हा तात हेतयो लग्नास् तरुणीकवरीतृणे । ज्वलन्ति शुष्कपर्णौघा इव वीरानलेरिताः
Alas, father! The causes of death are lodged in the tender grass of youth, burning like heaps of dry leaves set ablaze by a hero’s fire.
आवर्तवर्तिनी दीर्घा वहत्य् ऊर्ध्वं तरङ्गिनी । पश्येयं धूमयमुना व्योमगङ्गां प्रधावति
A long, swirling, upward-flowing river of smoke is rushing forth; I see the Ganges of the sky, filled with smoke, surging ahead.
वहदुल्मुककाष्टौर्ध्वगामिनी धूमनिम्नगा । वैमानिकान् अन्धयति पश्याग्निकणबुद्बुदा
The smoke-river, rising with burning logs, blinds the celestial beings; look, fire-sparks and bubbles are seen within it.
अस्य माता पिता भ्राता जामाता तनयस् सुता । अस्मिन् सद्मनि निर्दग्धा दग्धैषाम् अन्तम् इच्छति
His mother, father, brother, son-in-law, son, and daughter have all been burned in this house; now, the fire seeks to consume the rest of them.
हा हा हा गच्छ भोश् शीघ्रम् एतद् अङ्गारमन्दिरम् । इतः प्रवृत्तं पतितुं सुमेरोश् शिखरं यथा
Alas! Alas! Alas! Go quickly, sir, from this house of embers; it is about to collapse, just like the summit of Mount Meru falling down.
अहो शरशिलाशक्तिकुन्तप्रासासिहेतयः । ज्वालासन्ध्यभ्रपटलं विशन्ति शलभा इव
Ah! Arrows, stones, spears, javelins, and swords—these weapons enter the mass of blazing, smoke-filled clouds like moths rushing into fire.
हेतिप्रवाहा ज्वलनं नभस् सर्वे विशन्त्य् अहो । वडवानलम् उज्ज्वालम् अर्णःपूरा इवार्णवात्
All the winds enter the blazing fire in the sky, just as the surging waves of the ocean enter the fierce submarine fire.
धूमायन्ते महाभ्राणि ज्वालाशिखरकोटिषु । सरसान्य् अपि शुष्यन्ति हृदयानीव रागिनाम्
Great clouds become smoky at the tips of the tongues of flame, and even lakes dry up, like the hearts of those consumed by passion.
आलानत्वरुषैवैता दन्तिभिर् वृक्षपङ्क्तयः । स्फुटत्कटकटारावं पात्यन्ते कृतपीत्कृतैः
Rows of trees, scorched and angry, are struck down by elephants, their cracking branches resounding loudly as they are felled by those who have already eaten their fill.
प्लुष्टपुष्पफलस्कन्धगन्धश्रीका गृहद्रुमाः । गता निर्दग्धसर्वस्वा गृहस्था इव दीनताम्
The household trees, once fragrant with blossoms and fruit, now burned and stripped of all, have become desolate, like householders deprived of everything.
मातापितृविनिर्मुक्ता बालकास् तिमिरावलीः । मथ्नन्तो ऽङ्गेषु रथ्यासु कुड्यपातेन हा हताः
Children, bereft of mother and father, wander through the darkness, beaten and destroyed in the streets by the collapse of walls.
वत विद्रावितान्धस्य करिणो रणमूर्धनि । पतदङ्गारकागारभारिणः कटुकूजितम्
The elephants, driven away by the blind, roar harshly in the midst of battle, their bodies heavy with falling embers and burning coals.
हा कष्ठम् असिनिर्भिन्नस्कन्धे सन्नदृढोल्मुके । पतितो यन्त्रपाषाणः पुरुषस्याशनिर् यथा
Alas, the stone, split by the sword and firmly embedded in the shoulder, falls upon a man like a thunderbolt from a machine.
गवाश्वमहिषाजोष्ट्रश्वशृगालवृकैर् अहो । घोरो रण इहारब्धो मार्गरोधक आकुलैः
Cows, horses, buffaloes, camels, dogs, and wolves—how terrible is the battle here, begun by those blocking the roads in confusion.
पटैः पटपटाशब्दैर् ज्वलज्ज्वालालिमारुतैः । आक्रन्दिन्यस् स्त्रियो यान्ति स्थलपद्माचिता इव
With the crackling sounds of burning cloths and the winds of blazing flames, the wailing women go forth, as if adorned with ground lotuses.
स्त्रीणां ज्वालालवाः पश्य लिहन्त्य् अलकवल्लरीः । कुर्वन्तो ऽशोकपुष्पाभां करभा इव पन्नगीः
See how the tongues of flame from the women lick at their flowing locks, making them resemble the blossoms of the ashoka tree, like elephants playing with serpents.
हा हा हरिणशावाक्ष्याः पक्ष्मलेक्षणपक्ष्मसु । कुशाग्रेष्व् इव विश्रान्तिम् एति कार्षाणवी शिखा
Alas, the slender flame, resting on the blades of grass, reaches the eyelash-fringed eyes of the doe-eyed women.
दह्यमानो ऽपि निर्याति न कलत्रं विना नरः । अहो बत दुरुच्छेदाः प्राणिनां स्नेहवागुराः
Even while burning, a man does not depart without his wife; ah, how hard to break are the snares of affection for living beings.
करी रभसनिर्भिन्नज्वलदङ्गारपादपैः । प्लुष्टपुष्करकः कोपान् मथ्नात्य् उत्पुष्करं सरः
The elephant, agitated, shatters the flaming trees with force; enraged, he churns the pond, already filled with withered lotuses, with his trunk.
धूमोऽम्बुदपदं प्राप्य लोलालाततडिल्लतम् । ज्वलदङ्गारनाराचनिकरं परिवर्षति
The smoke, reaching the place of the clouds, with its restless, broad flashes, rains down a multitude of blazing, fiery arrows.
इह धूमस् स्फुरद्वह्निकण आवर्तवृत्तिमान् । स्थित आपीडवान् व्योम्नि रत्नपूर इवाम्बरे
Here, the smoke, full of flickering sparks and moving in circular currents, stands amassed in the sky, like a heap of jewels in the firmament.
गौरम् अम्बरम् आभाति ज्वालाशिखरतेजसा । मृत्योर् इवोत्सवे दत्तः कुङ्कुमाङ्कः कदर्थकः
The sky shines pale with the brilliance of the flame-crests, marked with saffron as if for the festival of death, a sign of destruction.
अहो नु विषमं वैरं वर्तते वृत्तिवर्जितम् । ह्रियन्ते राजनार्यो ऽपि वरवीरैर् उदायुधैः
Alas, how terrible and unjust is this enmity, devoid of all virtue; even noble kings are slain by mighty warriors bearing excellent weapons.
लोलस्रग्दामकुसुमैर् मार्गप्रकरकारिकाः । अर्धनिर्दग्धकवरीकीर्णवक्षस्स्थलाम्बराः
With garlands and ornaments loosened and flowers scattered, the women who once adorned the royal paths now have their garments half-burnt and their breasts and chests strewn with ashes.
आलोलाम्बरसंलक्ष्यनितम्बजघनस्थलाः । पतन्माणिक्यवलया वलितावनिमण्डलाः
Their hips and loins are revealed as their garments sway and fall, jeweled bracelets slip from their arms to the ground, and their bodies bend toward the earth.
छिन्नहारलताजालविकीर्णामलमौक्तिकाः । दृष्टादृष्टस्तनश्रोणिपार्श्वोद्यत्कनकप्रभाः
Necklaces and strings of pearls are broken and scattered, and the golden radiance from their breasts, hips, and sides—some seen, some hidden—shines forth.
कुररीकर्कशाक्रन्दमन्दीकृतरणारवाः । धारापात्यस्रुनाराचभिन्नपार्श्वस्थचेतनाः
The tumult of battle is subdued by the harsh cries of vultures, and the wounded, pierced by arrows and bleeding, lie senseless on the ground.
रक्तकर्दमबाष्पाम्बुक्लिन्नग्रथितवाससः । भुजमूलार्पितभुजैर् नीयमाना बलान् नृभिः
Their garments are soaked with tears, blood, and mud; their arms rest on the shoulders of others as they are led away by the soldiers.
क इवास्मत्परित्राता स्याद् इत्य् आदीनवीक्षितैः । उत्पलैर् इव वर्षद्भिः परिरोदितसैनिकाः
With eyes full of distress, as if asking, 'Who will save us now?', the soldiers weep, their tears falling like a shower of lotuses.
मृणालकोमलाच्छोरुमूलजालैस् सुनिर्मलैः । स्वच्छाम्बरतलालक्ष्यैर् आकाशनलिनीनिभाः
With thighs as soft as lotus stalks, adorned with pure, delicate anklets, and garments clear as crystal, they resemble lotuses blooming in the sky.