Part 2: Conquest of Māgadhatīrtha by Bharata

Then the cakra-jewel, preceding the army, attended by a thousand Yakṣas advanced in the sky like the sun’s orb. Following it, the bearer of the staff-jewel, the general-jewel named Suṣeṇa, mounted the horse-jewel and set out, like the cakra. The priest-jewel went with the King like a personified tranquillity-charm for the accomplishment of complete tranquillity. The steward-jewel advanced like a living food-dispensary, a shelter in the army able to produce divine food. The carpenter-jewel went with the King, able to create quickly the royal camp, etc., like Viśvakarman. The skin-jewel set out, as well as the wonderful umbrella-jewel, possessing the power of expanding to the size of the whole royal camp.^[1] The gem- and the cowrie-jewels went along, able to destroy darkness, like the sun and moon, by their light. The sword-jewel went with the King, as shining as if made from the essences of the best weapons of the gods and asuras.

Then the Lord of Bharata, the Cakrabhṛt, with the army in cakra-formation went following the cakra on the road, as if following a door-keeper. Everywhere this universal conquest was announced by favorable winds and favorable omens, as if by astrologers. The general, going in advance of the army, smoothed the uneven ground, that was like a ploughed field, with the staff-jewel like a harrow. The sky, cloudy from the dust raised by the army, shone with the pennants of the chariots and elephants that were like cranes.^[2] The Cakravartin’s army with the rear-guard invisible appeared like a second Gaṅgā, having an unimpeded course everywhere. The chariots by creaking, the horses by neighing, the elephants by roars, hastened each other as if to the business of a conquest-festival. The cavalry’s lances shone in the dust dug up by the army as if laughing at the rays of the sun hidden by the dust. The best of kings, advancing surrounded by devoted crowned kings, looked like Śakra with his Sāmānikas.

When it had gone to the end of a yojana, the cakra stopped, and in accordance with its march the measure of a yojana resulted. Then the King, traveling by marches of a yojana, arrived in a few days at the right bank of the Gaṅgā. The King, reducing the broad sandy beach of the Gaṅgā by numerous, contiguous dwellings, took a rest. Then the earth of the river Mandākinī’s bank became as muddy from the flowing ichor of the elephants as in the rainy season. Then in the clear stream of the Jāhnavī the best elephants took up the water at will, as clouds take up the water in the ocean. Again and again the horses bathed, jumping up with much swimming about, giving the impression of being waves. The Gaṅgā appeared to have new crocodiles everywhere from the elephants, horses, buffaloes, and oxen that had entered because of fatigue. By the mist raised by its waves, the Gaṅgā removed fatigue from the army immediately, as if to favor the King on the bank. Being used by the huge army of the king, the Gaṅgā became small at once, like the glory of enemies. The deodar trees growing on the bank of the Bhāgīrathī served as tying posts (ready) without effort for the king-elephants of the army. In a moment the elephant-keepers cut with axes sprouts of the pippal-tree, of śallakī, karṇikāra, and udumbara for the elephants. The horses, tied in rows by the thousand, making arches as it were with their raised ear-shoots, had a beautiful appearance. Quickly the horse-keepers placed before the horses, like relatives, kidney-beans, green gram, chick-peas, and barley.

Cross-roads where three and four roads met, and two rows of shops sprang up at once in the camp, like those of Vinītā. The whole army ceased to remember their former houses, being comfortable with concealing, heavy, thick felt-tents beautiful with curtains. The camels lopped thorny trees such as the sponge and jujube, as if showing the soldiers the removal of thorns (to the state) that had to be made. The mules with waving manes rolled at will on the sandy bank of the Gaṅgā, like servants before a master. Some men brought fuel; some water from the river; some loads of dūrvā-grass, etc.; some vegetables, fruit, etc.; some dug out fireplaces; some removed the husks from rice; some lighted the fire; some boiled the rice; some bathed with clear water on one side as if in their own houses; some after bathing burned incense to themselves with fragrant incense; some of the infantry who had eaten first enjoyed themselves as they liked; some with their wives anointed their body with unguents. In the Cakravartin’s camp which had every resource for gaining pleasure, no one considered himself in a camp at all.

When a day and night had passed,^[3] again at dawn the cakra-jewel and the Cakravartin went one yojana. By daily marches of one yojana, following the cakra, the Cakrin arrived at Māgadhatīrtha. The King established a camp nine yojanas broad and twelve yojanas long on the bank of the eastern ocean. In it the carpenter made houses for all the soldiers and a pauṣadha-house^[4]—the house of the elephant of dharma. The King, with the desire of performing religious practices in the pauṣadha-house, descended from the elephant’s shoulder, as a lion descends a mountain. In¹, it (the house) the King spread a new bed of darbha-grass, resembling the lion-throne of the Lakṣmī of the realm of self-restraint. Concentrating his mind on the deity, the Māgadhatīrthakumāra, he engaged in four days’ fast, the foremost door to the accomplishment of desires. Wearing a white garment, his finery, wreaths, and ointments removed, his weapons laid aside, he began the pauṣadha, the herb for the nourishment of merit. On the bed of darbha-grass, the King remained watching through the pauṣadha, free from worldly activities like a siddha in mokṣa. At the end of the four days’ fast, the pauṣadha completed, the King come out of the pauṣadha-house, like the sun from an autumn-cloud, extremely brilliant. The King, expert in everything, after bathing made the oblation-ceremony properly. For people who know the rules do not forget the rule.

The best of charioteers mounted the chariot, which had a flag-staff with pennants like a living palace; decorated with several rows of weapons like an armory; beautiful with four bells tinkling loudly, as if for the purpose of summoning the Śrīs of conquest of the four directions; provided with horses swift as the wind, brave as lions. The charioteer, knowing the details of the King’s intention as Mātali^[5] that of Vāsava, urged on the chariot-horses merely by shaking the reins. Like a second ocean with a multitude of mountains in the form of huge elephants, with a multitude of crocodiles in the form of big carts, with waves in the form of moving horses, terrifying with its serpents in the form of various weapons, with a coast of dust from the ground rising up, thundering with the noise of chariots, the King advanced to the ocean. He crossed the ocean with his chariot until the water reached to the hub, accompanied by cries of multitudes of crocodiles terrified by the increased noise of the water.

Placing one hand on the middle part, and the other on the side of the notched end of the bow, he strung the bow so that it resembled the moon of the fifth night. The Lord of Bharata, pulling the bow-string a little with his hand, made a loud twanging like the oṅkāra of the Dhanurveda. The King took from the quiver an arrow marked with his name which resembled the King of the Nāgas leaving the door of Pātāla. Taking the feathered end with his hand in the lion’s-ear^[6] position, he placed on the bowstring the arrow (like) the diamond staff (jewel)^[7] against enemies. He drew up to the end of his ear the golden arrow which had the appearance of a stalk of the golden ear-ornament-lotus. The great arrow shone with the light flowing from the King’s nail-jewels, as if surrounded by brothers. The shining arrow at the end of the drawn bow had the appearance of a tongue swaying from the wide-open mouth of Yama. The King of the Middle World, being within the circle of the bow, shone like a harsh sun within a halo. Then the Lavaṇa Ocean shuddered all over as if thinking, “Will he make me go from this place, or will he punish me?” Then the King shot the arrow, attended outside, inside, on the tip, on the feathered end, everywhere by Nāga-, Asura-, Suparna-, etc., gods, like a messenger executing a command, terrifying from its threatening words, at the Lord of Māgadhatīrtha. Instantly the arrow departed swiftly like the king of birds (Garuḍa), the firmament being filled with the loud noise of its feathers. Flying from the King’s bow, the arrow shone like a fire-brand from a fire, like a hot flash from an ascetic, like lightning from a cloud, like a fiery meteor from the sky, like fire from the sunstone, like a thunderbolt from Indra’s arm.

After traversing twelve yojanas the arrow fell suddenly in the Lord of Māgadha’s council, like an arrow in the heart. At this unexpected fall of the arrow, the King of Māgadhatīrtha was extremely angry, like a serpent at a blow with a stick. Bending both his eyebrows like cruel bows, making his eyes red like lighted arrows of fire, opening wide his nostrils like bellows, twitching his lower lip-petal like the younger brother of the Nāga Takṣaka, making on his forehead lines like comets in the sky, grasping a weapon in his right hand like a snake-charmer a snake, striking with his left hand his seat like an enemy’s cheek, the Lord of Māgadha spoke a speech equal to fire and poison: “Who wishes to make ear-omaments, first cutting the tusks of Airāvaṇa? Who wishes to make earrings from the wings of Suparṇeya? Who wishes to seize the string of head-jewels of the lord of serpents? Who wishes to steal the horses of the sun? Who, seeker of death, considering himself a hero, unreflecting, of little wit, has sent this arrow into our house? I shall take away his arrogance, as Suparṇa takes away that of the serpent.” Saying this, the Lord of Māgadha stood up impetuously. He pulled the hilt of his sword from its scabbard, like a serpent from a cave, and waved it in the sky, giving the illusion of a comet. His entire retinue, hard to restrain like the ocean-current, got up together in a fit of anger. Some with their swords, made the sky appear to have black lightning; some by their shining shields made it appear to have several moons; some waved in the sky lances, extremely sharp as if made from whole rows of Kṛtānta’s teeth; some took up axes resembling tongues of fire; some took hammers with ends terrifying to Rāhu; others took spears in their hands, superior to a crore of thunderbolts; others took up rods cruel as the rod of Yama; some clapped their hands, a cause of enemies’ scattering; some gave a lion’s roar like loud thunder; some said, “Kill, kill!” others, “Capture, capture!” some, “Wait, wait!” others, “Go, go!”

While his retinue was engaged in various preparations of this sort, his minister examined the arrow carefully. The chief-minister saw on the arrow words like the words of a divine charm, powerful, noble. “If you have need of your kingdom or your life, then pay homage to us with the gift of your wealth. It is the Cakravartin Bharata, son of Ṛṣabha Svāmin—the Lord of gods, asuras, and men who gives yon this order in person.” When the minister had seen these words, he understood by clairvoyant knowledge and, showing the arrow to his master, said emphatically, “Oh! all of yon courtiers, shame on you urging violence. With the idea of benefiting the Master, you are doing him an injury, thinking yourselves devoted. Bharata became the first cakravartin in Bharatakṣetra. He is the son of the first Tīrtheśa, Ṛṣabha Svāmin. Cruel in his commands like Pākaśāsana, he asks for tribute from you and wishes to impose his own authority upon you. Though the ocean might dry up, Meru he rooted up, Kṛtānta be killed, the earth thrown up, the thunderbolt burst, the submarine fire destroyed, the Cakravartin can be conquered in no way on earth. Your Majesty, let these people with little wit be restrained, O chief of the wise. Let the tribute be made ready. Be submissive to the Cakrin.” After hearing the minister’s speech and seeing the words, he became calm like an elephant that has smelled the perfume of a rutting elephant.

The Lord of Māgadha, taking the gift and the arrow, approached the Lord of Bharata, bowed, and said, “By good fortune, O King, you have now come before my eyes, like a full moon before a mass of (night-blooming) lotuses. O Master, you, the first Cakravartin, are victorious on earth, like the Blessed One, Ṛṣabha Svāmin, the first Tīrthakṛt. What elephant would contest with the elephant of the gods? Who can compete (in speed) with the wind? Who can rival the sky (in extent)? And who would be your opponent? Who is able to endure your arrow, which is like the thunderbolt of Biḍaujas, shot from the bow drawn to the ear? Like a door-keeper sent to announce what must be done, that arrow was shot by you showing favor to me careless. Henceforth, O Lord, crest-jewel of kings, I shall carry on my head your command like a crest-jewel. O Master, at this Māgadhatīrtha I shall remain sincerely devoted, like a pillar of victory in the east set up by you in this very place. We, this kingdom, all the retinue are yours alone, and every thing else also. Command us like a soldier in the east.” Saying this, the god handed the arrow to the Cakrin, water from Māgadhatīrtha, a crown, and earrings. The King accepted this and entertained the Lord of Māgadha. For the great are affectionate to those who have humbly approached for service. Then turning his chariot, the King went to his own camp by the same road by which he had come, like Sutrāman to Amarāvatī. After descending from his chariot and bathing his body, together with his retinue the Lord of Bharata took food at the end of the four days’ fast. Then the King made an eight-day festival with great splendor to the Lord of Māgadha like that to the cakra, when it had approached.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Both the skin and umbrella had this power.

[2]:

These are rainy-season birds.

[3]:

The ‘day and night’ included the march and rest.

[4]:

A place in which to observe the pauṣadha-vow.

[5]:

Indra’s charioteer.

[6]:

In this the tips of the fingers are joined to the thumb. H. I. Vol. I, p, 15.

[7]:

Vajradaṇḍa. I do not believe this refers to the shaft of the arrow here. It was gold, as a matter of fact. Cf. Yog. p. 24a for the vajradaṇḍa. Or perhaps it should be emended to vajratuṇḍa from parallel passages, though all the MSS have vajradaṇḍa here.