Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 3

Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Helen M Johnson
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 74

ŚREYĀNSANĀTHACARITRA
45 stones, darts and other missiles on Triprstha's army. Triprstha's army was worn out by this rain of missiles. What could earth-dwellers, even though resolute, do against skydwellers? Immediately Rāma, Tripệstha, and Jvalanajațin flew up in the air in their chariots with their own Vidyadharas. The Vidyādharas on both sides fought hard in the sky, showing each other the power of their vidyās, as if demonstrating to preceptors. The earth-people of the two armies also fought together, angry, like elephants with elephants in a forest. There was an unprecedented rain of blood, like a portent of calamity, from the Vidyadharas beating each other violently with weapons.
Some began fighting, staff against staff, like a show with single-sticks,65 the sky resounding with the noise of their blows on each other. Some, cruel-armed, beat their opponents with their sword-handles like drums with drumsticks. Some, meeting each other, unable to endure the victory of another, shook their large shields like cymbals. Others threw their spears which parted the sky like hair, making the sound of lightning like lightning-clouds. Some rained darts like cruel snakes; others arrows with gleaming feathers like garudas. Then the sky as well as the earth seemed to be made from various weapons by the weapons made to rise and fall in this way by the two armies. Some were seen with their enemies' heads, which they had just cut off, held in their hands, like extraordinary field-guardians on the battle-field. Others looked like Gaņeśas with elephant-faces; others like Kinnaras with faces of horses which had just fallen on headless bodies. Some looked as if faces had sprung from the navel because of their own heads just cut off which had fallen on their girdles and remained for a moment. The headless bodies of some powerful ones danced as if from joy produced by the svayamvara of some goddess. The fallen heads of some
65 647. A very frequent feature of Indian entertainments.