01217001a tau rathAbhyAnM naravyAghrau dAvasyobhayatasH sthitau
01217001c dikSu sarvAsu bhUtAnAJM cakrAte kadanamM mahat 'vaizaMpAyana said, 'Then those foremost of car-warriors (kRSNa and arjuna), riding in their cars and placing themselves on opposite sides of that forest, began a great slaughter, on all sides, of the creatures dwelling in Khandava.
01217002a yatra yatra hi dRzyante prANinaH khANDavAlayAH
01217002c palAyantas tatra tatra tau vIrau paryadhAvatAm At whatever point any of the creatures residing in Khandava could be seen attempting to escape, thither rushed those mighty heroes (to prevent its flight).
01217003a chidraM hi na prapazyanti rathayor AzuvikramAt Indeed those two excellent cars seemed to be but one,
01217003c AviddhAv iva dRzyete rathinau tau rathottamau and the two warriors also therein but one individual.
01217004a khANDave dahyamAne tu bhUtAny atha sahasrazaH And while the forest was burning, hundreds and thousands of living creatures,
01217004c utpetur bhairavAn nAdAn vinadanto dizo daza uttering frightful yells, began to run about in all directions.
01217005a dagdhaikadezA bahavo niSTaptAz ca tathApare Some had particular limbs burnt, some were scorched with excessive heat,
01217005c sphuTitAkSA vizIrNAz ca viplutAz ca vicetasaH and some came out, and some ran about from fear.
01217006a samAliGgya sutAn anye pitRRn mAtRRMs tathApare And some clasping their children and some their parents and brothers,
01217006c tyaktunM na zekusH snehena tathaiva nidhanaGM gatAH died calmly without, from excess of affection, being able to abandon these that were dear to them.
01217007c tatra tatra vighUrNantaH punar agnau prapedire And many there were who biting their nether lips rose upwards and soon fell whirling into the blazing element below.
01217008a dagdhapakSAkSicaraNA viceSTanto mahItale And some were seen to roll on the ground with wings, eyes, and feet scorched and burnt.
01217008c tatra tatra sma dRzyante vinazyantazH zarIriNaH These creatures were all seen to perish there almost soon enough.
01217009a jalasthAneSu sarveSu kvAthyamAneSu bhArata The tanks and ponds within that forest, heated by the fire around, began to boil;
01217009c gatasattvAsH sma dRzyante kUrmamatsyAsH sahasrazaH the fishes and the tortoises in them were all seen to perish.
01217010a zarIraisH samMpradIptaiz ca dehavanta ivAgnayaH
01217010c adRzyanta vane tasmin prANinaH prANasaMkSaye During that great slaughter of living creatures in that forest, the burning bodies of various animals looked like incarnations of Fire.
01217011c dIpyamAne tataH prAsyat prahasan kRSNavartmani The birds that took wings to escape from that conflagration were pierced by arjuna with his shafts, and cut into pieces, they fell down into the burning element below.
01217012a te zarAcitasarvAGgA vinadanto mahAravAn Pierced all over with arjuna's shafts, uttering loud cries,
01217012c Urdhvam utpatya vegena nipetuH pAvake punaH the birds dropped down into the burning forest.
01217013a zarair abhyAhatAnAJM ca dahyatAJM ca vanaukasAm The denizens of the forest, struck with those shafts, began to roar and yell.
01217013c virAvazH zrUyate ha sma samudrasyeva mathyataH The clamour they raised was like unto the frightful uproar heard during the churning of the ocean (in days of yore).
01217014c janayAmAsur udvegaM sumahAntanM divaukasAm The mighty flames of the blazing fire reaching the firmament, caused great anxiety to the celestials themselves.
01217015a tato jagmur mahAtmAnasH sarva eva divaukasaH
01217015c zaraNanM devarAjAnaM sahasrAkSamM puranMdaram Then all the illustrious dwellers in heaven went in a body unto him of a hundred sacrifices and thousand eyes, viz., their chief, that grinder of asuras.
01217016 devA UcuH Approaching indra, the celestials said,
01217016a kinM nv ime mAnavAsH sarve dahyante kRSNavartmanA 'Why, O lord of immortals, doth agni burn these creatures below?
01217016c kaccin na saGMkSayaH prApto lokAnAm amarezvara Hath the time come for the destruction of the world?'
01217017 vaizamMpAyana uvAca
01217017a tac chrutvA vRtrahA tebhyasH svayam evAnvavekSya ca
01217017c khANDavasya vimokSArthamM prayayau harivAhanaH 'vaizaMpAyana continued, 'Hearing these words of the gods, and himself beholding what agni was doing, the slayer of vRtra set out for the protection of the forest of Khandava.
01217018a mahatA meghajAlena nAnArUpeNa vajrabhRt
01217018c AkAzaM samavastIrya pravavarSa surezvaraH And vAsava, the chief of the celestials soon covering the sky with masses of clouds of every kind began to shower upon the burning forest.
01217019a tato 'kSamAtrA visRjan dhArAzH zatasahasrazaH
01217019c abhyavarSat sahasrAkSaH pAvakaM khANDavaM prati Those masses of clouds by hundreds and thousands, commanded by indra began to pour rain upon Khandava in showers thick as the flag-staffs of battle-cars.
01217020a asamMprAptAs tu tA dhArAs tejasA jAtavedasaH
01217020c kha eva samazuSyanta na kAz cit pAvakaGM gatAH But the showers were all dried up in the sky itself by the heat of the fire and could not, therefore, reach the fire at all!
01217021a tato namucihA kruddho bhRzam arciSmatas tadA
01217021c punar evAbhyavarSat tam ambhaH pravisRjan bahu Then the slayer of Namuchi, getting angry with agni, collected huge masses of clouds and caused them to yield a heavy downpour.
01217022a arcir dhArAbhisamMbaddhanM dhUmavidyutsamAkulam Then with the flames contending with those heavy showers, and with masses of clouds overhead,
01217022c babhUva tad vanaGM ghoraM stanayitnusaghoSavat that forest, filled with smoke and flashes of lightning, became terrible to behold.''
