Canto CXXIII - Avīkṣita’s exploits (continued)

^[1]

The kings had a great battle with Avīkṣita and conquered and captured him.—The svayamvara was re-opened, but the princess would not choose any husband, and the wedding was postponed.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Thus were prepared for battle those kings and princes, who had been beaten off repeatedly and yet were not destroyed^[2] at that time. Then began a terrible battle between him and them, between the prince singlehanded and many kings and noble princes, O muni. In great ferocity they fought, assailing him with their swords, spears, clubs, arrows, and hands; and he fought with them all. The prince mighty and skilled in weapons pierced them with hundreds of fierce arrows; and they pierced him with sharp arrows. He cut off the arm of one, and the neck of another; and pierced another in the heart, and smote another in the breast. He cut off the trunk of an elephant and the head of a horse, and wounded the horses of the chariot of these foes^[3] and the driver of the chariot of another. And he split in two with his own arrows his enemies’ arrows which were falling on him, and in his agility cracked the scymitar of another and the bow of another. One prince perished when his armour was torn away by the prince, and another who was on foot being wounded by Avīkṣita quitted the battle.

When that entire band of kings was thus thrown into confusion, seven hundred warriors stood forth resolute unto death, who were nobly born, in the flower of their age, heroic, valiant, and modest, after all the army was defeated and was in a panic of flight. How the king’s son coming to close quarters with those kings fought in righteously-conducted determined combat.^[4] Deeply angered by this and that foe, he, great in his strength, set himself to cleave asunder their harness and armour^[5] also; and enraged thereat, O great muni, those princes forsaking the code of Right^[6] all together fought with him, who continued to fight according to the code of Right, while their faces were wet with drops of perspiration. One pierced him with multitudes of arrows, another split his bow, another splitting his banner with arrows, laid it low on the ground. Moreover, others smote his horses, and others broke his chariot, and others besides smote^[7] his back with blows of their clubs and with arrows. When his bow was split, the king’s son enraged then grasped his sword and shield, but that also another struck down.^[8] When his sword and shield were broken, he best of club-wielders grasped his club; and another, like a dexterous man, split it with a sharp curved-headed arrow. The kings, turning their faces away from righteously conducted combat, surrounded him and pierced him, some with a thousand arrows, some with a hundred. He fell exhausted on the earth, one tormented by many; and those illustrious princes then bound him.

Having captured that king’s son by unrighteousness they all in company with king Viśāla entered the Vaidiśa city, glad and merry, taking the king’s son bound. And the maiden, who was holding her svayamvara, was placed by that king in front of them; and was asked by her father again and again, and likewise by the family priest,—“Take by the hand as thy bridegroom him who among these kings pleases thee.” When the high-spirited maiden chose not any of them as her bridegroom, O muni, the king enquired of the astrologer then concerning her marriage,—“Tell me the most distinguished day for the wedding; such a battle as this which has occurred today imposes an obstacle.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

When asked thus by the king, the astrologer reflected thereon and perceiving the real truth spoke with troubled mind^[9] to the king,—“There will be, O king, other days here, characterized by excellent conjunctures, auspicious, and after no long delay. Thou shalt perform the wedding^[10] when they have arrived, O bestower of honour. Enough of this day, wherein a great obstacle has presented itself, O noble Sir!”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Canto cxxiv in the Calcutta edition.

[2]:

For a-vīkṣitādḥ read a-vi-kṣitāḥ, as in the Bombay edition.

[3]:

For tathānyeṣāṃ read rathasyaiṣām, which the Bombay edition seems to mean by rathasyeṣām,

[4]:

Dharma-yuddha, “battle according to the (kṣatriyas’) code of Eight.” It appears to mean a battle according to the fair rules of war, fought out to the end till one or other combatant is completely vanquished or slain. Thus Bhīṣma said to Kama—

“If this most terrible enmity cannot be relinquished, I give permission, O Kama; fight thou with the desire to gain heaven. Without passion, with impetuosity subdued, do the deed of a king in sooth, to the utmost of thy power, with thy full effort, conducting thyself according to the conduct of good men.... Thou shalt gain from Dhanañjaya the worlds which are won by the righteousness of kṣatriyas (kṣatra-dharma). Fight without arrogance, relying on thy strength and valour, for there is nought better for a kṣatriya than righteously conducted battle”

(dharmya yuddha: MahāBhārata Bhīṣma-p. cxxiv. 5851-4).

Again, Soma-datta said to Sātyaki,—

“How is it that thou, O Sāttvata, hast forsaken the righteousness of kṣatriyas, which was seen of old by the high-souled gods, and delightest in the righteousness of Dasyus? At one who has turned to flee, at one in distress, at one who has laid down his arms, at one who begs for quarter—how indeed did a wise man, who delights in the righteousness of kṣatriyas, ever strike at such a one in battle?”

(Droṇa p. clvi. 6730-1).

The matter is summed up by Karṇa a thus—

“This, we have heard, is a kṣatriya’s chiefest righteousness (dharma), that he lie, slain in battle, highly honoured by the good.”

(Karṇa-p. xl. 1858-9).

[5]:

Vicchinna-yantra-kavacān in the Calcutta and Bombay editions; but the Poona edition reads vicchinna-patra-kavacan “their vehicles and armour.”

[6]:

Dharmam utsṛjya.

[7]:

For atāḍyat read utāḍayan with the Bombay edition.

[8]:

For anyena pātayat read anyo nv apātayat as in the Bombay edition.

[9]:

For dur-manā read dur-manāh.

[10]:

The Calcutta text is kariṣyati vivāhārtham, and the Bombay text kariṣ-yasi vivāha tvam; the proper reading should then be kariṣyasi vivāhaṃ tvam.