Critical Edition
वासुदेव उवाच एवं स पुरुषव्याघ्र शाल्वो राज्ञां महारिपुः युध्यमानो मया संख्ये वियदभ्यागमत्पुनः
M. N. Dutt: Krishna said: O best of men, the great enemy, the king Shalva, thus encountered by me in battle, again rose in the sky.
ततः शतघ्नीश्च महागदाश्च; दीप्तांश्च शूलान्मुसलानसींश्च चिक्षेप रोषान्मयि मन्दबुद्धिः; शाल्वो महाराज जयाभिकाङ्क्षी
M. N. Dutt: O great king, thereupon eagerly desiring victory, that wicked-minded (Danava) hurled at me Shataghnis, great maces, flaming lances, big clubs and swords.
तानाशुगैरापततोऽहमाशु; निवार्य तूर्णं खगमान्ख एव द्विधा त्रिधा चाच्छिनमाशु मुक्तै;स्ततोऽन्तरिक्षे निनदो बभूव
M. N. Dutt: As the weapons came down through the sky I speedily stopped them with my swift arrows. I cut them off into two or three pieces before they could reachine. Thereupon a great uproar rose in the sky.
ततः शतसहस्रेण शराणां नतपर्वणाम् दारुकं वाजिनश्चैव रथं च समवाकिरत्
M. N. Dutt: He (Shalva) then covered Daruka, my horses and car with hundreds and thousands of straight arrow.
ततो मामब्रवीद्वीर दारुको विह्वलन्निव स्थातव्यमिति तिष्ठामि शाल्वबाणप्रपीडितः
M. N. Dutt: O hero, Daruka, who was about to faint away, spoke thus to me, “As it is my duty to stay, therefore I stay, though severely afflicted with the arrows of Shalva. But I am unable any longer to stay, my body has become weak."
Supplementary Passages:
3.22.5 After 5, K2 B Dc Dn1.n2 D4-6 ins.: *86 अवस्थातुं न शक्यामि अङ्गं मे व्यवसीदति
इति तस्य निशम्याहं सारथेः करुणं वचः अवेक्षमाणो यन्तारमपश्यं शरपीडितम्
M. N. Dutt: Hearing these piteous words of my charioteer. I looked at him and saw that my charioteer had been fearfully wounded with arrows.
न तस्योरसि नो मूर्ध्नि न काये न भुजद्वये अन्तरं पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ पश्यामि नहतं शरैः
AI Translation: I do not see any part of his body, his chest, head, body or pair of arms, which is not pierced by arrows, best of the Pandavas.
स तु बाणवरोत्पीडाद्विस्रवत्यसृगुल्बणम् अभिवृष्टो यथा मेघैर्गिरिर्गैरिकधातुमान्
AI Translation: But the arrow-wounded one was oozing blood profusely, like a mountain rich in red ochre, when it is showered upon by clouds.
अभीषुहस्तं तं दृष्ट्वा सीदन्तं सारथिं रणे अस्तम्भयं महाबाहो शाल्वबाणप्रपीडितम्
M. N. Dutt: O mighty-armed hero, seeing my charioteer thus pierced and enfeebled by the hands I cheered him.
अथ मां पुरुषः कश्चिद्द्वारकानिलयोऽब्रवीत् त्वरितो रथमभ्येत्य सौहृदादिव भारत
AI Translation: Then a certain man, who was staying in Dvārakā, said to me: "Come quickly to the chariot," he said, as if out of friendship.
आहुकस्य वचो वीर तस्यैव परिचारकः विषण्णः सन्नकण्ठो वै तन्निबोध युधिष्ठिर
AI Translation: The hero, the servant of that very one, spoke to Āhuka. He was despondent, his throat choked. Understand that, Yudhishthira.
द्वारकाधिपतिर्वीर आह त्वामाहुको वचः केशवेह विजानीष्व यत्त्वां पितृसखोऽब्रवीत्
M. N. Dutt: (He said), "O hero, the king of Dvarka, Ahuka, has said this to you. “O Keshava, hear what your father's friend has said.
उपयात्वाद्य शाल्वेन द्वारकां वृष्णिनन्दन विषक्ते त्वयि दुर्धर्ष हतः शूरसुतो बलात्
M. N. Dutt: O descendant of Vrishni race, O irrepressible hero, Shalva came to Dvarka in your absence and by main force he has killed the son of Sura (Vasudeva, Krishna's father).
तदलं साधु युद्धेन निवर्तस्व जनार्दन द्वारकामेव रक्षस्व कार्यमेतन्महत्तव
M. N. Dutt: O Janardana, therefore there is no need of fighting here. Cease fighting and defend Dvarka. This is (now) your principal duty.”
इत्यहं तस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा परमदुर्मनाः निश्चयं नाधिगच्छामि कर्तव्यस्येतरस्य वा
M. N. Dutt: Having heard his words, my heart became heavy and I could not ascertain what I should do and what I should not.
सात्यकिं बलदेवं च प्रद्युम्नं च महारथम् जगर्हे मनसा वीर तच्छ्रुत्वा विप्रियं वचः
M. N. Dutt: O hero, having heard of this great evil, I mentally censured Satyaki, Baladeva and also the great car-warrior Pradyumna.
अहं हि द्वारकायाश्च पितुश्च कुरुनन्दन तेषु रक्षां समाधाय प्रयातः सौभपातने
M. N. Dutt: O descendant of Kuru, having reposed on them the duty of protecting Dvarka and my father, I had come to the destruction of Saubha.
बलदेवो महाबाहुः कच्चिज्जीवति शत्रुहा सात्यकी रौक्मिणेयश्च चारुदेष्णश्च वीर्यवान् साम्बप्रभृतयश्चैवेत्यहमासं सुदुर्मनाः
AI Translation: "O son of Kunti, I was very sad, thinking: ""Is the mighty Balarāma, the slayer of enemies, alive?"" ""Are Satyaki, Ruchirā's son, and the valorous Charudeshna alive?"" ""Are Samb
एतेषु हि नरव्याघ्र जीवत्सु न कथंचन शक्यः शूरसुतो हन्तुमपि वज्रभृता स्वयम्
AI Translation: For as long as these tigers among men are alive, it is impossible for the son of Shura to be killed, even by the wielder of the thunderbolt himself.
हतः शूरसुतो व्यक्तं व्यक्तं ते च परासवः बलदेवमुखाः सर्वे इति मे निश्चिता मतिः
AI Translation: It is clear that the son of Shura has been killed, and it is clear that you and your allies have been defeated. It is my firm belief that all of them, headed by Balarama, have been defeated.
सोऽहं सर्वविनाशं तं चिन्तयानो मुहुर्मुहुः सुविह्वलो महाराज पुनः शाल्वमयोधयम्
AI Translation: Thinking again and again of that destruction of all, I was greatly distressed, O great king, and fought with Shala.
ततोऽपश्यं महाराज प्रपतन्तमहं तदा सौभाच्छूरसुतं वीर ततो मां मोह आविशत्
M. N. Dutt: O great king, O hero, I now saw the son of Sura (my father) himself falling from the Saubha (car). At this sight I fainted away.
तस्य रूपं प्रपततः पितुर्मम नराधिप ययातेः क्षीणपुण्यस्य स्वर्गादिव महीतलम्
M. N. Dutt: O ruler of men, my father appeared like Yayati when he (that king) losing all his virtues fell down towards earth from heaven.
विशीर्णगलितोष्णीषः प्रकीर्णाम्बरमूर्धजः प्रपतन्दृश्यते ह स्म क्षीणपुण्य इव ग्रहः
M. N. Dutt: I saw my father falling like a luminary whose merit is lost, his headgear pale and loosely flowing his hair and dress disordered.
ततः शार्ङ्गं धनुःश्रेष्ठं करात्प्रपतितं मम मोहात्सन्नश्च कौन्तेय रथोपस्थ उपाविशम्
M. N. Dutt: O son of Kunti, thereupon my Saranga bow fell from my hand; I fainted away and sat down on the side of the car.
ततो हाहाकृतं सर्वं सैन्यं मे गतचेतनम् मां दृष्ट्वा रथनीडस्थं गतासुमिव भारत
M. N. Dutt: O descendant of the Bharata race, seeing me in a swoon on the car and one like dead, my soldiers all exclaimed, “Oh” and “Alas!”
प्रसार्य बाहू पततः प्रसार्य चरणावपि रूपं पितुरपश्यं तच्छकुनेः पततो यथा
M. N. Dutt: My father with out-stretched arms and legs appeared like a bird dropping from the sky.
तं पतन्तं महाबाहो शूलपट्टिशपाणयः अभिघ्नन्तो भृशं वीरा मम चेतो व्यकम्पयन्
M. N. Dutt: O mighty-armed hero, when he was thus falling, the hostile warriors with lances and axes in their hands began to strike him grievously. At this my heart trembled.
ततो मुहूर्तात्प्रतिलभ्य संज्ञा;महं तदा वीर महाविमर्दे न तत्र सौभं न रिपुं न शाल्वं; पश्यामि वृद्धं पितरं न चापि
M. N. Dutt: O hero, regaining my consciousness soon after, I did not find them in that great battle either the (car) Saubha or the enemy Shalva or my old father.
ततो ममासीन्मनसि मायेयमिति निश्चितम् प्रबुद्धोऽस्मि ततो भूयः शतशो विकिरञ्शरान्
M. N. Dutt: I then concluded in my mind that it was nothing but illusion. Thereupon regaining my senses, I again began to discharge hundreds of arrows.