by Bibek Debroy
‘Like two gods, those brave ones counter-attacked the enemy. Rama was enraged, like an Indra of serpents. The brave one raised the plough and roamed around in the battle, like Death amidst the enemy. He dragged down large numbers of chariots that belonged to the great-souled kshatriyas. He exhibited the fruits of his rage among the elephants and the horses. Rama roamed around and crushed in that battle. He flung elephants away with his plough. He struck them with the club. He was like a mountain. In the encounter, the bulls among kshatriyas were struck by Rama. Afflicted in the battle, those brave ones approached Jarasandha. Jarasandha, established in the dharma of kshatriyas, told them, “How can you suffer in a field of battle? Shame on your conduct as kshatriyas. The learned say that those who are deprived of their chariots and run away from the field of battle commit a sin equal to the killers of foetuses. How can you be terrified and retreat? Shame on your conduct as kshatriyas. Goaded by my words, swiftly return to the field of battle. In this encounter, I will dispatch the gopas to Yama’s eternal abode.” Thus, all the kshatriyas were urged by Jarasandha. Cheerfully, they stationed themselves in the battle and released nets of arrows. The horses possessed golden harnesses. The chariots roared like clouds. Urged by the mahamatras, the elephants were like clouds. Their bodies were covered in armour and they sported swords. They raised weapons, flags and penants aloft. The bows were strung and the quivers were full of arrows. They wielded javelins. On their chariots, the kings were radiant as they advanced in the battle. All of them had umbrellas above their heads and they were fanned with beautiful whisks. The charioteers who advanced into the battle were the best among warriors. They held heavy clubs and maces that could be flung.
‘Krishna advanced on a supreme chariot, with Suparna on a standard above his head. He pierced Jarasandha with eight arrows and pierced his charioteer with five sharp arrows. Making efforts, the brave one killed his841 horses. On seeing that he was in difficulties, maharatha Chitrasena, the commander of the army of Kaishika, pierced Krishna with arrows. Kaishika842 also pierced Baladeva with three arrows. Using broad-headed arrows, Baladeva shattered his bow into two fragments. He swiftly showered down arrows and oppressed him. Chitrasena was angry and pierced him with nine arrows. Kaishika pierced him with five arrows and Jarasandha with seven. Janardana pierced each of them with three arrows. Baladeva pierced each of them with five sharp arrows. The valiant Baladeva used broad-headed arrows to shatter Chitrasena’s chariot and shattered his bow into two fragments. He843 was deprived of his chariot and his bow was shattered. The brave one seized a club and angrily attacked the one with a club,844 desiring to slay him. Wishing to kill Chitrasena, Rama was shooting sharp arrows at him. However, the immensely strong Jarasandha severed his bow. The lord of Magadha then angrily attacked him with a club. To fight with the advancing Jarasandha, Rama seized a mace. They wished to kill each other and a duel commenced between them. Jarasandha was surrounded by a mighty army and the immensely strong one fought against Rama and Krishna and the Bhojas. There was a tumultuous battle between the soldiers on the two sides and there was a great roar, like that of a turbulent ocean. O king! A great uproar arose in both the armies, as flutes, kettledrums, drums and conch shells were sounded in their thousands. The soldiers slapped their arms and chests and there was pandemonium everywhere. Because of the hooves and axles of chariots, dust rose up. They seized great weapons and bows and arrows. The brave ones who were present roared at each other. There were charioteers, horse riders and thousands of foot soldiers. Extremely strong elephants attacked fearlessly. There was a fierce fight between the Vrishni warriors and those on Jarasandha’s side. Ready to give up their lives, they did not retreat. They struck each other in terrible ways.
‘Armoured, Shini, Anadhrishti, Babhru, Viprithu and Ahuka attacked half the army, placing Baladeva at the forefront. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! This was directed towards the southern flank of the enemy soldiers, the part that was protected by the king of Chedi and Jarasandha. The immensely valourous Shalya, Salva and other kings were to the north. Ready to give up their lives, they released showers of arrows. Armoured, Agavaha, Prithu, Kahva and Viduratha attacked the other half of the army, placing Hrishikesha at the forefront. This was the part that was protected by Bhishmaka and the great-souled Rukmi. The east and the south were protected by brave soldiers. A tumultuous and great battle raged and they were ready to give up their lives in this. Javelins, swords, spikes and a large number of arrows were released. Satyaki, Chitraka, Shyama, the valiant Yuyudhana,845 Rajadhideva, Mridura, the immensely strong Shvaphalka, Satraji and Prasena surrounded themselves with a large army. In the encounter, they counter-attacked the battle formations that were on the left flank. Mridura protected half of the battle arrays and fought with many kings, Venudari being the foremost.’
Chapter 82
Vaishampayana said, ‘There was an extremely great battle between the Vrishnis and the great advisers, kings and other followers of the Magadha side. Rukmi fought with Vasudeva,846 Bhishmaka with Ahuka, Kratha with Vasudeva, Kaishika with Babhru, Gada with the king of Chedi and Dantavaktra with Shambhu. Other brave Vrishnis fought with great-souled kings. O bull among the Bharata lineage! There was a battle and soldiers fought with soldiers. O king! Elephants fought with elephants, horses with horses, foot soldiers with foot soldiers, chariots with chariots and warriors with warriors, without getting mixed up.847 King Jarasandha attacked Rama and there was an encounter that made the body hair stand up, like that between the great Indra and Vritra. O king! They caused a great carnage in each other’s army. In both the armies, mud was created from the flesh and blood. A large number of headless torsos were seen to rise up. There was a great carnage of soldiers and it is impossible to count this.
‘From a chariot, Rama struck Jarasandha with arrows that were like venomous serpents. Though he was enveloped, the king of Magadha counter-attacked. Their weapons were exhausted. They were without their chariots. Their horses were slain. Their charioteers were killed. Those brave ones seized clubs and dashed towards each other. As those two brave ones raised their giant clubs the earth trembled. Those two great-souled ones looked like mountains with summits. Other encounters ceased, so that one could see the duel between these two bulls among men. They were famous for fighting with clubs and angrily attacked each other. Both of them had had excellent teachers and these two immensely strong ones were famous in the world. In the encounter, they attacked each other like crazy elephants. In every direction, thousands of gods, gandharvas, siddhas, supreme rishis and apsaras assembled.848 O king! Ornamented, the firmament glittered even more with these yakshas, gandharvas and maharshis, as if by a large number of stellar bodies. The immensely strong Jarasandha attacked Rama. He circled around from the left, while Baladeva circled around from the right. They were accomplished in fighting with clubs and struck each other. They were like tusked elephants and the sound filled the ten directions. As Rama brought down his club, the sound of thunder was heard. The sound of Jarasandha’s tread was like the shattering of mountains. Rama was supreme among those who fought with the club and the blows from the club in Jarasandha’s hand could not make him tremble. He was as unmoved as Mount Vindhya. The brave lord of Magadha was also able to withstand the force of Rama’s club. He possessed great fortitude and resorted to his training. At this time, an excellent voice was heard from the firmament, spoken by one who was a witness to everything in the world. “O Madhava! Do not be distressed. He will not be killed by you. His death has been ordained by me. Therefore, it is best to restrain yourself. In a short while, the lord of Magadha will give up his life.” On hearing this, Jarasandha was distracted. Thus, the wielder of the plough did not strike him again. The Vrishnis and the kings also stopped fighting. O great king! Those great-souled ones had fought for a long time, killing each other.
‘Jarasandha and the kings were defeated and retreated. The sun had set and no one followed them in the night. The immensely strong ones849 were successful in accomplishing their
objective. Worshipping Keshava and summoning their own soldiers, they happily entered the city. Though they had defeated Jarasandha, the Vrishnis thought that they hadn’t quite vanquished him. O tiger among Kurus! That king was extremely strong. The Yadavas fought with Jarasandha on eighteen occasions. However, those maharathas weren’t able to slay him in those battles. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He possessed twenty akshouhinis and these assembled for the sake of King Jarasandha. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O Indra among the kings! That of the Vrishnis was limited and was overwhelmed when attacked by Barhadratha and the kings. However, having defeated King Jarasandha of Magadha in the battle, the maharathas, the lions among the Vrishnis, roamed around happily.’
Chapter 83
Vaishampayana said, ‘At this time, remembering the good deeds that the gopas had done, Rama took Krishna’s permission and went to Vraja alone. He saw the extensive and beautiful forests and the fragrant ponds that they had enjoyed earlier. Swiftly entering Vraja, the lord who was Krishna’s elder brother attired himself in beautiful forest garb. Following the ordained rites, as they used to do earlier, he asked about the welfare of all the gopas, in due order and proceeding according to age. He happily spoke to all of them. He told the gopa women delightful and sweet accounts. Rama was supreme among those who granted pleasure and had returned after residing elsewhere. Affectionately, the aged gopas addressed him in pleasant words. “O mighty-armed one! O one who gives delight to the lineage of the Yadus! Welcome. O son! Now that you have returned, we are happy to see that you have come back. O brave one! We are delighted that you have returned. Rama, who creates fear among the enemy, is famous in the three worlds. O descendant of the Yadava lineage! There is no doubt that we have been nurtured by you. O son! All the creatures who reside in the land of your birth are happy. O one with the unblemished face! O son! We wished that you should return, so that we could see you and it is certain that your decision will also be honoured by the thirty gods. It is through good fortune that you brought down and killed Kamsa’s wrestlers. It is your younger brother’s greatness that Ugrasena has been instated. We have heard about your encounter with the whale in the ocean850 and how weapons descended for you in a battle.851 Even the gods talk about your entry into Mathura. You have established the earth, which was terrified because of all the kings. As was the case earlier, we are fortunate to witness your arrival. We, and our relatives, are satisfied and delighted at this.” Rama replied to all those who were stationed there. “Among all the Yadavas, you are indeed my relatives. Our childhood was spent with you. It is with you that we found pleasure in the forest. It is you who have reared us. How can we act in a contrary way? We ate in your homes. We protected your cattle. All of you are our relatives. You are our well-wishers and we are bound to you.” In the midst of the gopas, the one whose weapon was the plough spoke the truth in this way. The faces of the gopa women were seen to be delighted.
‘The immensely strong Rama went to the inside of the forest, to find pleasure there. Knowing what was appropriate to the time and the place, the cowherds offered Rama, the one who knew about his soul, the liquor known as Varuni. At that time, surrounded by his kin, the fair-complexioned Rama went to the interior of the forest and drank this intoxicating drink. They presented to him diverse kinds of forest produce—beautiful flowers and fruit, many kinds of food that were fragrant and pleasing to the heart and many blooming lotuses and water lilies that were freshly plucked. Some of the beautiful hair on his head was tied in a braid. A dazzling earring hung from one ear. He was smeared with sandalwood paste and agaru.852 A garland of wild flowers hung down. Rama’s form was resplendent, like Mandara in Kailasa. His blue garment bore the complexion of a cloud. With his dazzling and sparkling form, he looked like the moon amidst a garland of dense clouds. He held the plough, which was like a serpent, in one hand. The radiant mace adhered to his other hand. The best among strong ones was intoxicated. With beads of sweat, his head swayed, like the moon on a winter’s night. Intoxicated, he told Yamuna, “O great river! I desire to have a bath. O one who heads towards the ocean! Reveal your sparkling form and come here.” She thought his speech was affected by intoxication. In addition, she was confounded by her own womanly nature. Therefore, ignoring him, she did not come to the spot. Overcome with intoxication, the powerful Rama became enraged. The powerful one raised the plough in his hand, with the tip lowered for tilling. As he dragged her,853 the garland fell down and the pollen from the flowers reddened the water. With the tip of the plough, Rama dragged the great river Yamuna to the bank, as if he was chastising a wayward woman. The flow of water and the pools full of water were disturbed and the terrified river followed the path indicated by the plough. Attracted to the path indicated by the plough and terrified by the fear of Samkarshana, the force meandered from its course and followed him, like a distressed woman. As the flow of water reached, the banks were like lips and the gentle waters were agitated. Wearing strands of foam that were like a girdle, the water reached the banks and seemed to smile. There were turbulent waves. The chakravaka birds were like upturned breasts. The deep force followed that curved path and terrified fish and aquatic birds went with the flow. Her limbs were decorated with flocks of swans and her linen garments were made out of kasha.854 The water deviated in this way, with the trees along the bank like her flowing tresses. The one who heads towards the ocean was agitated at her limbs thus being dragged by the plough. She was like a drunk and wanton woman advancing along a royal road. The speedy flow of water was dragged with great force and meandered. She was forced to follow a course that was different from her former course and made to flow through the forest of Vrindavana. The river Yamuna was brought right into the middle of Vrindavana and the birds that dwelt along the banks seemed to cry. The river was thus brought into the forest of Vrindavana. Assuming the form of a woman, Yamuna told Rama, “O Rama! Be pacified. Because of the perverse deed I performed, I am terrified. My watery form has turned contrary. O Rohini’s son! Because of what you have done, among rivers, I have turned false. O mighty-armed one! Thus attracted by you, I have deviated from my normal course. My co-wives,855 proud of their force, will certainly reach the ocean earlier. Since my water has followed a contrary course, their foam will laugh at me. O brave one! O Krishna’s elder brother! I am beseeching you. Show me your favours. I have been dragged by your weapon. Restrain your rage. O one with the plough as a weapon! I am lowering my head at your feet. O mighty-armed one! Instruct me about the course I should follow. Where will I go?” The one with the plough as his weapon saw that Yamuna was speaking in this way. Having got over his exhaustion, the powerful one spoke these words to the ocean’s wife. “O beautiful one! Your course is the one that has been indicated by the plough. Provide water at all the spots that have been thus indicated. O one with the beautiful brows! O one who heads towards the ocean! These are my instructions. O immensely fortunate one! Go in peace and cheerfully, wherever you wish. As long as the worlds remain, my fame will be established.” On seeing that Yamuna had been attracted all the residents of Vraja praised Rama and bowed down before him.
‘He then took his leave of the immensely speedy one and all the residents of Vraja. Rohini’s son thought about this in his mind and made a resolution. He quickly returned to Mathura again. Having gone to Mathura, Rama went to Madhusudana’s house and saw the undecaying essence of the revolving earth856 there. Dressed in forest attire and with a garland of wild flowers on his chest, he went and saw Janardana, who was lying down. Govinda saw that Rama, the wielder of the plough, had quickly returned. He arose and gave him the best of garments. When Rama was seated, Janardana asked him about Vraja’s welfare, about all the relatives and about the cattle. Rama spoke to his brother, who had uttered those pleasant words. “O Krishna! All is well. Everyone that you have asked about is fine.” In front of Vasudeva,857 Rama and Keshava then recounted all the wonderful things that had happened in the past.’
Chapter 84
Vaishampayana said, �
�After some time, in the assembly of the Yadus, Pundarikaksha spoke excellent words that were full of import. “This land of the Yadavas, around Mathura, has made our kingdom prosper. We have been born here and have been reared in Vraja. Our miseries are over and the enemies have been defeated. On account of the conflict with Jarasandha, there was an enmity among the kings. We possess mounts and an infinite number of foot soldiers. We have wonderful jewels and many friends. But this region around Mathura is small and our enemies can penetrate easily. Our prosperity over our enemies is due to our forces and our friends. We have crores of young ones and large numbers of infantry. Because of this, our residence here is seen to be difficult. O bulls among the Yadavas! Therefore, the idea of living here doesn’t appeal to me. Pardon me, but I will set up another city. There is an intention behind my words and I have spoken with reason. At the right time, for your sake, I always speak agreeable words in the assembly of the Yadus.” Cheerful in their minds, all of them told him, “For the welfare of the people, accomplish whatever it is that you wish.” The Vrishnis held excellent consultations and discussed this. “He858 cannot be killed by us. The enemy’s army is extremely large. Because of those kings, there has been a great destruction of soldiers. Even in one hundred years, we will not be able to slay all of their soldiers who remain. Therefore, we agree with the decision.” At this, the king859 and Kalayavana attacked Mathura with a large army. Jarasandha’s army was huge and impossible to withstand. They also heard about Kalayavana’s arrival.