05154004c dIkSitaJM cirarAtrAya zrutvA rAjA yudhiSThiraH was installed, till his removal by death, in the command of the kuru army on the eve of the great sacrifice of battle, terrific in its mien and capable of making one's hairs stand on their ends,
05154005a kim abravIn mahAbAhusH sarvadharmavizAradaH what did that mighty-armed son of pANDu, that foremost of wielders of weapons, say?
05154005c bhImasenArjunau vApi kRSNo vA pratyapadyata What also did bhIma and arjuna say? And what too did kRSNa say?'
05154006 vaizamMpAyana uvAca 'vaizaMpAyana said,
05154006a ApaddharmArthakuzalo mahAbuddhir yudhiSThiraH 'When news was received of this, yudhiSThira endued with great intelligence and well-acquainted with what should be done in view of dangers and calamities
05154006c sarvAn bhrAtRRn samAnIya vAsudevaJM ca sAtvatam summoned all his brothers and also the eternal vAsudeva (to his presence).
05154006e uvAca vadatAM zreSThasH sAntvapUrvam idaM vacaH And that foremost of speakers then said in a mild voice,
05154007a paryAkrAmata sainyAni yattAs tiSThata daMzitAH 'Make your rounds among the soldiers, and remain carefully, casing yourselves in mail.
05154007c pitAmahena vo yuddhamM pUrvam eva bhaviSyati Our first encounter will be with our grandsire.
05154007e tasmAt saptasu senAsu praNetRRn mama pazyata Look ye for (seven) leaders for the seven Akshauhinis of my troops.'
05154008 vAsudeva uvAca 'kRSNa said,
05154008a yathArhati bhavAn vaktum asmin kAla upasthite 'Those words of grave import, which, O bull of the bharata race, it behoveth thee to utter on an occasion like this,
05154008c tathedam arthavad vAkyam uktanM te bharatarSabha have, indeed, been uttered by thee.
05154009a rocate me mahAbAho kriyatAM yad anantaram Even this, O mighty armed one, is what I also like. Let therefore, that be done which should be done next.
05154009c nAyakAs tava senAyAm abhiSicyantu sapta vai Let, indeed, seven leaders be selected for thy army.'
05154010 vaizamMpAyana uvAca 'vaizaMpAyana continued, 'Summoning then those warriors eager for battle, viz.,
05154010a tato drupadam AnAyya virATaM zinipuGMgavam drupada and virATa, and that bull of Sini's race,
05154010c dhRSTadyumnaJM ca pAJcAlyanM dhRSTaketuJM ca pArthivam and dhRSTadyumna the prince of pAJcala, and king dhRSTaketu,
05154010e zikhaNDinaJM ca pAJcAlyaM sahadevaJM ca mAgadham and prince Shikhandi of pAJcala, and sahadeva, the ruler of the magadhas,
05154011a etAn sapta maheSvAsAn vIrAn yuddhAbhinandinaH
05154011c senApraNetRRn vidhivad abhyaSiJcad yudhiSThiraH yudhiSThira duly appointed them in the command of his seven divisions.
05154012a sarvasenApatiJM cAtra dhRSTadyumnam upAdizat And above them all was placed in command of all the troops that dhRSTadyumna
05154012c droNAntahetor utpanno ya iddhAj jAtavedasaH who had sprung from the blazing (sacrificial) fire for the destruction of droNa.
05154013a sarveSAm eva teSAnM tu samastAnAmM mahAtmanAm
05154013c senApatipatiJM cakre guDAkezanM dhanaJMjayam And dhanaJjaya, of curly hair, was made the leader of all those high-souled leaders.
05154014a arjunasyApi netA ca saMyantA caiva vAjinAm And, as the guide of arjuna and the driver of his steeds,
05154014c saGMkarSaNAnujazH zrImAn mahAbuddhir janArdanaH the younger brother of saGkarSana, handsome janArdana endued with great intelligence, was chosen.
05154015a tad dRSTvopasthitaM yuddhaM samAsannamM mahAtyayam 'And beholding that a very destructive battle was about to take place,
05154015c prAvizad bhavanaM rAjJaH pANDavasya halAyudhaH there came, O king, into the pANDava encampment, Halayudha,
05154016a sahAkrUraprabhRtibhir gadasAmbolmukAdibhiH accompanied by Akrura, and Gada and Samva, and Uddhava,
05154016c raukmiNeyAhukasutaiz cArudeSNapurogamaiH and Rukmini's son (pradyumna), and Ahuka's sons, and Charudeshna, and others.
05154017a vRSNimukhyair abhigatair vyAghrair iva balotkaTaiH And surrounded and guarded by those foremost warriors of the vRSNi race, resembling a herd of mighty tigers,
05154017c abhigupto mahAbAhur marudbhir iva vAsavaH like vAsava in the midst of the maruts,
05154018a nIlakauzeyavasanaH kailAsazikharopamaH the mighty-armed and handsome rAma, attired in garments of blue silk and resembling the peak of the kailasa mountain,
05154018c siMhakhelagatizH zrImAn madaraktAntalocanaH and endued with the sportive gait of the lion and possessed of eyes having their ends reddened with drink, came there (at such a time).
05154019a tanM dRSTvA dharmarAjaz ca kezavaz ca mahAdyutiH And beholding him, king yudhiSThira the Just, and kezava of great effulgence,
05154019c udatiSThat tadA pArtho bhImakarmA vRkodaraH and pRthA's son vRkodara of terrible deeds,
05154020a gANDIvadhanvA ye cAnye rAjAnas tatra ke cana and (arjuna) the wielder of gANDIva, and all the other kings that were, rose from their seats.
05154020c pUjayAJMcakrur abhyetya te sma sarve halAyudham And they all offered worship unto Halayudha as he came to that place.
05154021a tatas tamM pANDavo rAjA kare pasparza pANinA And the pANDava king touched rAma's hands with his own.
05154021c vAsudevapurogAs tu sarva evAbhyavAdayan And that chastiser of foes, Halayudha, in return, accosting them all with vAsudeva at their head,
05154022a virATadrupadau vRddhAv abhivAdya halAyudhaH and saluting (respectfully) both virATa and drupada who were senior in years,
05154022c yudhiSThireNa sahita upAvizad arinMdamaH sat down on the same seat with yudhiSThira.
05154023a tatas teSUpaviSTeSu pArthiveSu samantataH And after all the kings had taken their seats,
05154023c vAsudevam abhiprekSya rauhiNeyo 'bhyabhASata Rohini's son, casting his eyes on vAsudeva, began to speak.
05154024a bhavitAyamM mahAraudro dAruNaH puruSakSayaH And he said, 'This fierce and terrible slaughter is inevitable.
05154024c diSTam etad dhruvamM manye na zakyam ativartitum It is, without doubt, a decree of fate, and I think that it cannot be averted.
05154025a asmAd yuddhAt samuttIrNAn api vasH sasuhRjjanAn Let me hope, however, to behold all of you, with your friends, come safely out of this strife,
05154025c arogAn akSatair dehaiH pazyeyam iti me matiH with sound bodies and perfectly hale.
05154026a sametamM pArthivaGM kSatraGM kAlapakvam asaMzayam Without doubt, all the kSatriyas of the world that are assembled together have their hour come.
05154026c vimardasH sumahAn bhAvI mAMsazoNitakardamaH A fierce melee covering with a mire of flesh and blood is sure to take place.
05154027a ukto mayA vAsudevaH punaH punar upahvare I said unto vAsudeva repeatedly in private,
05154027c samMbandhiSu samAM vRttiM vartasva madhusUdana 'O slayer of madhu, unto those that bear equal relationship to us, observe thou an equal behaviour.
05154028a pANDavA hi yathAsmAkanM tathA duryodhano nRpaH As are the pANDavas to us, even so is king duryodhana.
05154028c tasyApi kriyatAM yuktyA saparyeti punaH punaH Therefore, give him also the same aid. Indeed, he repeatedly soliciteth it.
05154029a tac ca me nAkarod vAkyanM tvadarthe madhusUdanaH For thy sake, however, the slayer of madhu regarded not my words.
05154029c niviSTasH sarvabhAvena dhanaJMjayam avekSya ca Looking at dhanaJjaya, he hath with his whole heart, been devoted to your cause.
05154030a dhruvo jayaH pANDavAnAm iti me nizcitA matiH Even this is what I certainly think, viz., that the victory of the pANDavas is sure,
05154030c tathA hy abhinivezo 'yaM vAsudevasya bhArata for vAsudeva's wish, O bharata, is even so.
05154031a na cAham utsahe kRSNam Rte lokam udIkSitum As regards myself, I dare not cast my eyes on the world without kRSNa (on my side).
05154031c tato 'ham anuvartAmi kezavasya cikIrSitam It is for this that I follow whatever kRSNa seeketh to achieve.
05154032a ubhau ziSyau hi me vIrau gadAyuddhavizAradau Both of these heroes, well-skilled in encounter with the mace, are my disciples.
05154032c tulyasneho 'smy ato bhIme tathA duryodhane nRpe My affection, therefore, for bhIma is equal to that for king duryodhana.
05154033a tasmAd yAsyAmi tIrthAni sarasvatyA niSevitum For these reasons, I shall now repair to the tirtha of the Saraswati for ablutions,
05154033c na hi zakSyAmi kauravyAn nazyamAnAn upekSitum for I shall not be able to behold with indifference the destruction of the kauravas.
05154034a evam uktvA mahAbAhur anujJAtaz ca pANDavaiH 'Having said this, the mighty-armed rAma, obtaining the leave of the pANDavas,
05154034c tIrthayAtrAM yayau rAmo nivartya madhusUdanam and making the slayer of madhu desist (from following him farther), set out on his journey for the sacred waters.''
