कीचक-वध पर्व — कीचक का वध

Bhima said O gentle one, I will do that which you say. O timid one, I will kill Kichaka today with all his friends.

O Yagaseni of beautiful smile, having given up your sorrow and grief do so as will bring him on good terms with you on tomorrow's evening.

There is the dancing house which the king of the Matsya's has caused to be built; there the girls dance during the day and retire to their respective homes at night.

In that hall there is a bedstead fixed firm and conveniently placed; there I will make him see the spirits of his deceased manes.

In course of holding conversation with him, do such as others might not see you. O auspicious one, also manage in such a way as he might come near you.

Vaishampayana said Having thus held their mutual conversation, and shedding tears in grief, they both awaited the dawn of that night with an anxious heart.

That night being passed, Kichaka rose up in the morning, and having gone to the royal house, addressed Draupadi in the following terms.

I hurled you down in the court and kicked you in the very presence of the king. Having fallen under the grasp of my mighty self you could not obtain deliverance.

Virata is said to be the king of the Matsya's, but that is only in name; lord of the forces, it is I alone who am verily the king of the Matsya's.

O timid one, accept me happily; I shall become your slave. O you of beautiful hips, I shall give you anon a hundred Nishkas and a hundred male and a hundred female servants. I shall also bestow on you cars yoked with mules; ( beautiful one, let us be united.

Draupadi said O Kichaka, (I agree to this now, this is my condition, that you should accede to (do so); neither your friends nor your brothers may know that we are united. I am really afraid of the detection by those renowned Gandharvas. If you promise me this, I shall certainly be yours.

Kichaka said O you of beautiful hips, I will do what you say; overcome by the god of love O gentle one, I shall go alone to your lonely abode for the purpose of being united with you, so that, O you of elegant thighs, the Gandharvas, as brilliant as the sun, might not be able to see you.

Draupadi said Behold there is the dancing hall erected by the king of the Matsya's. Here the girls dance during the day and retire to their respective homes at night.

Everywhere there surrounds darkness so, come to see me there. The Gandharvas do not know that place. No doubt, the vice too shall be removed by reason of meeting there,

Vaishampayana said O king, thinking of the conversation she had with Kichaka, that half day appeared to Krishna as long as a whole month.

Thereupon she again informed Bhimasena of his conduct; Kichaka too, going to his house, was filled with joy.

That stupid could not understand that his death was in the shape of Sairandhri and he became especially busy with perfumeries, ornaments and garlands.

He, then possessed by lust adorned himself speedily. While he was doing this and thinking of the female with large eyes, the time appeared to him to be long; and the beauty which was about to forsake him, appeared to him to be increased,

Like the wick of a burning lamp at the time of its expiration. Placing perfect confidence in her, Kichaka, possessed by lust,

Thinking of the meeting could not perceive that the day had passed away. Thereupon going to Bhima in the kitchen Draupadi.

Of auspiciousness, sat by his husband, the descendant of Kuru; that lady of beautiful hair said to him: “O slayer of foes, as directed by you, I have given Kichaka to understand that our meeting shall take place in the theatre hall. Kichaka shall come to that empty dancing-hall.

Alone at night, O son of Kunti, slay him, that son of a Suta inflated with pride.

O Pandava, going to that dancing hall, take his life. From pride only, that son of a Suta slights the Gandharvas.

O you the best of repressors, lift him up like (Krishna) lifting up the serpent from the lake. O Pandava, wipe my tears who am stricken with grief; may good betide you; save your own honor and that of your family.

Bhimasena said O fair and timid lady, I shall do what you say, welcome, O fair damsel, you, who have communicated this pleasant news to me.

O beautiful lady, I do not wish to have any other help from you. My joy on hearing from you of my coming encounter with Kichaka is equal to what I felt when I slew Hidimba. I swear this by truth, morality and my brothers.

I shall slay Kichaka as did the king of the celestials Vritra; secretly or openly, I shall crush Kichaka.

If the Matsya's side with him, I shall kill them too; and then slaying Duryodhana, I shall regain the earth; let Kunti's son Yudhishthira continue to pay his homage to the king of the Matsya's.

Draupadi said O lord, if you do not wish to transgress the pledge you have taken to me, you should, of Partha, slay Kichaka in secret.

Bhimasena said O timid lady, I shall do what you say; I shall slay today Kichaka with his friends.

O you of faultless feature, hidden from the view of others in darkness, I shall crush, as an elephant crushes a Bel fruit, the head of the wicked Kichaka, who desires for a thing that cannot be acquired by him.

Vaishampayana said Thereupon going there hidden at night, Bhima sat expecting Kichaka like a lion for deer.

Having adorned himself to his liking, Kichaka arrived at the dancing hall at the appointed hour with a view to meet Panchali.

Considering this as sign, he entered there. Entering the hall enshrouded in darkness, that highly wicked one, came up to Bhima of unequalled prowess, who had gone there before and was waiting in a corner.

Suta's son approached him who was lying on a bed, burning in anger begotten of the insult (offered to Krishna).

Approaching him, Kichaka possessed by lust, having his heart filled with delight, smilingly said.

I have already given to you immense and various wealth and for you a hundred maid servants, with riches and jems and finest robes; O you of air eye-brows, also a palace with inner apartment filled with beautiful, lovely and youthful maid servants and adorned with various sorts of sports and amusements. Having arranged all this, I have all on a sudden come here; the women of my house have begun to praise me, saying: 'There is none like you amongst all the people so well-dressed and beautiful.

Bhimasena said By my good fortune, you are handsome and you are praising yourself; I think you had not before any such pleasurable touch.

I consider your touch as burning and you are an expert at gallantry. I do not see any other man like you favourite to women.

Vaishampayana said Having said this to him, and jumping up all on a sudden, the mighty-armed Bhima, the son of Kunti, endued with dreadful prowess, smilingly said.

Your sister shall behold you, vile as you are, today drawn by me on earth, like a mighty elephant huge as a mountain dragged by another to the ground.

You being slain, Sairandhri shall wander unobstructed and we, her husbands, shall live happily.

The highly powerful Bhima seized him by the hair which were adorned with garlands. Thus caught with force by the hair, that foremost of the powerful, speedily freed his hair and grasped the arms of Bhima. Then there arose a hand to hand fight between those who foremost of men worked up with anger.

The fight of Kichaka and the foremost of men was like that between two powerful elephants for one she-elephants in the season of spring,

Or like what took place in the days of yore between the two leading monkeys the brothers Bali and Sugriva. Both equally enraged and desirous of victory,

They raised up their arms like two snakes having five hoods; and worked up with the poison of anger, they attacked each other with nails and teeth.

Being struck with great force by the powerful Kichaka, the resolute (Bhima) did not waver a step in the encounter.

Then embracing and dragging each other, they appeared there like two powerful bulls.

They having nails and teeth for their weapon, there arose a fierce and great encounter between them like that between two maddened tigers.

Throwing each other down with their arms and then again seizing in great anger, they fought like two elephants with rent temples.

Then the powerful Bhima seized Kichaka, and Kichaka too, the foremost of the strong, again threw him down with force.

Those two powerful (heroes) thus fighting, the crush of their arms engendered a sound resembling the clatter of splitting bamboo's.

Then throwing Kichaka down with great force in the room, Vrikodara tossed him about with velocity, as a hurricane tosses a tree.

Being thus assailed by the powerful Bhima in the encounter, he grew weak, trembled and tugged at the Pandava to his very best.

Making him waver a little, the powerful Kichaka speedily stuck Bhima on the breast with his knees and felled him on the ground.

Being thrown on the ground by the powerful Kichaka, Bhima rose up again with force, like Yama with mace in his hands.

Then both Suta and Pandava, maddened with their strength, challenged and grappled with each other at night in that secluded hall.

While enraged they were thus roaring at each other, that best of houses shook at every moment.

Slapped on the breast by the powerful Bhima, Kichaka worked up with anger, did not move for a single step.

Bearing for a moment the force which is incapable of being borm on earth, Suta, belaboured by Bhima, grew enfeebled.

And seeing that he was growing weak, the highly powerful Bhimasena drawing him forcibly to his breast began to press him who was senseless.

Breathing hard again and again in anger, Vrikodara the foremost of the victorious held him up always by the hair.

Seizing Kichaka, the powerful Bhima began to roar like a hunger tiger that has slain a large animal.

Thereupon on serving him greatly exhausted, Vrikodara bound him fast with his arms like one binding a beast with a rope.

Then Bhima began to whirl him who was senseless, for a considerable time, and he roared terribly like a discordant bugle.

Then to console Krishna, Vrikodara got hold of Kichaka's throat with his arms and began to squeeze it.

Then striking with his knees the waist of that wretch of Kichaka, all whose limbs had been broken into pieces and whose eye-lids were closed, that descendant of Pandu killed him like one killing a beast. Then beholding Kichaka senseless,

He rolled him on earth and said: “Killing this wretch who has wished to ravish our wife, this thorn of Sairandhri, I am freed from the debt I owed to my brother and am in peace."

Saying this, that foremost of men, with eyes reddened with ire, left off Kichaka, whose dress and ornaments had been thrown off his body, whose eyes were rolling and who was even then trembling.

Squeezing his own hand and biting his lips in anger, that foremost of the powerful, attacked him with great force and thrust his arms, legs, neck and head into his body, as did the holder of Pinaka the beast.

The highly-powerful Bhimasena then showed him to Krishna; all his limbs were crushed and he was reduced into a ball of flesh.

Gifted with great energy (as he was) he said to Draupadi, that best of women “Behold, O Panchali, what I have done of this hurtful wretch."

Saying this, O king, Bhima, endued with dreadful prowess, struck with his foot the body of that vicious-souled one.

Then lighting a lamp there and showing her Kichaka, that hero addressed the following to Panchali.

"O you of fair hair, O timid damsel, all those who seek you who are gifted with a good character and accomplishments, will be slain by me like this Kichaka."

Performing that difficult work, highly pleasing to Krishna, and slaying Kichaka, his anger was pacified.

Bidding farewell to Draupadi, he speedily went to the kitchen. Having brought about the destruction of Kichaka, Draupadi too, the foremost of females.

Delighted and having her grief removed, said to the guards of the assembly-hall; 'This Kichaka has been slain by my Gandharva husbands.

He who desired for another's wife; come and see.” Hearing her words the guards of the assembly-hall.

Came there by thousands, with torches in their hands. And going to that room they saw Kichaka fallen on the ground lifeless, bathing in a pool of blood. Beholding him without arms and legs they were pained.

When they saw him they were struck with wonder. Seeing that super-human work of his destruction. (They said) : “Where is his neck, where are his feet, arms and where is his head.” They then concluded that he had been slain by the Gandharvas.