Though pale with many a rigid rite,
And saints beheld him with a fear,
The great in heart are great in might! (6)
Brighter than the nightly fires
His radiance seemed the woods to fill,
More mighty than the boundless sea,
And loftier than the towering hill!
His sacred mantras ever chanting,
With a beauteous light he shone;
And on his features fell a radiance
Like the halo of the sun!
Clad in armour dark, he wore
His mighty bow across his chest;
So wears the lofty wood-clad hill
The glorious rainbow on his breast:
When for ablutions, fixed by rules,
He walked betimes, in morning’s hour,
The mountain felt his mighty tread,
For worth is might and worth is power!
A wondrous lustre on him shone
When Arjun stood serene and high,
It shone across the firmament,
And flashed upon the upper sky!
And on moonless nights there fell
Upon the prince a wondrous ray,
And like the silver beams of moon
It pierced the darkness of the sky!
So bright, so clear the light celestial
That the paléd orb of sun
Marching through the cloudless sky
Scarce with wonted radiance shone! (13)
Holy hermits viewed in awe
His crimson locks, his bow unbent!
They whispered, “ Is it Siva’s self
On mighty Asur’s death intent?
Is he great Indra or the Sun?
Or Fire, who helps our pious rites?
No mortal he of woman born,
Such glory decks no anchorites.”
But unlike the tongues of Fire
Serene was Arjun’s radiant light;
Unlike the scorching rays of Sun,
’Twas gentle in its wondrous might!
As virtues seek true gentleness,
As moral rules seek peaceful thought,
As righteous laws seek precepts pure,
The troubled saints great Siva sought! (17)
Dazzled, blinded, when they came,
By Siva’s more than solar light,
They sought in vain with mortal eyes
To compass Siva’s glorious might!
In humble prayer they sought the Lord
Of times to come and times gone by,
And by its grace they faintly saw
His glorious mien, his triple eye!
Resting on his sacred bull,
His glorious arm of wondrous might,
Sweet Umâ’s lord, to Umâ dear,
Stood forth upon the mountain’s height!
Far distant from the living world
He stood upon a snowy height;
But rock and ocean, earth and heaven
Felt his presence and his might!
Coiling serpents stretched their length
Around the muscles of his feet,
As on the vast and boundless earth
High mountain ranges spread their height!
And on his blue and ample neck
Great coiling serpents, white as snow,
Even like the thread of twice-born mortals,
Caught its dark and tremulous glow!
By his tresses partly hid,
Like Gangâ’s ripples looked the moon,
And on his fair and ample forehead
With a gentle radiance shone!
Permission gained, the holy saints
Addressed the God with many a prayer,
Told him how a mortal’s penance
Filled the earth with mighty fear. (25)
“Mighty Lord of all the worlds!
A mortal wielding Vritra’s might,
Unceasing penances performs,
The sun obscuring by his light!
A bow he wears and mighty quivers,
Armour and a wondrous blade,
And plaited locks and skin and barks,
A saint! in arms accoutred dread!
Earth trembles ‘neath his mighty tread,
And when he prays at evening’s glow,
The starry skies are hushed to peace,
The evening breezes cease to blow!
His force terrific could subdue
This world with Gods and Asurs brave!
What mighty task, what daring feat
His matchless strength might not achieve!
Or if he seeks to rule the world,
Or to destroy in wantonness,
Or to attain salvation pure,
Great Lord of hosts! we may not guess!
Thou knowest all, O mighty Lord!
World hides no secret from thine eye!
Thou knowest all, and thou canst save,
And we are safe when thou art nigh!” (31)
Unto them great Siva spoke
In accents deep and full of grace,
Deep as the troubled ocean’s roar
Resounding to the ends of space! (32)
“Know ye, who with lofty rites
Worships in Badrika’s heath?
Earth-born man, but part of Him,
Who is life and who is death!
Lofty penance he performs
Foes to conquer and to quell,
Foes who rule this boundless earth
Indra’s mighty power assail!
By the will of Lotus-Born,
Krishna and great Arjun came,
Sons of men by mortals bred,
Men to save in Brahmâ’s name! (35)
“But the wily Asur, Muka —
Dreaded by the gods in sky,
Seeks to kill the mighty Arjun; —
I must to his safety hie.
But to conquer mighty Arjun
Openly ‘twere vain to try;
Muka takes the form of wild-boar
To achieve his purpose sly!
I will take the form of hunter,
Pierce the wild-boar in the heart,
Claiming honour of the wild sport,
Arjun too will send his dart!
Pale with rigid rites and penance,
Still he wields a wondrous might,
Ere the mortal wins my favour
He must prove his worth in fight!” (39)
Thus speaking to the holy saints
A forester in guise he went!
His ample chest bedewed with toil,
With many a pearl and sandal paint!
With flowering tendrils rudely tied
His clustering manly locks he wore,
And bright a peacock’s painted feather
O’er his bloodshot eyes he bore!
A mighty bow with arrows keen
He carried in his brawny hand,
And like a rain-cloud dark he looked,
The leader of a forest band!
And all his hosts in various guise,
Obedient to their Master’s word,
Assembled like a bunting troop,
With bow and arrow, lance and sword!
They parcelled out the mountain wood,
Obedient to their Leader’s will,
Shaking the earth with mighty sound,
Forward marched the hunters still! (44)
Screams and sounds of birds and beasts
Filled far and near the forest land,
As if the woods and mountains quaked
In terror of that hunter-band!
And the flying beasts and birds
Forgot awhile their mutual strife;
A common danger made them comrades,
And a common fear of life!
The timid Chamarî feign would fly,
Bewildered by the hunter’s yell,
But in the jungles wild and thick
Was caught his white and bushy tail.
The mighty lion, forest-king,
Owned in his heart
no dastard fear!
He calmly viewed the hunters pass,
Through echoing woods, through gorges drear!
The fish leap out from jungle lake,
The wild beasts on its margin crowd,
And tall trees by the tuskers broken
With their juice its waters cloud.
Buffaloes tearing through the forest
Broke in twain the tangled trees,
And many a wild flower, tossed and shaken,
With their fragrance filled the breeze!
Wild beasts, splashing through the water,
Felled the plantains, crushed the grain,
Dashed aside the water-lily,
Like a summer storm and rain!
Sweeping thus through forest lands
At length the hunters came and stood,
Where grazed in peace the gentle deer,
Nor dreaded harm, in Arjun’s wood!
And Siva marked, black as a cloud,
A wild boar in the covert rise;
Tearing the earth with angry tusks,
It flew, the Asur in disguise! (S3)
Leaving his hosts behind the forest lake,
Concealed by creepers and by jungle-brake,
The Lord of hosts, resistless in his force,
Tracked the mighty wild boar in its course. (54)
BOOK X. THE BOAR HUNT.
THE Boar with wondrous strength endowed
In its deep tusks and mighty jaw,
As if to tear the firm set rocks,
With glaring eyes great Arjun saw!
“Uprooting trees with his great tusks,
And piercing rocks with dreadful might,
He comes at me,” — thus Arjun thought,
“As if to challenge me to fight!
Beasts of prey forget their strife
In this my peaceful hermitage,
Wherefore then on death intent
Intrudes this wild boar in its rage?
Was he my foe in previous life?
Does cherished hatred speed him still?
Despising every living creature
Death to me he seeks to deal!
Much my doubting heart misgives,
No beast, he is a deadly foe!
Spontaneously a friend or foe
The instincts of our nature know!” (5)
Pondering thus he took his bow,
Pit emblem of his matchless might,
And on it quickly placed his arrow,
Ever true in many a fight!
Admiring Siva marked his mien,
His circling bow, his stately height,
“The mortal stands, as once I stood,
And slew Tripura in my might!”
And Siva bent his sounding bow,
The mountain sank beneath his tread!
And the snake that formed the bowstring
Shot forth sparks, all flaming red!
Frightened tuskers fled the sound
Of Siva’s bow, terrific, high,
As lightning from rain-cloud falls,
The arrow shot across the sky!
The Boar’s tough hide, like seasoned Tamâl,
Pierced the dart like flakes of snow!
Unchecked, in earth it disappeared
As sharks in water sink below!
That instant as the lightning’s radiance
Shortening distance, as by spell,
And quick as thought, great Arjun’s arrow
On the mighty wild boar fell!
Red in hot blood fell the Boar,
Tearing rocks in rage and pride;
Glared at Arjun in its anger,
Groaned in agony, and died. (12)
Though rich in darts, great Arjun sought
The shaft the mighty prize had won;
For noble hearts are grateful ever,
And remember service done!
He saw a hunter near the beast,
A bow across his ample chest,
A messenger who came to tell
His mighty Leader’s high behest! (14)
“Thy gentle mien thy worth proclaims,
These rites proclaim thy holy peace,
And aye, thy lofty presence speaketh
Of a glorious god-like race!
Thy glory shames the sun’s bright ray,
Thy mighty power is known to men,
Then wherefore takest thou this dart
With which our Chief this boar hath slain?
Or perchance our Leader’s arrow
To thy arrow is akin,
And unconscious thou proceedest,
Erring, into paths of sin!
But not alone ’tis base to steal
Another’s arrow from the field,
A chief like thee might blush to send
His shaft on game by others killed!
Or if, in sooth, thou seek’st this dart,
Come, ask our Leader openly;
Mighty Euler! — he will yield
His dart to gain a friend like thee!
Unto our kind and gracious Chief
A humble prayer is never lost,
He knows the pain the lowly suffer,
When their humble prayer is crossed.
Or hast thou with a Brâhman’s folly
On dead beast thy arrow driven?
Ignorance doth cover sin,
Our Chief thy folly hath forgiven!
Beshrew such folly, honest friend!
Depart in peace, nor sin again,
For who will pardon frequent sins,
Incessant winds stir up the main!
My Chief forgives this foolish act,
Nor seeks to cause a hermit pain;
Come, yield this arrow to our Lord,
And from him wealth and grace obtain!
Yonder, by that lofty tree,
Stands he, our Chief, thou mark’st him plain,
Obey his will, his favours seek,
And thou shalt all thy wish obtain!” (24)
Like a rock by surges beaten,
Angered by this bitter taunt,
Arjun still thus gently answered,
Great in patience and restraint! (25)
“Well skilled in words! Why seek’st thou not
To turn thy master from this strife?
Knowest thou not that menials perish
When their chief surrenders life?
Thy Leader’s arrow may have gone
Among you rugged rocks astray; —
Nor insult thus an anchorite,
For pride to ruin leads the way!
Many a bright and piercing arrow
In my ample quiver lies;
I value not celestial darts,
And scarce a mountaineer’s would prize!
Beasts range the wood, to none belong,
Whoever kills them takes the game;
Then let thy Chief his pride forego,
And peacefully forego his claim.
You counselled me to beg the dart
As favour from your Chief in peace;
To win by prowess, not to ask,
Is the proud custom of my race.
You counselled friendship; — Kshatriya I,
And he a hunter in this range!
Mighty tuskers scarce would seek
In skulking jackals friendship strange!
You counselled me to court his grace,
Presumptuous words! — I pardon free;
Then let thy Chief give up this shaft,
Nor seek with taunts to anger me!” (32)
Thus unto the hunter wild
Arjun spoke in angry mood,
And the forest messenger
Went where mighty Siva stood!
And the ample chested Chief,
With the bow across his breast,
Stood against the lofty sky,
Seemed the Lord of all the host!
Stood before him warlike Arjun,
Pale with penances, but proud,
Swelling with a mighty passion,
Like a fire in smoky shroud!
Resting on his mighty bow,
Calm in strength, and patiently,
Mighty in his matchless power,
Like the calm inviolate sea!
With a more than mortal form,
Dark in hne, of stately size,
Like the world-protecting Vishnu,
Hidden in a mortal’s guise! (37)
Saintly in his penance and his rite,
Glorious in his prowess and his might!
To him the Lord of arméd hunters came,
As comes the dark cloud with the lightning’s gleam! (38)
BOOK XI. THE COMBAT.
TOWERING like a forest tree
Stood the God of the lofty mind,
And his darksome hosts remained
Like his shadow cast behind.
And against the warlike Arjun
Siva shook his sounding bow,
And the mountains seemed to split,
And the skies re-echoed low!
Arjun shot his countless arrows
With his more than mortal skill,
But by Siva’s shafts averted
Arjun’s arrows useless fell!
Thick and fast across the sky
Siva’s wingéd arrows fly,
And with a lurid lustre shine,
Like the lightning’s lurid ray!
Speeding through great Arjun’s shafts,
On that warlike chief they fell,
But the haughty warrior stood
Dauntless and unshaken still!
Still he proudly stood and fought,
Vain his skill and vain his ire!
For his weapons shattered fell,
And his eyes flashed angry fire!
Wondering at the hunter’s skill,
Arjun, conqueror of his foes,
Faused in silence and in doubt,
In his heart these thoughts arose. (7)
“Warriors great of matchless power
I have met and beaten all!
Doth the sun bow to the moon?
Before the swain will Arjun fall?
Is this all magic, is this dream?
Or am I mighty Arjun still?
Why conquers not my matchless power
This mountaineer’s untutored skill?
Rending the sky as if in twain,
Shaking the wide earth’s solid frame,
How fights this boorish mountaineer!
Such deeds a man disguised proclaim!
Not Bhîshma’s self nor Drona owns
Such skill to shield, to send the dart!
And can a simple mountain swain
Possess such superhuman art?
Whoe’er he be, his mighty power
By shafts celestial I will quell!
Nor shall a forest hunter’s skill
‘Gainst Arjun’s matchless art prevail!” (12)
Pondering thus he quickly sent
Mighty shaft of death-like sleep; —
And a shadow filled the sky,
And the gloom of midnight deep!
Faint and powerless Siva’s forces
The Sanskrit Epics Page 964