SECTION CCXXVIII
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then those foremost of car-warriors (Krishna and
Arjuna), riding in their cars and placing themselves on opposite sides of
that forest, began a great slaughter, on all sides, of the creatures
dwelling in Khandava. At whatever point any of the creatures residing in
Khandava could be seen attempting to escape, thither rushed those mighty
heroes (to prevent its flight). Indeed those two excellent cars seemed to
be but one, and the two warriors also therein but one individual. And
while the forest was burning, hundreds and thousands of living creatures,
uttering frightful yells, began to run about in all directions. Some had
particular limbs burnt, some were scorched with excessive heat, and some
came out, and some ran about from fear. And some clasping their children
and some their parents and brothers, died calmly without, from excess of
affection, being able to abandon these that were dear to them. And many
there were who biting their nether lips rose upwards and soon fell
whirling into the blazing element below. And some were seen to roll on
the ground with wings, eyes, and feet scorched and burnt. These creatures
were all seen to perish there almost soon enough. The tanks and ponds
within that forest, heated by the fire around, began to boil; the fishes
and the tortoises in them were all seen to perish. During that great
slaughter of living creatures in that forest, the burning bodies of
various animals looked as if fire itself had assumed many forms. The
birds that took wings to escape from that conflagration were pierced by
Arjuna with his shafts, and cut into pieces, they fell down into the
burning element below. Pierced all over with Arjuna's shafts, the birds
dropped down into the burning forest, uttering loud cries. The denizens
of the forest, struck with those shafts, began to roar and yell. The
clamour they raised was like unto the frightful uproar heard during the
churning of the ocean (in days of yore). The mighty flames of the blazing
fire reaching the firmament, caused great anxiety to the celestials
themselves. Then all the illustrious dwellers in heaven went in a body
unto him of a hundred sacrifices and thousand eyes, viz., their chief,
that grinder of Asuras. Approaching Indra, the celestial said, 'Why, O
lord of immortals, doth Agni burn these creatures below? Hath the time
come for the destruction of the world?'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of the gods, and himself
beholding what Agni was doing, the slayer of Vritra set out for the
protection of the forest of Khandava. And Vasava, the chief of the
celestials soon covering the sky with masses of clouds of every kind
began to shower upon the burning forest. Those masses of clouds by
hundreds and thousands, commanded by Indra began to pour rain upon
Khandava in showers thick as the flag-staffs of battle-cars. But the
showers were all dried up in the sky itself by the heat of the fire and
could not, therefore, reach the fire at all! Then the slayer of Namuchi,
getting angry with Agni, collected huge masses of clouds and caused them
to yield a heavy downpour. Then with the flames contending with those
heavy showers, and with masses of clouds overhead, that forest, filled
with smoke and flashes of lightning, became terrible to behold.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 1 : UPA-PARVA 228 ---------------------
