सौभ का विनाश

Krishna said : O king of kings, the lord of Saubha Shalva, came to the city of Dvarka with numerous men, elephants and soldiers.

The army, headed by king Shalva, consisting of four kinds of troops, occupied a level ground where there was plentiful supply of water.

Avoiding cremation-grounds, temples of gods, sacred trees and grounds covered with ant-hills, his army occupied every other places.

O king, the roads (leading to Dvarka) were all blocked up by the (various) divisions of his army and the secret passages (from the city) were also all blocked up by the encampment of Shalva's troops.

O descendant of Kuru, O best of men, like the king of birds (Garuda), he rushed upon Dvarka, with his army, equipped with every kind of weapons, skilled in all arms, furnished with numerous chariots, elephants and cavalry, full of pennons and banners and strengthened with well-paid, well-fed and greatly powerful foot soldiers who bore every mark of heroism and who used wonderful chariots and bows.

Seeing the army of the king Shalva approached, the youthful princes of the Vrishni race sallied out with the desire of giving him battle.

O descendant of Kuru, without being able to bear the pride of king Shalva, Charudeshna, Samba and the great car-warrior, Pradyumna. Clad in armour and adorned with ornaments with color flying, sallied out on their chariots, with the desire of meeting the numerous great warriors of king Shalva.

Samba, taking up his bow, eagerly attacked on the field of battle Kshemavriddhi, the minister and the commander of Shalva's army.

O best of the Bharata race, as Indra shower down rain, so did the son of Jambhavati (Samba) showers down arrows in a continuous stream. O great king, the commander of (Shalva's) forces, Kshemavriddhi, bore that shower of arrows (and stood) as immovable as the Himalayas.

O king of kings, thereupon Kshemavriddhi, aided by his power of illusion, poured a great shower of arrows.

Then dispersing by counter illusion that shower of arrows aided by illusion, Samba showered on his (adversary's) car one thousand arrows.

Then pierced and overwhelmed by the arrows of Samba, the commander of (Shalva's) forces, Kshemavriddhi fled from the field with the help of his fleet steeds.

When the crooked-minded commander of Shalva's army fled from the field, a powerful Daitya, named Vegavan, rushed at my son.

O king of kings, thus attacked the heroic Samba, the perpetuator of the Vrishni race, withstanding the attack of Vegavan, kept his ground.

O son of Kunti, the heroic and irresistibly powerful Samba, whirling a swift-going club, soon hurled it at Vegavan.

O king, thus struck with it, Vegavan fell on the ground like a faded, weather beaten and decayed-rooted lord of the forest (banian tree).

When that heroic and great Asura was killed with the club, my son rushed into (enemy's) troops and began to fight with all.

O great king, a well-known Danava, named Vivindha, a great car-warrior and a great bowman, then rushed upon Charudeshna.

O king, the battle between Charudeshna and Vivindha was as fierce as that in the days of yore between Vitra and Vasava (Indra).

Enraged with each other, the combatants pierced each other with their arrows and uttered loud roars like two powerful lions.

Having first vivified it with incantations the son of Rukmini fixed on his bow-string a powerful weapon which possessed possessed the splendour of the sun or the fire and which was capable of destroying all foes.

O king, that great car-warrior, my son, inflamed with anger, challenged Vivindha and discharged the weapon at him. He (thus struck) fell dead.

Seeing Vivindha killed and his army (very much) agitated, Shalva came back again on his (car) Saubha, capable of going everywhere at will.

O mighty-armed king, thereupon seeing Shalva seated on his (car) Saubha, the warriors of Dvarka became very much alarmed.

O descendant of Kuru, Pradyumna sallied out and asked the Anarthas not to lose courage. He then thus spoke.

"(O warriors), do not lose courage; stay and see me fight. I shall repel with force (the car) Saubha with the king (Shalva) on it.

O Yadavas, I shall this day destroy the army of the lord of Saubha with my serpent-like weapons discharged from my bow with my hand.

Be of good cheer, Fear not. I shall today kill him. Attacked by me, the wicked-minded (Shalva) with (his car) SAubha will be destroyed."

O son of Pandu, O hero, when Pradyumna thus spoke with a cheerful heart, the Yadava warriors stood on the field and began to fight cheerfully.