18. CONVERSATION BETWEEN PRADYUMNA AND HIS CHARIOTEER

SRIMAD MAHABHARATA > AARANYA PARVA > ARJUNAABHIGAMANA PARVA > CHAPTER 18 - CONVERSATION BETWEEN PRADYUMNA AND HIS CHARIOTEER

“Vaasudeva continued, ‘Thus addressed, the son of Soota replied quickly to Pradyumna, that foremost of all filled with strength, in these sweet words, ‘O son of Rukmini, I fear not to guide the horses on the battlefield, and also I am familiar with the customs of the Vrishnis in war! It is not otherwise in the least! But, O you blessed with length of days, those that guide the chariot are taught that the warrior on the chariot is, by all means, to be protected by his charioteer! You were also much pained! You were much wounded by the arrows shot by Shaalwa. You were also deprived of your senses, O hero! It is therefore that I retired from the field. But, O chief of the Satwatas (Pradyumna), now that you have regained your senses without much trouble, you do, O son of Keshava, witness my skill in guiding the horses! I have been fathered by Daruka, and I have been duly trained! I will now penetrate into the celebrated array of Shaalwa without fear!’

“Vaasudeva continued, ‘Saying this, O hero (Yudhishthira), the charioteer, pulling the reins, began to lead the horses with speed towards the battlefield. O king (Yudhishthira), struck with the whip and pulled by the reins those excellent horses seemed to be flying in the air, performing various beautiful motion, sometimes circular, sometimes similar, now dissimilar, now to the right, now to the left. O king (Yudhishthira), those horses understanding as it were the intention of Daruka’s son endued with such lightness of hand, burned with energy, and seemed to go without touching the ground with their feet! That bull among men wheeled round Shaalwa’s army so easily that they who witnessed it wondered exceedingly.

“The lord of Saubha (Shaalwa), unable to bear that movement of Pradyumna, instantly sent three arrows at the charioteer of his antagonist (Pradyumna)! The charioteer, however, without taking any note of the force of those arrows, continued to go along the right. Then the lord of Saubha (Shaalwa), O hero (Yudhishthira), again discharged at my son by Rukmini (Pradyumna), a shower of various kinds of weapons! But that slayer of hostile heroes, the son of Rukmini (Pradyumna), showing with a smile his lightness of hand, cut all those weapons off as they reached him. Finding his arrows cut by Pradyumna, the lord of Saubha (Shaalwa), having recourse to the dreadful illusion (Maayaa in Sanskrit) natural to Asuras began to pour a thick shower of arrows.

“But cutting into pieces those powerful Daitya weapons shot at him in mid-career by means of his Brahmaastra, Pradyumna removed winged arrows of other kings. These (weapons) delighting in blood, removing off the weapons of Daitya, pierced his head, chest and face. At those wounds, Shaalwa fell down senseless. On the mean-minded Shaalwa falling down, pained with Pradyumna’s arrows, the son of Rukmini (Pradyumna) aimed another arrow at him, capable of destroying every enemy. Seeing that arrow worshipped by all the Dashaarhas, flaming like fire and fatal as a poisonous snake, fixed on the bow-string, the sky was filled with exclamations of ‘Oh!’ and ‘Alas!’

“Then all Devas with (Lord) Indra and the lord of treasures (Kubera) at their head sent Naarada and Vaayu filled with the speed of the mind. These two approaching the son of Rukmini (Pradyumna) delivered to him the message of Devas, saying, ‘O hero (Pradyumna), king Shaalwa is not to be slain by you! You do draw back the arrow. He is unslayable by you in fight! There breathes no a person who cannot be killed by that arrow! O you of mighty arms, the Creator (Dhaatraa in Sanskrit) has ordained his death at the hands of (Sri) Krishna, the son of Devaki! Let this be not falsified!’ Immediately with a glad heart, Pradyumna withdrew that best of arrows from his excellent bow and deposited it back in his arrowbasket. Then, O foremost of kings, the mighty Shaalwa, afflicted with the arrows of Pradyumna, rose disheartened, and speedily went away. Then O king (Yudhishthira), the wicked Shaalwa, thus pained by the Vrishnis, mounted on his chariot of precious metals (Saubha in Sanskrit), and leaving Dwaaraka speeded through the skies!’”