केकया भ्रातरः पञ्च गान्धारान् पञ्च मारिष ॥
ससैन्यास् ते ससैन्यांश् च योधयाम् आसुर् आहवे ॥
वीरबाहुश् च ते पुत्रो वैराटिं रथसत्तमम् ॥
उत्तरं योधयाम् आस विव्याध निशितैः शरैः ॥
उत्तरश् चापि तं धीरं विव्याध निशितैः शरैः ॥
चेदिराट् समरे राजन्न् उलूकं समभिद्रवत् ॥
उलूकश् चापि तं बाणैर् निशितैर् लोमवाहिभिः ॥
तयोर् युद्धं समभवद् घोररूपं विशां पते ॥
दारयेतां सुसंक्रुद्धाव् अन्योन्यम् अपराजितौ ॥
एवं द्वंद्वसहस्राणि रथवारणवाजिनाम् ॥
पदातीनां च समरे तव तेषां च संकुलम् ॥
मुहूर्तम् इव तद् युद्धम् आसीन् मधुरदर्शनम् ॥
तत उन्मत्तवद् राजन् न प्राज्ञायत किं चन ॥
गजो गजेन समरे रथी च रथिनं ययौ ॥
अश्वो ऽश्वं समभिप्रेत्य पदातिश् च पदातिनम् ॥
ततो युद्धं सुदुर्धर्षं व्याकुलं समपद्यत ॥
शूराणां समरे तत्र समासाद्य परस्परम् ॥
तत्र देवर्षयः सिद्धाश् चारणाश् च समागताः ॥
प्रैक्षन्त तद् रणं घोरं देवासुररणोपमम् ॥
ततो दन्तिसहस्राणि रथानां चापि मारिष ॥
अश्वौघाः पुरुषौघाश् च विपरीतं समाययुः ॥
तत्र तत्रैव दृश्यन्ते रथवारणपत्तयः ॥
सादिनश् च नरव्याघ्र युध्यमाना मुहुर् मुहुः ॥
kekayā bhrātaraḥ pañca gāndhārān pañca māriṣa ||
sasainyās te sasainyāṃś ca yodhayām āsur āhave ||
vīrabāhuś ca te putro vairāṭiṃ rathasattamam ||
uttaraṃ yodhayām āsa vivyādha niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
uttaraś cāpi taṃ dhīraṃ vivyādha niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
cedirāṭ samare rājann ulūkaṃ samabhidravat ||
ulūkaś cāpi taṃ bāṇair niśitair lomavāhibhiḥ ||
tayor yuddhaṃ samabhavad ghorarūpaṃ viśāṃ pate ||
dārayetāṃ susaṃkruddhāv anyonyam aparājitau ||
evaṃ dvaṃdvasahasrāṇi rathavāraṇavājinām ||
padātīnāṃ ca samare tava teṣāṃ ca saṃkulam ||
muhūrtam iva tad yuddham āsīn madhuradarśanam ||
tata unmattavad rājan na prājñāyata kiṃ cana ||
gajo gajena samare rathī ca rathinaṃ yayau ||
aśvo 'śvaṃ samabhipretya padātiś ca padātinam ||
tato yuddhaṃ sudurdharṣaṃ vyākulaṃ samapadyata ||
śūrāṇāṃ samare tatra samāsādya parasparam ||
tatra devarṣayaḥ siddhāś cāraṇāś ca samāgatāḥ ||
praikṣanta tad raṇaṃ ghoraṃ devāsuraraṇopamam ||
tato dantisahasrāṇi rathānāṃ cāpi māriṣa ||
aśvaughāḥ puruṣaughāś ca viparītaṃ samāyayuḥ ||
tatra tatraiva dṛśyante rathavāraṇapattayaḥ ||
sādinaś ca naravyāghra yudhyamānā muhur muhuḥ ||
The five Kaikeya brothers, O venerable one, together with their troops, fought against the five Gandharans and their armies. Your son Virabahu engaged Uttara, the finest charioteer of Virata's line, in battle and pierced him with sharp arrows; Uttara in turn struck that steadfast warrior with sharpened arrows. The king of Chedi, O king, charged into battle against Uluka, and Uluka struck him with sharp arrows that made the hair stand on end. Between the two a battle of terrible aspect arose, O lord of the people; the two of them, greatly enraged and unconquered, tore at each other. Thus thousands of duels between chariots, elephants, horses and foot soldiers broke out in the battle; your warriors and their foes became intermingled. For a while that battle seemed a beautiful sight, but then, O king, everything turned as if into madness, and nothing could be told apart any longer. Elephant went against elephant, charioteer against charioteer, horse met horse, and foot soldier met foot soldier. After this the battle of heroes, colliding with one another, became unstoppable and chaotic. There the divine sages, siddhas and charanas gathered and watched that dreadful battle, resembling the war of gods and asuras. Then thousands of elephants and chariots, O venerable one, and masses of horses and men mingled in disarray. Everywhere could be seen chariots, elephants, foot soldiers and horsemen, O tiger among men, engaging in battle again and again.
86848e998740 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:12:34 PM UTC
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At first the battle appears an ordered spectacle, but it quickly dissolves into chaos where all distinction is lost. This is a precise image of material conflict: it may begin with form and glory, but in the end it mixes everything into dust and terror.