घोषयात्रा पर्व — गन्धर्वहरूको पराजय

Vaishampayana said : Thereupon the Gandharvas armed with celestials weapons and adorned with golden garlands, showering showering innumerable blazing arrows, surrounded them on all sides.

There were but four Pandavas heroes; on the other hand there were thousands of Gandharvas. Therefore, O king, the battle that was fought was extraordinary.

As the Gandharvas cut off the chariot of Karna and of the sons of Dhritarashtra, so they tried to do the same with respect to their (Pandava's) chariots.

O king, those foremost of men attacked with showers of arrows thousands and thousands of Gandharvas who were rushing towards them.

Those mighty rangers of the sky, thus checked on all sides by that shower of arrows, did not succeed to come even near the Pandavas.

Arjuna who was greatly enraged after carefully aiming at them hurled against the angry Gandharvas his celestials weapons.

In that battle the greatly powerful Arjuna with his Agneya weapon sent ten lakhs of Gandharvas to the abode of Yama.

That great bowman, Bhima, that foremost of all strong men, killed in that battle thousands of Gandharvas with his sharp arrows.

O king, the greatly powerful sons of Madri, fighting with great prowess, attacked hundreds of Gandharvas and killed them all,

When the Gandharvas were thus killed by the nighty heroes with the celestials weapons, they ascended the skies and took with them the son of Dhritarashtra.

But the son of Kunti, Dhananjaya (Arjuna), seeing them rise to the sky, surrounded them on all sides by a net of arrows.

Having been confined within that net of arrows of birds are confined in a cage, they angrily hurled upon Arjuna maces, darts and swords.

But Dhananjaya, learned in weapons, soon stopped that shower of maces, darts and swords. He then mangled the limbs of the enemies by his crescent-shaped arrows.

Heads, legs and arms (of the Gandharvas) began to drop down from above like a shower of stones; thereupon the enemy was struck with terror.

As the Gandharvas were killed by the illustrious Pandava, they hurled a heavy shower of weapons on Arjuna who was on earth.

But that chastiser of foes, that greatly powerful Savyasachi (Arjuna), stopped that shower of weapons with his own weapons and began to wound them.

That descendant of Kuru, Arjuna, shot his well-known weapons, named Sthunakarna, Indrajala, Saura, Agneya and Saumya.

The Gandharvas, consumed by the arrows of the son of Kunti, became greatly afflicted, as the Daityas were by Shakra.

When they attacked Savyasachi (Arjuna) from above, they were stopped by his net of arrows. While they attacked him from all sides on earth, they were stopped by his Bhala (weapon).

O descendant of Bharata, seeing the Gandharvas routed by the son of Kunti, Chitrasena took up a mace and rushed upon Savyasachi.

As he was rushing with his mace in his hand, Partha (Arjuna) cut off that iron mace into seven pieces.

Seeing his mace cut into piece by that very active hero, (Arjuna), with his arrows, he with his own science (of illusion) began to fight with the Pandava.

The heroic Arjuna, however, stopped with his celestials weapons all the celestials weapons that were aimed at him by the Gandharva king.

When the mighty Gandharva king saw that he was checked by the high-souled Arjuna with his weapons, he disappeared from view by the help of illusion.

Seeing that the ranger of sky was striking at him concealed from sight, Arjuna attacked him with his celestials weapons with proper mantras.

Dhananjaya, becoming greatly enraged, prevented the disappearance of his enemy with his weapon called Shabdavedha.

Attacked by those weapons by the illustrious Arjuna, his dear friend the Gandharva king appeared before him.

Chitrasena thus spoke to him, “Behold, your friend is fighting with you." Seeing his friend weak in battle, that foremost of Pandavas withdrew his weapons. The Pandavas, seeing Arjuna withdraw his weapons, checked their flying horses and stopped their weapons and withdrew their bows.

Chitrasena, Bhima and Arjuna and the twins then enquired after one another's welfare and sat down on their respective chariots.