Continuous The slaughter of Bhurisravas

Sanjaya said Then that arm with the sword in grasp and decked with beautiful Angadas, fell down on the earth, thereby inflicting great grief on the living creation.

In the act of striking, that arm was lopped off by the diadem-decked Arjuna, who himself remained invisible to Bhruisravas; thus cut-off, it fell down vehemently on the earth, like a five-hooded snake.

Then that descendant of the Kuru race, beholding himself incapacitated by Pritha's son, began, out of rage, to reprove the son of Pandu, having abandoned Satyaki.

Bhurisravas said Alas, O son of Kunti, you have committed a cruel and heartless deed, in as much as, not being engaged with me and covertly, you have cut-off my arm.

Shall you have not to say to king Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma-'Bhurisravas when engaged with another was slain by me in battle?"

Was it for this that you learnt the use of weapons from the illustrious Indra or Rudra or Drona or Kripa. O son of Pritha!

It is said that you are batter acquainted with the rules about the use of weapons then many others. Why then have you lopped off the arm of one who was not fighting with you?

The righteous never strike him who is careless or who is frightened or who is made carless or who implores mercy or who is involved in a calamity.

Why then, O son of Pritha, have you perpetrated this vile and difficult deed, that is only worthy of a mean fellow and is practised only by wicked people.

O Dhananjaya, respectable people look upon respectable deeds to be very easy of being accomplished. But a disrespectable deed is difficult of being perpetrated by a respectable person.

Men quickly imbibe the behaviours of those among whom they live, O Bharata, the truth of this proposition is verified in you.

Of royal extraction and specially descendant as you are of the Kuru race, how could you transgress the duties of the Kshatriya race, although you were well-behaved and observant of vows.

This vile act that you have today perpetrated for the sake of the Vrishni hero, is surely the result of Vasudeva's instigations. And it cannut possibly be reconciled to your nature.

What man, except he that calls himself a friended of Krishna would inflict such an injury on another who is engaged deeply in fighting with his adversary?

The Vrishnis and the Andhakas are vile Kshatriyas, ever engaged in perpetrating low deeds and are by nature wedded to shameful conduct. Why, O Partha, have you chosen them to be your model?” Being thus spoken to Partha then replied to Bhurisravas sayingएवमुक्तो रणे पार्थो भूरिश्रवसमब्रवीत्।

Arjuna said “Now it is clear that with the decay of body, the intellect of men also suffer decay, since, O master, you have uselessly directed all these reproaches to me.

Knowing myself and Hrishikesha perfectly well how is it that you reproach us both? I am conversant perfectly with the rules of fair combat and I am acquainted with the meaning of all moral precepts.

So, it is impossible that I should commit a sinful act. Knowing this also, fight with their foes, being supported by their own men.

Such as their brothers, their fathers their sons and relatives and friends and kinsmen and companions and also relying on the strength of their arms.

men Why then should I not protect, Satyaki my disciple and my dear relative who is fighting in this battle on our behave reckless of the very life that is so difficult of being laid down?

Why should I not protect "Satyaki who is, O king, like my own right arm to me? In battle, one should not look after his own protection only.

O ruler of men, he that is engaged on behalf of another, should surely be protected by that other. When such are themselves protected they can look after the protection of the king (on whose behalf they fight).

If indeed I had passively beheld Satyaki's slaughter in this great encounter, then, at Satyaki's death, sin would have hanged on me for my negligence.

Why do you wax wroth upon me for my having protected him, who is every way deserves my protection? You are reproaching me, O king, saying, 'When engaged with another, I have yet been incapacitated by you.' In respect to this, I submit that I committed an error in my judgment. Satyaki was shaking his armour against you and was riding on his own car, drawing his bow-string he was fighting with the foes, in the midst of his enemies abounding in steeds and foot-soldiers and teeming with cars and elephants and echoing with the war-cries of combatants. Amongst friends and foes engaged with one another, how could it be possible that the Satvata hero was engaged with one person only? Having encountered many warriors and vanquished many mighty car-warrior.

Satyaki was fatigued and afflicted with weapons-wounds and cheerless in mind; his horses also were exhausted. Having, under these circumstances, defeated the mighty carwarrior Satyaki.

And having thus obtained advantage over him, you seek to establish your superiority. You desired to cut-off with your sword the head of Satyaki.

I could not possibly behold passively Satyaki reduced to that plight. It is proper that you should reproach your own self in as much as you neglected to protect yourself (when trying to injure another). Indeed O hero, how would you yourself have behaved towards one who would be your dependent.

Sanjaya said Thus spoken to (by Arjuna), the illustrious and mighty-armed Bhurisravas bearing the device of a sacrificial stake on his banner, let Yuyudhana go and desired to enter upon the performance of Praya-Yoga.

Distinguished by many pious deeds, he then spread with his left hand a bed of arrows and out of a desire for going to the regions of Brahman, he committed his vital breaths to the care of the gods presiding over them.

Steadying his eyes on the sun, setting his mind on the purified water and meditating the Mantras contained in the Upanishads, Bhurisravas betaking himself to yoga, became reticent.

Then all the men in the army began to rebuke Krishna and Dhananjaya and applaud that foremost of men viz., Bhurisravas.

Though thus reproached by the general voice, the two Krishnas uttered not a single word, nor did the stake-bannered Bhurisravas feel any joy in consequence of those encomiums.

Then Dhananjaya otherwise called Phalguna, that son of Pandu unable to tolerate your sons speaking in that strain as also to put up with their words and the words of Bhurisravas, O Bharata, in sorrows and not at all angry, spoke these words, as if for remaining them all.

All kings know of this my great vow, that no one shall slay any body of our party so long as the latter is with in the range of my arrows.

Knowing this, O stake-bannered, one it befits you not to reproach me; without yourself knowing the rules of morality, you should not censure others.

That I have lopped off your arm while you, armed to the teeth, were on the point of slaying the unarmed Satyaki, is not at all against the rules of fair combat.

But what righteous man is there who will not condemn the slaughter of the body Abhimanyu specially when he was deprived of his weapons, his car and his armour?

Thus addressed by Pritha's son, Bhurisravas touched the ground with his head and offered with his left arm the right one that had been severed.

Then the stake-bannered Bhurisravas of great effulgence O king having heard those words of Partha, become silent with his face turned towards the earth.

Arjuna said O eldest brother of Shalya, the love I bear for you is equal even to that I bear for king Yudhishthira the virtuous or Bhima that foremost of all mighty persons or Nakula or Sahadeva.

With my permission as also with that of the high-souled Krishna do you go to the regions of the righteous where Sivi the son of Usinara is.

Vasudeva said You are ever devoted to the performance of sacrifices and Agnihotras; therefore repair quickly to those holy regions of mine that constantly burn with effulgence and that are coveted by the foremost of gods withi Brahman as their head and becoming equal to myself by you carried on the back of Garuda.

Sanjaya said Liberated from the grasp of Somadatta's son, the grandson of Sini rose and with a view to cut-off the head of that illustrious hero, drew his sword.

Satyaki then desired to slay the sinless Bhurisravas, the eldest brother of Saila that giver of profuse presents at sacrifices, who was staying with his senses drawn back from the battle and who had already been slain by Arjuna the son of Pandu;

Who was sitting with his arm lopped off, like an elephant with his trunk cut-off. Then all the warriors reproached him loudly for his intention. But destitute of reason.

And although forbidden by the high-souled Partha and Krishna and Bhima and the two wheel protectors of of Arjuna's car and Ashvattharnan and Kripa.

And Karna and Vrishasena and the king of the Sindhus and while the soldiers were still uttering loud shouts of denunciation, Satyaki flew Bhurisravas while engaged in the observance of the vow.

Indeed with his sword Satyaki lopped off the head of the Kuru warrior who had been deprived of his arm by Partha and who was then engaged in the Praya for liberating his soul from the body.

The soldiers then did not praise Satyaki for that act of his, viz., the slaughter of the perpetuator of the Kuru race, who already been slain by Pritha's son.

Then the Siddhas, the Charanas and the men present, as also the celestials, seeing the Indra-like Bhurisravas slain in battle when sitting in the observance of the vow Praya, began to praise him, struck with wonder at the feats achieved by him. Your troops also argued

In this matter no blame should be attributed to the Vrishni hero. What has been ordained must happen. Therefore we should not cherish wrath; since again wrath is the cause of a man's grief.

It was doomed that Bhurisravas would be slain by the heroic Satyaki. We need not judge of its propriety or otherwise. Satyaki has been made the instrument of Bhurisrava's death by the Creator himself.

Satyaki said You, sinful Kauravas, vested in outward garments of virtue, you are telling me in words of virtue, that Bhurisravas should not have been slain.

Where did this righteousness of yours fly when you ruthlessly slew in battle that child viz., Subhadra's son when he was deprived to the use of his weapons;

In a certain fit of haughtiness I had vowed that he who would throw me down in battle alive and strike me in wrath with his knees.

Would be slain by me even though that antagonist of mine should adopt the vow of asceticism. Though I was fighting in battle with my arins and cyes in tact.

Yet you had taken me as already slain. It is indeed a great foolishness on your part. You foremost of the Kurus, the slaughter of Bhurisravas achieved by me, in indeed very proper.

Partha by lopping off the arm of this one, with sword in grasp, had fulfiled his vow of protecting his own partisans and has thereby robbed me of my glory!

What is ordained must come to pass. It is the hand of fate that works. Bhurisravas has been slain in the course of this battle. What sin have I perpetrated?

In days gone by, Valmiki sang this verse on earth viz., "You say, Oape, that women should not be slain!

In all times however men should always with resolute care do that which would give pain to this foes."

Sanjaya said After Satyaki had said these words, none amongst the Pandavas and the Kauravas, o king, said anything; on the other hand they praised Bhurisravas in their mind.

Nobody present there countenanced the slaughter of Somadatta's illustrious son, who resembled an hermit of the woods and who had given away thousands of golden coins.

The head of that brave hero graced with beautiful blue locks and eyes red like those of pegions looked like the head of a horse cut-off in a horse sacrifice and placed on the sacrificial altar.

Purified through his prowess and death by the edge of weapons and in consequence of the boon accorded to him, Bhurisravas worthy of every boon went to the regions on high, shuffling off his mortal coil and filling the heavens with his illustrious fame.