‘Having obtained permission, Gandhari’s son,28 foremost among the Bharatas, left with a large army, together with Karna, Duhshasana and Shakuni the dice player, and surrounded by his other brothers and thousands of women. When the mighty-armed one departed to see Lake Dvaitavana, all the citizens, together with their wives, followed him to the forest. There were eight thousand chariots, thirty thousand elephants, many thousands of infantry and nine thousand horses, carriages, shopping carts, whores, traders, bards and men who were skilled in hunting, in hundreds and thousands. O lord of the earth! The departure of the king raised a mighty roar, like the deep rumble of the winds during the rainy season. While headed towards Lake Dvaitavana, with all his mounts, King Duryodhana camped at a distance of one gavyuti.’29
526(229)
Vaishampayana said, ‘King Duryodhana resided in that forest and eventually reaching the ghoshas, began to live there. His attendants constructed his house in a lovely spot that had water and large trees, with all the qualities. Nearby, they also constructed many houses for Karna, Shakuni and all his brothers. The king saw his cows, in hundreds and thousands. He inspected them and had them all marked with numbers and brands. He had the calves marked and learnt which cows had given birth and which calves were young, so that the time for their weaning had not arrived. After having completed the task of counting and branding all calves that were three years old, the descendant of the Kuru lineage was surrounded by the cowherds and pleasured himself. As it pleased them, like the immortals, the citizens and soldiers in thousands sported in that forest. The cowherds were skilled in singing and knew the art of dancing and music. With their daughters, adorned in ornaments, they served Dhritarashtra’s son. Surrounded by masses of women, the king was delighted and donated riches, food and many kinds of drink to them, according to what each one was worth. With all of them, he killed hyenas, buffaloes, deer, oxen,30 bear and boar in every direction. With his arrows, he pierced elephants in that great forest. He captured deer in that beautiful region. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He drank milk and enjoyed succulent fruit. He saw beautiful forests in bloom. They swarmed with intoxicated bees and noisy peacocks.
‘In due course, he went to sacred Lake Dvaitavana. He went there with supreme prosperity, like the great Indra, the wielder of the vajra. O lord of the earth! It so happened that on the same day, Dharma’s son, Yudhishthira, performed the sadyaska sacrifice31 undertaken by rajarshis. The supreme among the Kurus observed the divine rite and tendered offerings from the forest. Having observed it, the wise Kourava, lord of men, went with Droupadi, his wife according to dharma, to the lake.
‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Together with his younger brothers, Duryodhana instructed his servants to quickly construct pleasure houses. They said that they would act as Kouravya had asked them to. They went towards Lake Dvaitavana to build the pleasure houses. Having reached Lake Dvaitavana, the vanguard of the army of Dhritrarashtra’s son was about to enter the forest, but was restrained at the gate by the gandharvas. O lord of the earth! O king! Surrounded by his masses, the king of the gandharvas had already arrived there from Kubera’s abode. He was in the habit of sporting with masses of apsaras and the sons of the thirty gods and had therefore barred entry to the lake. O king! When the king’s servants found that the lake had been barred, they returned to King Duryodhana. On hearing their words, Kouravya dispatched his war-crazy soldiers to evict the others. On hearing the words of the king, the soldiers in the vanguard went to Lake Dvaitavana and spoke to the gandharvas. “King Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra’s strong son, has come here to sport. Leave this place.” O lord of the earth! Having been thus addressed, the gandharvas laughed. They replied to those men in harsh words. “Your king Suyodhana is evil in his intelligence. How can he command us, as if we are his servants? We are inhabitants of heaven. There is no doubt that you are evil in wisdom, since you are heading towards death. You have lost your senses if you repeat his orders to us. All of you should swiftly go back to the Kourava king. If you do not do that, you will depart today for Yama’s abode.” Having been thus addressed, the vanguard of the king’s army rushed back to where the king, Dhritarashtra’s son, was.’
527(230)
Vaishampayana said, ‘O great king! All of them then went to Duryodhana. They told him what had been said about the Kourava. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Dhritarashtra’s powerful son was filled with anger that his army had been restrained by the gandharvas. He told his soldiers, “Chastise the ones who do not follow dharma and dare to do that which brings me displeasure, even if Shatakratu and all the gods happen to be sporting there.” On hearing Duryodhana’s words, the immensely strong sons of Dhritarashtra and thousands of soldiers armed themselves for battle. Repulsing the gandharvas, they forcibly entered the forest. They filled the ten directions with giant roars, like those of lions. The gandharvas sought to restrain the Kuru soldiers. O lord of the earth! But though restrained by the gandharvas peacefully, they ignored those gandharvas and entered the great forest. When Dhritarashtra’s sons and their servants did not stop, despite their words, they took to the sky and reported this to Chitrasena.32 On hearing everything, the king of the gandharvas had the following to say about the Kouravas. In anger, Chitrasena said, “They do not behave like aryas. Punish them.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Taking their leave of Chitrasena, all the gandharvas grasped weapons and rushed at the sons of Dhritarashtra.
‘On seeing the gandharvas swiftly descend on them with raised weapons, the sons of Dhritarashtra could be seen to flee in all the directions. On seeing that the sons of Dhritarashtra were fleeing from the field of battle, the brave Vaikartana33 was the only one who wasn’t reluctant to do battle. On seeing the great army of gandharvas descend on him, Radheya repulsed them with a mighty shower of arrows. With great lightness of hand, the suta’s son killed hundreds of gandharvas with kshurapras,34 vishikhas,35 bhallas,36 vatsadantas37 and iron arrows. The maharatha sliced off the heads of many gandharvas and in a short while, dispersed all of Chitrasena’s army. Although the gandharvas were killed by the intelligent son of the suta, they returned again in hundreds and thousands. In a short instant, the earth was covered with gandharvas and Chitrasena’s soldiers descended with great force. Then King Duryodhana, Shakuni Soubala, Duhshasana, Vikarna and other sons of Dhritarashtra ascended chariots that screeched like Garuda and began to kill those soldiers. They fought again, placing Karna at the forefront. There was the giant roar of chariots and the stamping of the feet of horses. Supporting Vaikartana, they repulsed the gandharvas. Then all the gandharvas descended on the Kouravas and the battle that raged was extremely terrible. It made the body hair stand up. Oppressed by the arrows, the gandharvas began to wilt. On seeing that the gandharvas were suffering, the Kouravyas roared loudly. On seeing that the gandharvas were frightened, Chitrasena was overcome with anger. He angrily flew up from his seat, resolving to kill them. That brave one began to fight with weapons of maya, following wonderful paths. The Kouravyas were bewildered because of Chitrasena’s maya. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! It seemed as if each one of Dhritrarashtra’s sons was assailed and surrounded by ten gandharvas.
‘O king! Being thus oppressed by a great army, they were frightened. They fled the field of battle and went to where King Yudhishthira was, seeking refuge with him. Everywhere, the soldiers of the sons of Dhritarashtra were being destroyed. O king! Vaikartana Karna was the only one who stood immobile like a mountain. Duryodhana, Karna and Shakuni Soubala were severely wounded in the field of battle, but kept fighting the gandharvas. With a desire to kill Karna in battle, hundreds and thousands of gandharvas rushed collectively towards him. With a desire to kill the son of the suta, the immensely strong ones surrounded him from all sides, with swords, javelins, spears and maces. Some sliced off the yoke,38 others brought down the flagpole. Some brought down the shafts, the horses and the charioteer. Some sliced down the umbrella, others the fenders39 and the diadem. In many thousands, the gandhar
vas shattered the chariot. Holding a sword and a shield in his hand, the son of the suta jumped down from the chariot. He leapt onto Vikarna’s chariot and whipped the horses, so that he might escape.’
528(231)
Vaishampayana said, ‘O great king! When maharatha Karna was routed by the gandharvas, in the sight of the sons of Dhritarashtra, the entire army fled. O great king! On seeing all the sons of Dhritarashtra flee, Duryodhana refused to run away. On seeing the great army of gandharvas descend on him, the scorcher of enemies unleashed a great shower of arrows. Without thinking about this shower of arrows, and desiring to kill Duryodhana, the gandharvas surrounded his chariot from all sides. They cut down the yoke, shafts, fenders, pennants, charioteer, horses, trivenu40 and seat into pieces that were as small as sesame seeds. Duryodhana was thus unseated from the chariot and fell down on the ground. The mighty-armed Chitrasena rushed at him and captured him alive. O Indra among kings! When he had been thus captured, the gandharvas surrounded Duhshasana on his chariot and captured him too. With Chitrasena, others rushed at Vivimshati and still others at Vindu and Anuvindu and all the wives of the kings. The soldiers of Dhritrarashtra’s sons were routed by the gandharvas.
‘Together with the ones who had been wounded before, they then went to the Pandavas. When the king had been captured, all the wagons, shopping carts, whores, carriages and vehicles sought refuge with the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra’s son was handsome, mighty-armed and immensely strong. But the king was taken prisoner by the gandharvas and the Parthas pursued them. Duhshasana, Durvishaha, Durmukha and Durjaya41 were captured and tied by the gandharvas, as were all the wives of the kings. When the king had been captured, Duryodhana’s advisers were miserable. Lamenting in sorrow, all of them went to Yudhishthira. Bhimasena spoke to Duryodhana’s aged advisers, who were grief-stricken and miserable and were begging Yudhishthira. “They42 came here for a different purpose, but something else has transpired. The gandharvas have accomplished what we should have undertaken. O son!43 This is the outcome of the king listening to evil counsel and indulging in deceitful gambling. We have heard it said that others bring down the enemies of one who is impotent. The gandharvas have performed this extraordinary act before our eyes. We are fortunate that, in this world, there exist men who wish to do that which is pleasant for us and while we were seated, they have taken up our burden and made us happy. We have been suffering from the cold, the heat and the wind and have become emaciated through our austerities. The evil-minded one was comfortable and wished to see us in this state. Those who followed the conduct of that evil-souled Kouravya, the adherent of adharma, are witnessing their own defeat. It is because adharma was performed that this instruction is now being given. I am telling you. You can see that the Kounteyas are not violent or evil.” When Kounteya Bhimasena was speaking in this way, the king44 said that this was not the time for harsh words.’
529(232)
‘Yudhishthira said, “O son!45 Why are you speaking in this way to the terrified Kouravas who have sought refuge with us? They are confronted with difficulties. O Vrikodara! Dissension and quarrels occur among those who are related by blood. While enmity continues, the dharma of the lineage is not destroyed. If a stranger not related by blood seeks to harm a lineage, those who are good do not tolerate that stranger’s violence. The evil-minded one46 knows that we have been residing here for some time. But he has ignored us and done something that is unpleasant for us. Through Duryodhana’s forcible capture by the gandharva and through a stranger’s oppression of the women, our lineage has been sullied. O tigers among men! For the sake of those who have sought refuge with us and to save the lineage, arise and get ready, without any delay. Let Arjuna, you, and the brave and invincible twins free Dhritarashtra’s son, Suyodhana, from captivity. O tigers among men! These chariots are stocked with all the weapons. They have golden flags and are driven by Indrasena47 and the other charioteers. O sons!48 Ride them and fight the gandharvas in battle. Ceaselessly endeavour to free Suyodhana. O Vrikodara! Every king will protect one who has come for refuge, not to speak of someone as capable as you. Who can ignore cries for help and the sight of hands joined in salutation, even if it happens to be a certain enemy? O Pandava! Out of granting a boon, obtaining a kingdom, the birth of a son and freeing an enemy from misery, the last is superior to the other three. What can provide greater satisfaction to you than that Suyodhana should be in distress now and that his life depends on the strength of your arms? O Vrikodara! O brave one! There is no doubt that I myself would have rushed to help him, had the sacrifice not been going on.49 O Bhima! O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Try all the different means of conciliation to free Suyodhana. If the king of the gandharvas does not return him through conciliation, free Suyodhana through mild use of your valour. O Bhima! But if the Kouravas are not released through a mild battle, use every means possible to crush those who are contrary. They must be freed. O Vrikodara! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! I am only capable of giving you instructions, as long as the sacrifice is going on.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Having heard these words of Ajatashatru,50 Dhananjaya agreed to his senior’s51 words about freeing the Kouravas. Arjuna said, “If the gandharvas do not free the sons of Dhritarashtra through peaceful means, the earth will drink the blood of the king of the gandharvas.” O king! Having heard the oath of the truthful Arjuna, the Kouravas took heart again.’
530(233)
Vaishampayana said, ‘On hearing Yudhishthira’s words, all the bulls among men, with Bhimasena at the forefront, arose with happy faces. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! All the maharathas clad themselves in impenetrable armour that was radiant with gold. They ascended chariots, all of which had pennants. With bows and arrows in their hands, the Pandavas blazed like the fire. Those chariots were equipped well and were yoked to swift steeds. Using those chariots, those tigers travelled fast. On seeing the maharatha sons of Pandu advance, the army of the Kouravas let out a great roar. The travellers of the sky52 and the maharathas were not frightened and were flush with victory. In a short while, they encountered each other in that forest. All the gandharvas were flush at the prospect of victory. On seeing the four brave Pandavas advance into battle on their chariots and on seeing them as resplendent as the guardians of the worlds, the residents of Gandhamadana53 established themselves in battle formations. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Remembering the words of the king who was Dharma’s son, the first battle that was engaged was a mild one. But the soldiers of the king of the gandharvas were deluded in intelligence. They were incapable of realizing that something that was mild might benefit them.
‘At that, Savyasachi, the invincible scorcher of enemies, addressed the travellers of the skies on the field of battle. “This is not an act that is worthy of the king of the gandharvas, oppressing the wives of other men and consorting with humans. Free the extremely brave ones, the sons of Dhritarashtra. On the instructions of Dharmaraja, free their wives.” On hearing the words of the famous Pandava, the gandharvas laughed. They replied to Partha in these words. “O son!54 There is only one person on earth whose instructions we obey. Under his rule, we roam around, without any anxiety. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! We do only what he commands us to do. Other than that lord of the gods, there is no one else who can command us.” Having been thus addressed by the gandharvas, Kunti’s son, Dhananjaya, replied to the gandharvas in these words. “O gandharvas! If you do not free the sons of Dhritarashtra through peaceful means, I will exhibit my valour and free Suyodhana myself.” Having uttered these words, Partha Savyasachi Dhananjaya released sharp arrows, which travelled through the sky, at those roamers of the sky. The gandharvas were insolent of their strength and released a shower of arrows at the Pandavas, and the Pandavas did the same to those residents of heaven. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Thus began a terrible battle between the swift gandharvas and the immensely swift Pandavas.’
531(234)
Vaishampayana said, ‘The gandharvas were bedecked
with golden garlands and possessed celestial weapons. They enveloped them with blazing arrows from all the directions. There were four brave Pandavas and thousands of gandharvas. O king! They attacked each other in that battle and it was extraordinary. Just as the gandharvas had shattered the chariots of Karna and the sons of Dhritarashtra into a hundred pieces, they attempted to do it again. O king! Hundreds of gandharvas attacked them in that battle and the tigers among men repulsed them with many showers of arrows. Repulsed by showers of arrows in all the directions, those travellers of the sky could not approach near the sons of Pandu. On seeing that the gandharvas were angered, Arjuna used great and celestial weapons against them. In that war, insolent about his strength, Arjuna used his agneya weapon to send a million gandharvas to Yama’s abode. O king! With his sharp arrows, Bhima, the great archer and supreme among strong ones in battle, killed hundreds of gandharvas. O king! Insolent of their strength, Madri’s two sons fought and captured and killed hundreds of enemies. When the gandharvas were thus killed by the great-souled ones with celestial weapons, they took to the sky and took the sons of Dhritarashtra with them. But Kunti’s son, Dhananjaya, saw them arise. He surrounded them on all sides with a great net of arrows. Having been tied down by that net of arrows, they were like birds in a cage. They angrily hurled showers of maces, spears and swords at Arjuna. But Dhananjaya pierced the bodies of the gandharvas with bhallas. Heads, legs and arms55 fell down from above like a shower of rocks and the others took fright. When the gandharvas were being killed by the great-souled Pandava, who was on the ground, they showered down arrows on him from the sky. But Savyasachi, the energetic scorcher of enemies, repulsed all of them with his own weapons and began to pierce the gandharvas. Arjuna, the descendant of the Kuru lineage, unleashed his weapons—sthunakarna, indrajala, soura, agneya and soumya.56 The gandharvas were burnt up by the arrows of Kunti’s son. They were in supreme despondence, like the daityas at Shakra’s hands. When they tried to escape upwards, his net of arrows restrained them. When they tried to slither away, Savyasachi restrained them with his bhallas.
Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 44