṣeṇa returned after conquering the north district of the Sindhu, bounded by the mountain and the ocean. Enjoying delights, the King remained there a long time, as if to make non-Aryans Aryans by contact with his own Aryan people.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The śarabha attacks the cloud with the idea that it is an elephant. Cf. Meghadūta 1. 54.

[2]:

The description of the horse-jewel does not quite tally with that of the perfect horse, according to the Śukranīti. His head should be 40 aṅgulas long, and the rest of his body in proportion to his head. The height should be three times the length of the head; the length four times; circumference three times plus three aṅgulas. The equine aṅgula is five barley corns, whereas the elephantine aṅgula is eight. Śukranīti 4. 7. 43 ff.

[3]:

The Abhi. 4, 312-315 enumerates the 5 gaits of a horse; dhorita, ‘like a mongoose, heron, peacock, or boar’; valgita, which seems to be ‘gallop’; pluta or plaṅghana, ‘resembling the gait of a bird ox deer’; uttejita or recita, ‘a gait with moderate speed’; utterita, or upakaṇṭha, or āskandita, ‘jumping with all the feet as if in anger,’ apparently ‘bucking,’

[4]:

In the Jamb. (p. 240) also the Meghamukhas are mentioned as belonging to the Nāgakumāras, but I have not found them in any of the schemes. The Nāgakumāras are a subdivision of the Bhavanapatis. Hem. frequently refers to the Meghakumāras, but they also are not given in the lists. Perhaps they and the Meghamukhas are the same.

[5]:

See App. I.

[6]:

For the formation of the universe from Brahma’s egg, see Wilkins, p. 85.

[7]:

I have not been able to find an explanation for this allusion.