इति वाक्यं समाकर्ण्य पुष्कलो निजगाद तम् । पुष्कल उवाच। बालोऽहं त्वं महावृद्धः सर्वशस्त्रास्त्रकोविदः
Hearing these words, Pushkala replied to him: Pushkala said: 'I am a boy, you are very old, and skilled in all weapons and missiles.'
क्षत्रियाणां मतं चैव ये बलाधिक्यसंयुताः । त एव वृद्धा भूपाग्र्य न वयोवृद्धतां गताः
'But among Kshatriyas, those who possess superior strength are considered elders, not merely those advanced in age.'
मया ते मूर्च्छितः पुत्रः सशौर्यबलदर्पितः । इदानीं त्वामहं शस्त्रैः पातयिष्यामि संगरे
'Your son, proud of his valor and strength, was rendered unconscious by me; now I will bring you down in battle with weapons.'
तस्मात्त्वं यत्नतस्तिष्ठ राजन्संग्राममूर्धनि । रामभक्तं न मां कश्चिज्जयतींद्रपदे स्थितः
'Therefore, stand firm with effort, O king, at the forefront of battle; no one established in the position of a devotee of Rama conquers me.'
इत्थं भाषितमाश्रुत्य पुष्कलस्य नृपाग्रणीः । जहास बालं संवीक्ष्य कोपं च व्यदधात्पुनः
Hearing Pushkala speak thus, the foremost of kings laughed, gazing at the boy, and again grew angry.
तं वै कुपितमालक्ष्य भरतात्मज उन्मदः । जघान शरविंशत्या राजानं हृदि तीक्ष्णया
Seeing him enraged, the son of Bharata, maddened, struck the king in the heart with twenty sharp arrows.
राजा तानागतान्दृष्ट्वा बाणांस्तेन विमोचितान् । चिच्छेद परमक्रुद्धः शरैस्तीक्ष्णैरनेकधा
The king, seeing those arrows released by him approaching, in great anger cut them to pieces with many sharp arrows.
तद्बाणच्छेदनं दृष्ट्वा भारतिः परवीरहा । चुकोप हृदयेऽत्यंतं राजानं च त्रिभिः शरैः
Seeing his arrows cut down, Bharati, the destroyer of enemy heroes, became extremely angry at heart and struck the king with three arrows.
विव्याध भाले भूपाल पुत्रः पुष्कलसंज्ञकः । तत्र लग्ना विरेजुस्ते त्रिकूटशिखराणि किम्
Pushkala, the king’s son, pierced the king in the forehead; those arrows, lodged there, shone like the peaks of Trikuta.
तैर्बाणैर्व्यथितो राजा जघान नवभिः शरैः । हृदये पुष्कलं वीरं महाकोपसमन्वितः । तैर्वत्सदन्तैर्बह्वस्रं पीतं रामानुजाङ्गजम्
Afflicted by those arrows, the king, filled with great anger, struck the heroic Pushkala in the heart with nine arrows; those arrows, with tips like calves’ teeth, drank much blood from the body of Rama’s younger brother’s son.
सर्पा आशीविषा यद्वत्क्रुद्धास्तद्वपुषि स्थिताः । परमं कोपमापन्नः पुष्कलो भूमिपं पुनः
Just as venomous serpents, enraged, dwell within a body, so Puṣkala, seized by extreme fury, again attacked the king.
बाणानां शतकेनाशु बिभेद शितपर्वणाम् । तैर्बाणैः कवचं भिन्नं किरीटः सशिरस्त्रकः
With a hundred sharp-tipped arrows, he swiftly pierced him; by those arrows, his armor was shattered, and his crown along with its crest was broken.
रथो धनुर्महत्सज्यं छिन्नं कोपपरिप्लवात् । क्षतजेन परिप्लुष्टो बाणभिन्नकलेवरः
His great, strung bow and chariot were cut down in a surge of wrath; his body, pierced by arrows, was soaked with blood.
अन्यं स्यंदनमारुह्य जगाम भरतात्मजम् । धन्योसि वीर रामस्य चरणाब्जमधुव्रत
Mounting another chariot, he approached the son of Bharata and said: 'Fortunate are you, hero, who are devoted like a bee to the lotus feet of Rāma.'
महत्कृतं कर्म तेऽद्य यदहं विरथीकृतः । प्राणान्रक्षस्व भो वीर सांप्रतं मयि युद्ध्यति
'You have accomplished a great deed today, for I have been deprived of my chariot. Now, hero, as you fight me, protect your life.'
सुलभा न तव प्राणाः कालरूपे मयि स्थिते । इत्युक्त्वा व्यहनद्बाणैरसंख्यैः शस्त्रकोविदः
'Your life will not be easily preserved while I, in the form of Death, stand before you.' Having spoken thus, the master of weapons struck with countless arrows.
भूमौ दिशि च तद्बाणा नान्यद्दृश्येत तत्र ह । अनेके गजसाहस्रा भिन्ना अश्वाः समंततः
On the ground and in every direction, those arrows could be seen, and nothing else; countless elephants were split, and horses all around were struck down.
रथारथियुतास्तेन छिन्ना भिन्ना द्विधाकृताः । शोणितौघा सरित्तत्र प्रसुस्राव रणांगणे
Chariots and their warriors were cut down, broken, and split in two; torrents of blood flowed like rivers upon the battlefield.
यत्रोन्मदा हि मातंगा दृश्यंते शैलशृंगवत् । केशाः शैवाललक्ष्यास्ते मुहुः प्राणिशिरः स्थिताः
There, maddened elephants could be seen like mountain peaks; their manes, marked by ashes, repeatedly appeared upon the heads of living beings.
अनेके पाणयश्छिन्ना वीराणां मुद्रिकाश्रियः । दृश्यंते अहिवत्तत्र चंदनादिकरूषिताः
Many severed hands of heroes, adorned with rings, could be seen there, stained with sandalwood and other ointments, lying like serpents.
शिरांसि च भटाग्र्याणां कच्छपाभां वहंति वै । मांसानि पंका यत्रासन्वीराणां महतां ततः
The heads of foremost warriors, resembling tortoise shells, were carried away; there, the flesh of great heroes became like mud.
एवं व्यतिकरे वृत्ते योगिन्यः शतशो रणे । पपुः पात्रेण रुधिरं प्राणिनां रणपातिनाम्
As the battle raged thus, hundreds of yoginīs on the field drank the blood of fallen warriors from vessels.
मांसानि बुभुजुस्ता वै हर्षकौतुकसंयुताः । पीत्वा तु शोणितं तत्र भक्षित्वा मांसमुन्मदाः
They eagerly consumed the flesh, filled with delight and curiosity; having drunk the blood and eaten the flesh, they became intoxicated.
ननृतुर्जहसुः प्रोच्चैरुज्जगुः प्रधनांगणे । पिशाचास्तत्र समरे प्राणिनां मस्तकानि वै
They danced, laughed loudly, and sang in the midst of the battlefield; there, piśācas in the battle seized the heads of living beings.
धृत्वा कराभ्यां मत्तांगास्तालवद्वादनोद्यताः । शिवास्तत्र महामांसं पतितानां रणांगणे
Seizing them with their hands, the maddened ones raised them to beat like cymbals; there, the Śivās devoured the great flesh of those fallen on the battlefield.
भक्षित्वा व्यनदन्मत्ताः कातराणां भयप्रदाः । कातरास्त्राः समापन्ना गताः कुंजरकोटरे
Having eaten, the intoxicated ones howled, terrifying the fearful; those struck by fear fled into the hollows of elephants.
भक्षिता योगिनीभिस्ते पापिनां क्वापि न स्थितिः । एतत्कदनमालक्ष्य स्वसैन्यस्य रथाग्रणीः
Those sinners who were devoured by the yoginīs found no refuge anywhere; seeing this carnage, the chariot-chief of his own army—
पुष्कलोऽपि चकारात्र कदनं रणमंडले । भिद्यंते गजशीर्षाणि पतंति मौक्तिकानि तु
Even Puṣkala wrought slaughter there in the midst of battle; the heads of elephants were split open, and pearls fell out.
दृश्यते लोमभिः पूर्णा ताम्रपर्णीव तन्नदी । पुष्कलप्रहिता बाणा नृणामंगेषु संगताः । कुर्वंति प्राणविच्छेदं वीराणामपि सर्वतः
That river, filled with arrows like hairs, appears like the Tāmraparṇī; the arrows, shot in abundance, gather upon the bodies of men, severing life even from the bravest on every side.
सर्वे रुधिरसिक्तांगाः सर्वे च्छिन्ननिजांगकाः । दृश्यंते किंशुका यद्वत्सुभटाः प्रधनांगणे
All are seen with bodies drenched in blood, all with their own limbs cut; the valiant warriors on the battlefield appear like kimśuka trees.