रक्ताभास्थिरसन्ध्याढ्यं ससिद्धपुरुषं शवैः । हारैस् ससर्पनिर्मोकं पटैर् एवांशुसङ्कुलम्
With a red glow, dense with twilight, filled with accomplished beings and corpses; adorned with garlands, scattered serpent sloughs, and cloths tangled with rays.
लसल्लतापताकाभिर् ऊरुभिः कृततोरणम् । हस्तपादैः पल्लवितं शरैश् शरवनोपमम्
With fluttering creeper banners forming arches from thighs; hands and feet strewn about, resembling a thicket of arrows.
शस्त्रांशुशाद्वलश्यामं शस्त्रतार्णैस् ससैकतम् । कीर्णम् आयुधमालाभिर् उन्मत्तम् इव भैरवम्
Dark as a grassy field with the gleam of weapons, mingled with sand and fragments of blades; strewn with chains of arms, wild and terrifying as if mad.
फुल्लाशोकवनाकारं शस्त्रसंघट्टवह्निभिः । उद्घुङ्घुमं महाशब्दैर् विद्रवत्सिद्धनायकम्
Resembling a grove of blooming ashoka trees, with fires from clashing weapons; resounding with loud noises, causing the leader of the siddhas to flee.
सौवर्णरचिताकारं बालार्ककचितायुधैः । प्रासासिचक्रशक्त्यृष्टिमुद्गरारणितान्तरम्
Shaped with golden craftsmanship, adorned with weapons shining like the young sun; filled with spears, swords, discs, javelins, clubs, and the clangor of battle.
एतस्मिन्न् अन्तरे सेनास् सर्वास् सङ्क्षयम् आययुः । आसीद् रणाङ्गनं शून्यम् इवाल्पोभयसैनिकम्
Meanwhile, all the armies were destroyed; the battlefield became empty, with only a few soldiers remaining on either side.
छिन्नभिन्नमृतध्वस्तयातविद्रुतमानवम् । पतच्छवमहाराशिपङ्कस्रवदसृक्सरित्
Broken, shattered, dead, ruined, scattered and fleeing men; heaps of fallen corpses, mud flowing with rivers of blood.
वहद्रक्तनदीरंहःप्रोह्यमानशवोत्करम् । भुसुण्डीशक्तिकुन्तासिस्थूलपाषाणसङ्कुलम्
Carrying the burden of a river of blood, heaps of corpses being swept away; crowded with arrows, spears, swords, and large stones.
शूरशस्त्राहतिच्छिन्नकबन्धपतनान्वितम् । तालताण्डविवेतालकुलारब्धकलारवम्
The field was strewn with headless trunks, severed by the blows of heroic weapons, and resounded with the clamor of Vetala hordes, like the wild dance of palm trees.
शून्ये रणाङ्गने दीप्तौ पद्मसिन्धुरथौ चलौ । अदृश्येतां नभश्चिह्नौ चन्द्रसूर्यौ दिवीव तौ
In the empty, blazing battlefield, the two—like the sun and moon in the sky—were seen moving upon their lotus-red chariots, shining as celestial signs.
चक्रशूलभुसुण्डर्ष्टिप्रासायुधसमाकुलौ । सहस्रेण सहस्रेण वीराणां परिवारितौ
Surrounded on all sides by thousands upon thousands of warriors, they were equipped with discus, spear, club, dart, and other weapons.
विचरन्तौ यथाकामं मण्डले विततावनौ । सचीत्कारमहाचक्रपिष्टानेकमृतामृतौ
They roamed as they pleased across the wide expanse of the field, amid the cries of warriors and the grinding of great wheels, amidst the slain and the survivors.
तरन्तौ रक्तसरितो मत्तवारणलीलया । केशशेवलसञ्छन्नचक्ररक्तजलार्द्रकौ
They crossed rivers of blood with the playful ease of intoxicated elephants, their wheels soaked with red water and covered with clinging hair and entrails.
वहच्चक्राहतिक्षोभपातिताकुलवारणौ । मणिमुक्ताझणत्काररणत्कूवरकोटरौ
Their chariots, shaking and toppling maddened elephants by the force of their wheels, echoed with the jingling of gems and the clatter of ornamented yokes.
वाताहतपताकाग्रपटत्पटपटारवौ । अनुयातौ महावीरैर् भूरिभिर् भीतसैनिकैः
The flapping of their banners, struck by the wind, made a loud rattling sound, as they were followed by many great heroes and countless frightened soldiers.
भारान् दधद्भिः कुन्तानां शराणां धनुषाम् अपि । शक्तीनां प्रासशङ्कूनां चक्राणां कचतां रुचा
They bore heavy loads of spears, arrows, bows, lances, darts, spikes, and the shining brilliance of whirling discs.
तत्र तौ क्षणम् आवृत्य मण्डलैर् भूरिमण्डलैः । उभौ व्यतिबभूवाते संमुखाव् आयुधाम्बुदौ
There, for a moment, the two, surrounded by vast circles, stood face to face like clouds of weapons, each confronting the other.
नाराचधारानिकरविक्षेपकरकाघनौ । अन्योऽन्यम् अभिगर्जन्तौ मत्ताब्धिजलदाव् इव
With hands thick from hurling volleys of arrows, each roared at the other like maddened, stormy clouds.
तयोः प्रहरतोर् बाणान् वसुधा नरसिंहयोः । पाषाणमुसुलाकारा व्योमविस्तारिणो ऽभवन्
As those two lion-like warriors fought, their arrows became like stones and maces, spreading wide through the sky.
करवालफलाः केचिन् मुद्गराननकाः परे । शितचक्रमुखाः केचित् केचित् परशुवक्त्रकाः
Some were shaped like sword-blades, others like hammers and clubs; some had sharp disc-edges, and some had axe-like mouths.
केचिच् छक्तिमुखा बाणाः केचित् क्षुरमुखा अपि । केचित् कुन्तोग्रफलका अर्धचन्द्रमुखास् तथा
Some arrows had spear-points, some were razor-edged; some were shaped like the tip of a lance, and others like half-moons.
सिंहोपलमुखाः केचित् केचिच् छूलशिखामुखाः । त्रिशूलवदनाः केचित् स्थूला इव महाशिलाः
Some had lion-faced heads, some bore trident-tips; others had three-pronged faces, massive as great stones.
प्रलयपवनपातिताः शिलौघा इव विचरन्ति शिलीमुखास् तदा स्म । प्रमिलितम् अभवत् तयोस् तदानीं प्रलयविजृम्भितसिन्धुसंभ्रमेण
The stone-headed arrows flew about like showers of rocks driven by doomsday winds; and in that moment, all was confusion, as if the tumult of the end-time ocean had arisen between them.
प्राप्य राजा पुरः प्राप्तं सिन्धुम् उद्धुरकन्धरम् । मध्याह्नतपनाभेन कोपेन विततो ऽभवत्
The king, arriving before the ocean whose waves rose high, became spread out with wrath, blazing like the midday sun.
धनुर् आस्फालयाम् आस परिरावितदिङ्मुखम् । कल्पान्तपवनास्फोट इवामरगिरेस् तटम्
He drew his bow, making all directions resound, like the thunderous blast of the world-ending wind striking the slopes of the gods’ mountain.
विससर्जोर्जितो राजा प्रातर् अर्कः करान् इव । तूणीररजनीबद्धाश् शिलीमुखपरम्पराः
The mighty king released volleys of arrows, strung in his quiver like the morning sun sends forth its rays.
एक एव विनिर्याति गुणात् तस्य शरो महान् । सहस्रं पतति व्योम्नि गच्छन् पतति लक्षशः
From his bowstring, a single great arrow would emerge, but as it flew, thousands and hundreds of thousands fell through the sky.
सिन्धोर् अपि तथैवासीच् छक्तिर् लाघवम् एव च । रवेर् आननसाम्यं वै विष्णोर् धानुष्कता तयोः
The ocean’s force and swiftness were his, the radiance of the sun’s face, and the might of Vishnu’s bow belonged to them both.
मुसुला नाम ते बाणा मुसुलाकृतयो ऽम्बरम् । छादयाम् आसुर् उन्नादाः कल्पान्तगिरयो यथा
His arrows were called Musulā, shaped like clubs; with their roar, they covered the sky as if they were mountains at the end of an age.
रेजुः कनकनाराचराजयो व्योम्नि तस्य ताः । शरव्याः कल्पवातार्ताः पतन्त्य इव तारकाः
Those golden-tipped arrows of his flashed in the sky, scattered by the storm of missiles, like stars falling in distress at the world’s end.