Wednesday 13 May 2020

ARRANGEMENT OF THE CELESTIAL ARMY | HARIVAMSA PARVA SECTION - 44

CHAPTER XLIV

(ARRANGEMENT OF THE CELESTIAL ARMY)

war of gods and demons
VAISHAMPAYANA said: - O my child, you have thus heard of the arrangement of the Daitya army in the war between the gods and demons. Hear, now of an account of the arrangement of the army of the gods as well as that of Vishnu's army (1). The Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras and the two highly powerful Aswinis took charge of their respective soldiers and attendants. The commander of the whole celestial army, the thousand-eyed Patriarch Pākashāna sat on his elephant Airavata in front (of the army). On his left was kept in readiness a car, quick coursing like Garuda, with beautiful wheels and adorned with gold and diamonds (2-4). Thousands of gods and Gandharvas and Yakshas followed him. And the effulgent Brāhmana saints, members of his court, began to chant his glories (5). Protected by Valāhakas, carrying weapons, accompanied by lightning produced by the hurling of Indra's thunder-bolt and resembling mountains moving about at will, the Divine Maghavān began to proceed on his elephant. The Vipras, who live at a place where Havi is kept in Soma's sacrifice, sing his glories (6-7). When the king of gods repaired to the celestial region bugles were sounded. Thousands of Apsarās began to dance before him (8). As the sun shines, protected by Ketu, born in his own family so that chariot, protected by Mātali, [1] appeared beautiful. That car, drawn by a thousand horses, was fleet like the mind or the air. It appeared as if the mount Meru was enveloped with the rays of the sun (9-10). Raising up his rod and mace and terrifying the Daityas Yama stood in the midst of the celestial army (11). Varuna, with the mace in his hand, also stood there in the midst of the army of gods. He was surrounded by four oceans and Pannagas. His person was full of water and he was adorned with conch, jems and Angadas. [2] He always used to roam with the noose of Kāla in his hand. He made thousands of sports with the horses resembling the rays of the moon and waves agitated by the wind. His raiment was black and he put on beautiful Angadas made of corals. His person had the hue of sapphire and a necklace hung round his neck. He stood there in expectation of the battle as the ocean becomes agitated when it is separated from its bank (12-15). Kuvera, having a body dark-blue like sapphire, and men to carry him, was seen there along with the Yakshas, Rākshasas and Guhyakas (16). That lord of riches, that king of kings, was armed with conch, Padma [3] and a club (17). That graceful king of riches [4] was stationed in his car Pushpaka. That king of kings, that friend of Siva, that lord having men to carry him, appeared there for battle like the very Siva himself (18).

[1] The charioteer of lndra

[2] A kind of ornament for the Arms.

[3] One of Kuvera's treasures or jems.

[4 ] The word in the text is Nidhipati a name of Kuvera. Nidhi means divine treasures nine of which are enumerated, vis. the Padma, Mahapadma, Sankha, Makara, Kachchpa, Mukunda, Nanda, Nila and Kharba: their nature is not exactly defined though some of them appear to be precious jems; according to the Tankrik system, they are personified and worshipped as demigods, attendant either upon Kuvera or upon Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.

The thousand-eyed Indra protected the eastern wing of the celestial army. Yama, the king of the ancestral manes, protected the southern wing, Varuna, the western wing and Kuvera the northern wing (19). The four Regents of the quarters, dreadful in battle, protected the four sides of the celestial army and kept a vigilant watch over their respective quarters (20). The sun shone there burning in his own effulgent rays, on his car, drawn by seven horses that course in the welkin (21). Shinning in his own effulgence of thousand rays, and ascending the car in which he, conferring heat on all the eternal regions, goes to the rising and setting mountains, the Dvadashātma [5] lord of rays began to move about an the midst of the celestials (22-23). Delighting the universe with his cool and watery rays, the moon, of cool rays, shone on his car drawn by white horses (24). The Dānavas saw, in the battle-field, Soma, of cool rays who is the presiding deity of the Brāhmanas, is encircled by the stars, whose body is marked by the shadow of the earth, who dispells the nocturnal darkness, who is the lord of all luminous bodies in the sky, who is the source of all the juices, who is the lord and protector of all the plants, who is the source of nectar, who is the first source of food to the world, who is identical with gentle and cool juice and who distributes dews (25-27). Being excited by his own energy and joined by the cloud Vāyu, the life of all creatures, began to blow there in contrary directions and assail the Daityas. He is the life of all creatures and lives in man as five vital airs; and being divided into seven it is sustaining the three worlds consisting of mobile and immobile creations. People call him the charioteer of fire and he is the cause and lord of all. The source of his origin is the seven musical notes which are used in singing. He is called the most excellent element and is bodiless. He courses in the sky, goes very quickly and has sound for his origin (28-31).

[5] An appellation of the sun. Dwadasha, twelve and Atmara means identity; being represented in and identified with the twelve Adityas or the sun in each month of the year.

The Maruts, accompanied by the Devas, Gandharvas and Vidyadharas, began to sport there with unsheathed swords white as the serpents (32). Pouring, in anger, deadly venom the leading serpents became as it were the arrows of the gods, and began, with their mouths open, to range in the sky (33). All the mountains appeared before the gods to grind the Dānavas with their rocky summits and with trees consisting of hundreds of branches (34). The highly illustrious and intelligent lord Hari, the holder of discus and mace, who is the lotus-navelled Hrishikesha of three foot-steps, who is highly effulgent like the fire of dissolution, who is the master of the universe, who is Madhusudana, born from the ocean, who feeds on Havya and is honored by sacrifices, who is identical with earth, water and ether, who is at one with the elements, who gives peace and equanimity of mind, who destroys his enemies, who is the source and seed of the universe, who is the preceptor of the world and who has the emblem of Garuda on his flag, took up, in the midst of the celestial army, his enemy-killing discus, effulgent like the rising fire in the rising solar disc, the maces Vrihati and Mahati, that kill all the Asuras, in his left hand, the bow Saranga and other burning weapons in his remaining hands. The Lord Hari rode that huge-bodied younger brother of Aruna, the foremost of birds, Suparna, who was the best of the twice born living on serpents, who was the son of Kashyapa, who was superior even to the wind in fleetness, who used to agitate the sky, who had big serpents hanging from his mouth, who was huge like the mount Mandara that was set free after the churning of the ocean for ambrosia, who displayed his prowess hundreds of times in the encounter between the gods and demons, whose body was marked with thunder-bolt by the king of gods for ambrosia, who had tufts of down, who was adorned with shinning ear-rings, who had a raiment of variegated feathers, who was huge like a mountain consisting of metals and who had on his spacious breast serpents of moon-like lustre shinning with brilliant jems. He remained easily in the sky with his two beautifully painted wings like two clouds with rain-bow at the time of the universal dissolution. He was dreadful in the enemy's camp adorned with red, dark and yellow flags. The gods followed him in battle. The great ascetics sang the glories of Gadādhara with excellent hymns (35-48). Assisted by Kuvera, headed by Vivaswan's son Yama, encircled by Varuna the king of water, presided over by the king of gods, beautified by the rays of the moon, strengthened by the war-like gods, accompanied by the sounds of the wind, rendered brilliant by fire, and enveloped with Jishnu, Prahishnu, Bhrājishnu, and Vishnu energies the celestial army stood wonderfully for the battle. Angiras prayed for the well-being of the gods and Sukra, the preceptor of the Daityas, prayed for their well-being (49-52).

Source: https://archive.org/details/AProseEnglishTranslationOfHarivamsh

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அக்ரூரன் அக்னி அங்கிரஸ் அசமஞ்சன் அதிதி அதிரதன் அநிருத்தன் அந்தகன் அரிஷ்டன் அருந்ததி அர்ஜுனன் அனு அஜபார்ஷன் அஜமீடன் அஸ்தி ஆபவர் ஆயு ஆரியா தேவி ஆஹுகன் இந்திரன் இளை உக்ரசேனன் உக்ராயுதன் உசீநரன் உதங்கர் உத்தவர் உபரிசரவசு உமை உல்பணன் உஷை ஊர்வசி ஊர்வர் ஏகலவ்யன் ஔர்வர் கக்ஷேயு கங்கை கசியபர் கண்டரீகர் கண்டாகர்ணன் கண்டூகன் கதன் கபிலர் கமலாதேவி கம்ஸன் கருடன் கர்க்கர் கர்ணன் காதி காந்திதேவி கார்த்தவீர்யார்ஜுனன் காலநேமி காலயவனன் காலவர் காளியன் கிருஷ்ணன் குசிகன் குணகன் குணவதி கும்பாண்டன் குரோஷ்டு குவலயாபீடம் குவலாஷ்வன் கூனி கைசிகன் கைடபன் கோடவி சகடாசுரன் சக்ரதேவன் சங்கன் சததன்வன் சத்யகர்ணன் சத்யகர்மன் சத்யபாமா சத்ருக்னன் சத்வதன் சந்தனு சந்திரவதி சந்திரன் சம்பரன் சரஸ்வதி சனத்குமாரர் சன்னதி சாணூரன் சாத்யகி சாந்தீபனி சாம்பன் சால்வன் சிசுபாலன் சித்திரலேகை சித்திராங்கதன் சிருகாலன் சிவன் சுக்ரன் சுசீமுகி சுநாபன் சுனீதன் சூரன் சூரியன் சைசிராயணர் சௌதி டிம்பகன் தக்ஷன் தசரதன் தந்தவக்ரன் தமகோஷன் தரதன் தன்வந்தரி தாரை திதி திதிக்ஷு திரிசங்கு திரிவிக்ரை திருமிலன் திரையாருணன் திலீபன் திவோதாஸன் துந்து துந்துமாரன் துருவன் துர்வாசர் துஷ்யந்தன் தூம்ரவர்ணன் தேவகன் தேவகி தேவாவ்ருதன் தேனுகன் நந்தன் நந்தி நரகாசுரன் நரசிம்மன் நஹுஷன் நாரதர் நாராயணன் நாராயணி நிகும்பன் நிசுந்தன் நித்ராதேவி நீபன் பஞ்சஜனன் பத்மாவதி பத்ரன் பப்ரு பயோதன் பரசுராமர் பரதன் பரத்வாஜர் பலராமன் பலி பாணன் பார்வதி பானு பானுமதி பிரதீபன் பிரத்யும்னன் பிரபாவதி பிரமர்த்தனன் பிரம்மதத்தன் பிரம்மன் பிரலம்பன் பிரவரன் பிரஸேனன் பிரஹலாதன் பிராசேதஸ் பிராப்தி பிருது பிருதை பிருஹதாஷ்வன் பிருஹஸ்பதி பீஷ்மகன் பீஷ்மர் புதன் புரூரவன் பூதனை பூமாதேவி பூரு பூஜனி பௌண்டரகன் மதிராதேவி மது மதுமதி மயன் மனு மஹாமாத்ரன் மாயாதேவி மாயாவதி மார்க்கண்டேயர் மித்ரஸஹர் முசுகுந்தன் முரு முருகன் முஷ்டிகன் யசோதை யது யயாதி யுதிஷ்டிரன் ரஜி ராமன் ருக்மவதி ருக்மி ருக்மிணி ரேவதி ரைவதன் ரோஹிணி லவணன் வசிஷ்டர் வராகம் வருணன் வஜ்ரநாபன் வஸு வஸுதேவன் வாமனன் வாயு விகத்ரு விசக்ரன் விதர்ப்பன் விப்ராஜன் விப்ருது வியாசர் விரஜை விருஷ்ணி விஷ்ணு விஷ்வாசி விஷ்வாமித்ரர் விஷ்வாவஸு விஸ்வகர்மன் வேனன் வைசம்பாயனர் வைவஸ்வத மனு ஜயந்தன் ஜராசந்தன் ஜனமேஜயன் ஜனார்த்தனன் ஜஹ்னு ஜாம்பவான் ஜியாமோகன் ஜ்வரம் ஸகரன் ஸத்யபாமா ஸத்யவிரதன் ஸத்ராஜித் ஸத்வான் ஸஹஸ்ரதன் ஸ்ரீதாமன் ஸ்ரீதேவ ஸ்வேதகர்ணன் ஹம்சன் ஹயக்ரீவன் ஹரி ஹரியஷ்வன் ஹரிஷ்சந்திரன் ஹிரண்யகசிபு ஹிரண்யாக்ஷன்