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सौभवधोपाख्यान (saubhavadhopAkhyAna)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Saubhavadhopākhyāna(ṃ)]
(“the episode relating to the destruction of Saubha”
cf. Saubhavadhākhyāna). § 319 (cf. Arjunābh.). Kṛshṇa related: When Śiśupāla, the son of Damaghosha, had been slain, his brother, the Mārttikāvata-king Śālva, in order to avenge him, came to Dvārakā in the Saubha, who moved at will and slew many of the Vṛshṇis, and sought for Kṛshṇa desiring to kill him. Kṛshṇa was in Indraprastha at the rājasūya of Yudhishṭhira, and when he learnt this on returning home, he set out to slay him, and found him in an island in the ocean (see Nīl. and PCR.
BR. “a bay”), and blowing his conch Pāñcajanya, slew numerous Dānavas. Then, as soon as he heard of the game at dice, he had come to the Pāṇḍavas (III, 14).--§ 320. Copious description of the combats with Śālva: When Śālva attacked Dvārakā it was well furnished and strongly fortified (description of fortifications and measures taken to defend the city by Ugrasena, Uddhava, etc.) and defended by Gada, Śāmba, etc. (III, 15). Cārudeshṇa (son of Kṛshṇa and Rukmiṇī), Śāmba (son of Kṛshṇa and Jāmbavatī), and Pradyumna (son of Kṛshṇa and Rukmiṇī) rushed out against him. They on both sides fought by means of māyā. Śāmba put Kshemarṛddhi, the commander of Śālva's troops, to flight by a shower of arrows, and slew a Daiteya named Vegavat with his mace. Cārudeshṇa slew the Dānava Vivindhya with a consecrated arrow. Then Śālva, riding on Saubha, encountered Pradyumna (III, 16). Riding on his chariot with a gaping makara in its standard, Pradyumna with showers of arrows slew the Dānavas and pierced the heart of Śālva so that he fell in a swoon, but he rose again and wounded Pradyumna about his throat so that he became senseless (III, 17). Pradyumna's charioteer Dāruki, a sūta, carried him off the field by the help of his fleet steeds, but when Pradyumna had regained his senses, he ordered him to turn the chariot, reminding him of the customs of the Vṛshṇis in battle, and saying that he had restrained Kṛtavarman, the son of Hṛdika, from sallying out, as he would himself resist Śālva (III, 18). As Śālva used his māyā of the Asuras, Pradyumna shot him down with the Brahmāstra, and was about to aim another arrow at him, capable of killing any person, when all the hosts of the gods, with Indra and Dhaneśvara (i.e. Kubera), sent Nārada and Śvasana (i.e. the Wind), who ordered him to desist as the creator (Dhātṛ) had destined Kṛshṇa, the son of Devakī, to slay him. Śālva then mounted Saubha and went away through the skies leaving Dvārakā (III, 19). When Śālva had left Dvārakā, Kṛshṇa returned from the rājasūya, and found Dvārakā deprived of its splendour, etc. He learnt from Hārdikya (i.e. Kṛtavarman) about the invasion of Śālva, committed the city to the charge of king Āhuka and Ānakadundubhi (i.e. Vasudeva), etc., bowed to Bhava (i.e. Śiva), and set out on his chariot yoked with Śaibya and Sugrīva and with Dāruka for his charioteer, blowing the Pāñcajanya, till he arrived at Mārttikāvata, and pursued Śālva (Daiteyāpasadaḥ, v. 796), who, staying in Saubha, remained in the sky above the midst of the ocean a krośa off, so that Kṛshṇa's soldiers could not see it, but were obliged to stand as mere spectators. After a long battle with arrows, in which Kṛshṇa killed numerous Dānavas, they took to fight by means of illusion, whirling maces, ploughshares, etc., and then mountain peaks. As none could ascertain whether it was day or night, or distinguish the points of the horizon, Kṛshṇa, becoming bewildered, made use of the Prajñāstra, by which he regained light (III, 20). Dāruka was covered all over with shafts. Then a messenger of Āhuka came from Dvārakā, saying that Śālva had come to Dvārakā and had slain Vasudeva. Kṛshṇa thought that then Sātyaki, Baladeva, Pradyumna, Cārudeshṇa, Śāmba, etc., must necessarily have been killed first. Now he saw Vasudeva falling from Saubha, and swooned away
but, as he, after regaining consciousness, saw neither Saubha, nor Śālva, nor Vasudeva, he concluded that it was illusion (III, 21). Though Kṛshṇa could not see Saubha, which had vanished through illusion, he discharged many arrows from the Śārṅga. The Dānavas set up a loud howl, and when Kṛshṇa, making use of a weapon that pierced the foe following the sound, killed them at one place, the yell ceased at that place and started from another quarter. Then Saubha reappeared at Prāgjyotisha. Kṛshṇa, Dāruka, and the horses were covered by torrents of rocks that concealed them, and the Vṛshṇis fled in all directions. Kṛshṇa then destroyed the crags with Indra's thunderbolt, Dāruka pointed at Śālva and exhorted Kṛshṇa to slay him. Kṛshṇa made use of his Āgneya weapon and hurled his discus Sudarśana (b) against the city of Saubha, that fell cut in twain like the city of Tripura by the shafts of Maheśvara. Then the discus came back into his hands and was hurled against Śālva and cut him in twain. The remaining Dānavas fled in fear. Kṛshṇa returned to the Ānarttas. It was for this reason that he could not come to Hāstinapura and prevent the gambling.--§ 321: Then Kṛshṇa took leave of Yudhishṭhira, etc., and set out for Dvārakā in his chariot yoked with Śaibya and Sugrīva, taking with him Subhadrā and Abhimanyu. Then Dhṛshṭadyumna set out for his own city, taking with him the Draupadeyas. And the Cedi king, Dhṛshṭaketu (Śiśupāla's son, Nīl.), set out for his beautiful city of Śuktimatī, taking with him his sister [Kareṇumatī, the wife of Nakula
Nīl., v. I, 3831]. Also the Kaikeyas (B. Kekayāḥ
Sahadevaśyālāḥ, Nīl.) went away. But the brahmans, vaiśyas, and inhabitants of the country would not leave the Pāṇḍavas. Yudhishṭhira in due time ordered his men to make the chariots ready (III, 22). (For continuation v. Dvaitavanaprav.)