Canto Three

Saying this, Sanjaya described the intrepid deeds of the Daring Bhima, Shakra’s son,¹ the renowned Bharata hero launched arrows and Bhima brought down the army of Kuru king with his terrible club: the fallen army, fallen horses, fallen elephants strewn over the Kurukshetra like crushed cumin seeds… As though Yama had vomited after his meal.² 2 From the quiver, one arrow becomes ten when he prepared to shoot. When they leave the bowstring, hundred arrows fly one thousand break the enemies’ arrows, in the soldiers’ bodies they turn to a hundred thousand arrows. Too many to count! What praise for the power of Partha’s bow? 3 68beṭṭugaḷ ugrāśani saṅ ghaṭṭade keḍevante bhīmabhīmagadāsaṅ ghaṭṭade keḍēdoḍane paḍa lvaṭṭuvu kāḷiṅgarājasamaragajaṅgaḷ 4 pavanajavadindaladiṟiye lavaṇārṇavavīcicayame keḍevantire keḍe duvu tām biḍe kāmbhōjā śvavisaram ā pavanasutagadāsamhatiyin 5 rathavājigaḷ ondeseyoḷ rathaṅgaḷ ondeseyoḷ uruḷdu keḍeduvu nōḍā rathacōdakar ondeseyoḷ pṛthāsutaprathitapṛthugadāpraharaṇadin 6 bilvaḍe paḍaliṭṭante pa ḍalvaḍe kaḍitaleya kontadaṇikaṭṭina toṅ galverasu nōḍenōḍa lkelvāduvu pavanaj ōdgadāsamhatiyin 7 nararin nararan hariyin hariyan varūthaman tadvarūthadindiṭṭasuhṛ tkariyan paḍaliṭṭantire marutsutan mōdi tavisidan mārbalaman 8 kelaran nuṇṇane noṇedan kelaran piḍidaḍisi nuṅgidan kurukularan kelaran sauḷane sīḷdan kelaran māruti javaṅge bāṇasugeydan 9 69Ferocious Bhima’s mace destroyed the Kalinga king’s elephants who fall on the battlefield like terrible hills destroyed by the thunderbolt. 4 Like gusts of wind stirring the trembling rhythm of the ocean waves, the Wind’s son struck down all the Kambhoja king’s horses. 5 Chariot horses move in one direction The chariots move in another! See them fallen and vanquished – The charioteer is laid out in another direction. Pritha’s son³ is known for the blow of his mace. 6 Archers lie strewn amongst scattered swords and spears locked together On closer look, they have been turned to a heap of bones by the Wind’s son. 7 Soldiers slain by soldiers, horses by horses, chariots by chariots – the Wind’s son felled the enemy elephants and destroyed his enemies. 8 Some he swallowed delicately Some Kauravas he assailed, captured and swallowed, Some he split down the front Some Maruti cooked for the Lord of Death.⁴ 9 70kelaran kuṟudaṟidaṟidan kelambaran sandhisandhiyan paṟiyeccan kelaran desevaligeydan kelaran bhujabaladin aṟidu śileyoḷ poydan 10 baḍigoṇḍu gōṇipaṇṇan baḍivantire pavanasūnu peṅkuḷināyan baḍivantire pāḷuḍuvan baḍivantire baḍidan anibaran kauravaran 11 kelaran bīsiyum ottiyum piḍidum ārdiṭṭum gadādaṇḍadin kelaran gurdiyum ardiyum tirupiyum tēdum bhujādaṇḍadin kelaran kuttiyum ettiyum ponariyum poydum dhanurdaṇḍadin kalikaṭṭāne kaḍangi kolva teradin kondan marunnandanan 12 prakaṭāṭopade poydu poydu śileyoḷ vṛksaṅgaḷol mōdi mō di karadvaitade gurdi gurdi kaṭhināṅgam nurgunurgappinam bakanan bāhumadāvaḷaṃbakanan urdurdugravidyutkadam bakanan vairigajēndranan basakanan kondan marunnandanan 13 desedesegīḍāḍida kari deseyānegaḷ abdhiyoḷage nīrānegaḷā gasadoḷam avabhragajamane posatāgire bhinnasṛṣṭivaḍedano bhīman 14 71Some he chopped to bits, his arrows tore the joints apart of some, A few he sacrificed to the directions and some he ground on stone with his arms. 10 Like shaking down a Banyan tree’s fruit Like beating a mad dog Like pounding a monitor lizard⁵ Such a beating, did the son of the Wind give the crushed Kaurvas. 11 Some he tossed up, pressed, caught and pounded with his mace. Some he punched, twisted and exacted pain, shaving them down with his weapon-arms. Some he pierced, hurled, battled and battered them with his bow. The Wind’s son is a cruel elephant killing with gay abandon. 12 Showing off, he hit – hit them loudly, rammed them with rocks and tree trunks, thumping forcefully, punching with both fists, crushing Baka’s solid body. Proud of the strength in his arms, he glitters like an array of lightning bolts, the son of the Wind who killed his enemy Basaka, the elephant. 13 Hurled across to different directions elephants become guardians of the directions. Aquatic elephants swim in the ocean, sky elephants fly like clouds… Is Bhima creating different creaturely forms? 14 72sutapakṣapātadindam kṛtāntanuṟe barcidante kondan kurubhū patiya balamellaman dha rmatanūjan bharadin ikkidan bhujabaladin 15 pavanasutan gadegoḷe gān ḍivi bilgoḷe kaydugoḷva mārkoḷvadaṭar bhuvanadoḷ illavargaḷa bā huvikramam ninage posate kauravarājā 16 javana muḷisavana muḷisene javanē barcidavol intu kuṟudaṟidaṟidan javanan muḷiyisi subhaṭara javanan muḷiyisi barduṅkuvannarumoḷarē 17 yamarājan tande bhōjaprabhave tanage tāy maydunan vāsu dēvan samarakrīḍārthadabhyarthane yamaḷanujar sanda bhīmār junar kō pam avandyam cāpavidyāguru kaḷaśajanendandu sāmān yan allan himakṛdvamśāvatāran bharatakulaśiraśśēkharan dharmaputran 18 dānam priyavāksahitam jñānam agarvam kṣmānvitam śauryam eni ppī nuḍiyane nuḍiyisidudu dānam jñānam kṣamāguṇam dharmajanā 19 73As though Kritanta, the god of death were showing favour to his son, the son of Dharma put on a show of destruction with his powerful arms. 15 Bhima grasped his mace and Gandivi took up his bow, the world has no heroes to take up weapons against them – Oh Kuru king, is their power new to you? 16 As though Yama’s anger were his own anger, As though Yama himself had minced the enemy into tiny, little bits having angered Yama - for Bhima is like Yama, could the good soldiers possibly remain alive? 17 His father is Yamaraja, his mother is the daughter of King Bhoja, Vasudeva is his younger brother-in-law, his enraged brothers are Bhima, Arjuna and the renowned twins eager for the sport of battle, his archery teacher is the Pot-born One. For Dharma’s son is no ordinary man. 18 The crown of the Bharata clan, born in the lineage of the snow-making moon. May charity be accompanied with pleasing words May knowledge be without pride May valour be yoked with compassion. People say: Charity, knowledge and compassion are the virtues of Dharma’s son. 19 74amaḷgaḷ vinayade vikrama damaḷgaḷavar muḷiye ganḍarillavara parā kramaman nīnaṟidirdum samaradoḷ iḻisuvude kurukulāmbarabhānū 20 andu kuśasthalam jatugṛhajvalanakke jayantamante kā ḷindi vrkaṣthaḷam visada laḍḍugegādudu vāraṇāvatam sanda sabhāpratāraṇake kāraṇam endaṟipalke bēḍidar sandhigeyalke bēḍidare pāṇḍutanūbhavaraydu bāḍaman 21 atilajjānvitan ā nadījan adhikakrōdhāvahan drōṇan u ddhatakauravyakṛtāṭṭahāsan asuhṛdvīrāvatāran pṛthā sutar ārōpitacāpar uddhatarum ā gānḍīviyum bhīmanum patigaḷ noḻpinam āytu ninnanujanin kṛṣṇāmbarākarṣaṇam 22