Part 17: The battle with Tāraka

Offended at hearing this proud, caustic speech of Dvipṛṣṭha, he went quickly to Tāraka and reported. Angered by Viṣṇu’s speech, when it was heard, like a rutting elephant by the odor of another elephant, Tāraka had the marching-drum beaten. At once soldiers, generals, vassals, ministers, crowned kings, and warriors with chariots, their arms itching with power, seeking battle after a long time, like relatives of Yama, approached the king. Then Tāraka set out, unfavorable results being strongly indicated by shaking of the earth, flashes of lightning, cawing of crows, etc. Inflamed by anger, the Ardhacakrabhṛt quickly traversed half the road, though it was very long, with uninterrupted marches.

Dvipṛṣṭha, together with Brahmā, Vijaya, and an army, came there in front of him, eager to challenge, like a lion. The soldiers of both sides armed themselves with difficulty, all the meshes of their chain-armor bursting repeatedly from the swelling of their bodies. A mutual attack took place, the cause of great slaughter, like a huge kitchen for a meal for Death. Umbrella-ed heads^[1] fell by lacs on both sides. Not even the number of other soldiers who fell was known. The battle-field became a pleasure-pool of Yama, as it were, which had white lotuses made from the umbrellas and was filled with water from blood.

Then Dvipṛṣṭha got into his chariot Jaitra and blew Pāñcajanya whose sound resembled a charm for summoning victory in battle. Tāraka’s soldiers trembled at the loud noise from Pāñcajanya, like deer at a lion’s roar, like haṃsas at thunder.^[2] When Tāraka saw his own soldiers terrified, after he had put them to shame and turned them back, he himself got into his chariot and went to meet Dvipṛṣṭha. Accompanied by Vijaya carrying Lāṅgala and Ayoghna, Śārṅgin strung Śārṅga, like Sutrāman stringing Ṛjurohita.^[3] Next Tāraka, whose bow was strung, drew an arrow from the quiver and adjusted it like a powerful finger of Death. Tāraka discharged the arrow and Hari destroyed it with an arrow. Such a discharge and destruction of arrows took place repeatedly between the two. Whatever weapons—club, hammer, staff, et cetera, or other weapons—Tāraka threw, Hari destroyed these by counter-weapons.

Then Tāraka took the cakra, a cruel crocodile in the ocean of battle and said to Dvipṛṣṭha, his lip trembling from anger and astonishment: “Even if you are very badly behaved, still I will not kill you from compassion, because you are the son of an old servitor and just a boy.”

The younger brother of Vijaya said, his lips blossoming with a smile: “You are not ashamed, showing compassion to me—Śārṅgapāṇi. Even if you are an enemy, nevertheless you are pardoned. Who will needlessly slaughter you to whom death from old age is near? If you have hope from the cakra, then throw it, sir. When this has been done, your purpose being unaccomplished, nevertheless, you may go free.”

Inflamed by this speech, like a fire of sesame^[4] by water, Tāraka whirled the cakra around his head. After whirling it in the air, he hurled it blazing at Dvipṛṣṭha, like a cloud at the end of the world discharging lightning. It fell on Hari’s heart, striking him with the tip of the hub, resembling the beauty of the kaustubha^[5] changed into another form. He was instantly dazed by the blow and fell in the chariot, and was fanned by Vijaya who used the end of his garment as a fan. Becoming conscious after a moment, Śārṅgin took the enemy’s cakra that had come near like a minister with whom there had been a quarrel, and spoke as follows:

“The cakra is your wealth of weapons. Its strength has been seen such as it is. Save your life and go. A living man sees fair things.”

Tāraka replied: “I discharged the cakra. After seizing it, like a dog a clod that has been thrown, what do you say, indeed! Throw it! Throw it! Seizing it with my hand, or rather, striking it, I shall crush it like unbaked earth.”

Then Śārṅgin whirled the cakra which resembled a revolving sun and hurled it at Prativiṣṇu, terrifying the Khecaras. It cut off Tāraka’s head as easily as a lotus-stalk and returned to Śārṅgin’s hand. A rain of flowers fell from the sky on Dvipṛṣṭha and tears from the women of his household fell on Tāraka. The kings also who had been Tāraka’s partisans yielded to superior force and protected themselves from Dvipṛṣṭha. For this is the expedient in the case of the powerful.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I.e., persons of rank entitled to an umbrella.

[2]:

Haṃsas do not like rain. See I, n. 47.

[3]:

Indra’s bow.

[4]:

The sesame has very abundant oil.

[5]:

Name of the jewel worn on the breast by Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu.