वैशंपायन उवाच
तमसाभिप्लुते लोके रजसा चैव भारत ॥
व्यतिष्ठन् वै मुहूर्तं तु व्यूढानीकाः प्रहारिणः ॥
ततो ऽन्धकारं प्रणुदन्न् उदतिष्ठत चन्द्रमाः ॥
कुर्वाणो विमलां रात्रिं नन्दयन् क्षत्रियान् युधि ॥
ततः प्रकाशम् आसाद्य पुनर् युद्धम् अवर्तत ॥
घोररूपं ततस् ते स्म नावेक्षन्त परस्परम् ॥
ततः सुशर्मा त्रैगर्तः सह भ्रात्रा यवीयसा ॥
अभ्यद्रवन् मत्स्यराजं रथव्रातेन सर्वशः ॥
ततो रथाभ्यां प्रस्कन्द्य भ्रातरौ क्षत्रियर्षभौ ॥
गदापाणी सुसंरब्धौ समभ्यद्रवतां हयान् ॥
तथैव तेषां तु बलानि तानि; क्रुद्धान्य् अथान्योन्यम् अभिद्रवन्ति ॥
गदासिखड्गैश् च परश्वधैश् च; प्रासैश् च तीक्ष्णाग्रसुपीतधारैः ॥
बलं तु मत्स्यस्य बलेन राजा; सर्वं त्रिगर्ताधिपतिः सुशर्मा ॥
प्रमथ्य जित्वा च प्रसह्य मत्स्यं; विराटम् ओजस्विनम् अभ्यधावत् ॥
तौ निहत्य पृथग् धुर्याव् उभौ च पार्ष्णिसारथी ॥
विरथं मत्स्यराजानं जीवग्राहम् अगृह्णताम् ॥
तम् उन्मथ्य सुशर्मा तु रुदतीं वधुकाम् इव ॥
स्यन्दनं स्वं समारोप्य प्रययौ शीघ्रवाहनः ॥
तस्मिन् गृहीते विरथे विराटे बलवत्तरे ॥
प्राद्रवन्त भयान् मत्स्यास् त्रिगर्तैर् अर्दिता भृशम् ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tamasābhiplute loke rajasā caiva bhārata ||
vyatiṣṭhan vai muhūrtaṃ tu vyūḍhānīkāḥ prahāriṇaḥ ||
tato 'ndhakāraṃ praṇudann udatiṣṭhata candramāḥ ||
kurvāṇo vimalāṃ rātriṃ nandayan kṣatriyān yudhi ||
tataḥ prakāśam āsādya punar yuddham avartata ||
ghorarūpaṃ tatas te sma nāvekṣanta parasparam ||
tataḥ suśarmā traigartaḥ saha bhrātrā yavīyasā ||
abhyadravan matsyarājaṃ rathavrātena sarvaśaḥ ||
tato rathābhyāṃ praskandya bhrātarau kṣatriyarṣabhau ||
gadāpāṇī susaṃrabdhau samabhyadravatāṃ hayān ||
tathaiva teṣāṃ tu balāni tāni; kruddhāny athānyonyam abhidravanti ||
gadāsikhaḍgaiś ca paraśvadhaiś ca; prāsaiś ca tīkṣṇāgrasupītadhāraiḥ ||
balaṃ tu matsyasya balena rājā; sarvaṃ trigartādhipatiḥ suśarmā ||
pramathya jitvā ca prasahya matsyaṃ; virāṭam ojasvinam abhyadhāvat ||
tau nihatya pṛthag dhuryāv ubhau ca pārṣṇisārathī ||
virathaṃ matsyarājānaṃ jīvagrāham agṛhṇatām ||
tam unmathya suśarmā tu rudatīṃ vadhukām iva ||
syandanaṃ svaṃ samāropya prayayau śīghravāhanaḥ ||
tasmin gṛhīte virathe virāṭe balavattare ||
prādravanta bhayān matsyās trigartair arditā bhṛśam ||
Vaishampayana said: 'When the world was covered in darkness and dust, O Bharata, the arrayed armies, poised to strike, stood still for but a moment. Then the moon rose, dispelling the darkness, making the night clear and gladdening the kshatriyas in battle. Regaining the light, they resumed the fight, terrible to behold, and no longer looked upon one another. Then Susharman the Trigarta, together with his younger brother, rushed upon the king of the Matsyas from every side with a mass of chariots. The two brothers, bulls among kshatriyas, leaping down from their chariots, maces in hand and greatly enraged, fell upon the horses. Just so, the enraged armies charged one another with maces, swords, axes, and javelins with sharp, well-honed points. King Susharman, lord of the Trigartas, having crushed and overcome the whole strength of Matsya, forcibly attacked the mighty Virata. Having slain separately both the yoked horses and both the rear charioteers, they seized the king of the Matsyas alive, stripped of his chariot. Susharman, tearing him from his place as though he were a weeping young woman, set him upon his own chariot and drove off with swift horses. When the mighty Virata had been taken alive and stripped of his chariot, the Matsyas, sorely pressed by the Trigartas, fled in fear.'
dee36f5d0666 · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:23:49 PM UTC
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Virata's strength proves insufficient once fortune turns against him. Yet this very reversal opens a place for gratitude: the Pandavas will be able to repay the debt they owe the king who gave them shelter.