which is moving about, having been created for the
Kalakeyas, by
Brahma himself. And
this city is furnished with all desirable objects,
and is unknown of grief or disease. And, O hero,
celebrated under the name of
Hiranyapura, this
mighty city is inhabited by the
Paulamas and
the
Kalakanjas; and it is also guarded by those
mighty
Asuras. And, O king, unslayed by
any of the gods, there they dwell cheerfully, free
from anxiety and having all their desires gratified,
O foremost of kings. Formerly,
Brahma had
destined destruction at the hands of mortals.
Do thou, O Partha, in fight, compass with that weapon—the
thunder-bolt—the destruction of the mighty
and irrepressible
Kalakanjas."’
“Arjuna continued, ’O lord of men, learning
that they were incapable of being destroyed by the
celestials and the Asuras, I cheerfully said
unto Matali, “Do thou speedily repair into yonder
city. With weapons will I compass the annihilation
of the haters of the lord of the celestials.
Surely, there exist no wicked haters of the gods who
ought not to be slain by me.” Thereupon
Matali took me to the vicinity of Hiranyapura
on the celestial chariot yoked with steeds. And
seeing me, those sons of Diti, wearing various kinds
of attire and ornament and accoutred in mail, flew
at me with a mighty rush. And those foremost of
the Danavas, of exceeding prowess, in wrath
attacked me with arrows and bhallas and clubs
and two-edged swords, and tomaras. Thereat,
O king, resorting to my strength of lore, I resisted
that great volley of weapons by a mighty shower of
shafts; and also confounded them in conflict by ranging
around in my car. And being bewildered, the Danavas
began to push each other down. And having been
confounded, they rushed at one another. And with
flaming arrows, I severed their heads by hundreds.
And hard pressed by me, the offspring of Diti, taking
shelter within (their) city, soared with it to the
firmament, resorting to the illusion proper to the
Danavas. Thereupon, O son of the Kurus,
covering the way of the Daityas, with a mighty
discharge of shafts I obstructed their course.
Then by virtue of the bestowal of the boon, the Daityas
supported themselves easily on that sky-ranging unearthly
aerial city, going anywhere at will and like unto the
sun. And now (the city) entered unto the earth
and now it rose upwards; and at one time it went in
a crooked way and at another time it submerged into
water. At this, O represser of foes, I assailed
that mighty city, going anywhere at will, and resembling
Amaravati. And, O best of the Bharatas,
I attacked the city containing those sons of Diti,
with multitudes of shafts, displaying celestial weapons.
And battered and broken by the straight-coursing iron
shafts, shot by me, the city of the Asuras,
O king, fell to the earth. And they also, wounded
by my iron arrows having the speed of the thunder,
Print
Word
PDF
