Sri Vasista

1. -4. O Rāma, having decided so, Samara marched his armies which could destroy the gods, to the earth along with Dāma, Vyāla and Kata.  The armies rose like mountains with wings from oceans, mountain caves and other parts equipped with deadly arms.  The armies beat the sun out of his brightness and filled the space between the earth and sky.  On the other side the armies of heaven rose from their hiding places in seas and mountains in fierce opposition.

5. -13. The fight between them appeared like a premature advent of dissolution.  Heads were falling in droves.  It was as if sun and moon were dropping down.  Mountains were shaking due to the intense noise of the battle.  The spark flying off the arms striking at each other were like falling stars.  The tall betālas were spewing out and splashing off blood and flesh which was entertaining the coastal denizens.  All the quarters were full of waving ‘dānava’ warriors.  The air, stirred by the swishing of the clashing swords, was causing landslides off the hill slopes.

14. -18. Then the ‘devata’ forces swooped on to the ‘dānava’ armies who were tired.  While it looked as though the cat of ‘devas’ was chasing the tired rats of ‘danavas’ the ‘danavas’ were in ecstasy like a bear trying to catch a man on a tree.  Both the armies were in swift action with a sense of urgency.  The war was fierce.

19. -26. The roar of plam-tree-tall elephants which are part of the armies of the rulers of the world reached the skies.  The intensity of the sound was so height that space in the sky seemed to have solidified giving the impression of a minor earth.  When the broken chariots fell on the heaps of fallen arrows, a metallic clang emerged giving the feeling of some kind of music made by the arrow-heaps.  Cowardly soldiers were crying pitiably unable to face the fierce enemies.  The emerging sounds resembled those of the gold mountains liquefied by the twelve suns at the time of deluge.  The sound too resembled those sound which come out when a great river rushes past the egg of universe.  On another side the strong swishing sounds caused by the dropping off of the wings of winged mountains were shaking and breaking the mountain caves.  The sound resembled that which emerged from the churning the milk ocean by ‘Manthara’.  Thus both the armies clashed with each other.  The ‘dānavas’ were in high tempetuous mood. 

27. -31.The dust raised by the clashing armies was reaching the skies.  ‘Bhuslindi’s are breaking the hill tops into shreds.  The breezy winds caused by the speeding arrows were searing the faces of soldiers of both sides.  The vortices caused by the ‘chakra’ weapons were drawing into them the soldiers of both sides like mere straws.  Aeroplane bound ‘devatas’ were being drawn down by these vortices.  The rain-making ‘Varuna’ weapons were flooding the celestial cities with huge quantities of water.  The entire universe was echoing the war cries of the soldiers.

32. -36. Some of the huge-figured dānavas were striding across the celestial towns and pounding them to ruin.  Women were crying at the destruction caused by the battle.  Dānava armies were indulging in rape and loat making the ‘devatas’ run for their lives.  The gods including ‘yama’ were coming out and retreating in cycles like bees roaming around a lotus.  Danava warriors were astride like winged mountains over people who were issuing cries of death.  The entire place was terrible with such noises.  Blood flowed  in immense quantities colouring the waters red.

37. -47. Village, cities and forests were uprooted leaving mountains of corpses of elephants, horses, other animals and hordes of people.  Agni flew into rage burning away huge armies of ‘danavas’.  ‘Dānavas’ brought the seas in their hand-cups and quenched the fires.  Danavas were trying to throw boulders to reduce the rage of flames.  But Agni was fired by the fuel in the forests and the heat of the flames melted away even hills.  Hill-melt flowed like water.  The weapons and arrows flew around covering the sky making the worlds dark.  But the ‘maya’-created sun and moon illumined the dark fields.  Magic created fire swallowed the magic-created cloud bursts.  Fire continued the battle of ‘maya’ driven battle.  The place was lighted the showers of fire.

48. -58. ‘Vajra’ weapoon of Indra was killing many ‘dānava’ warriors.  They were being revived by Sukracharya with his famous life giving ‘Sanjivini’ medicines.  At once place ‘devatas’ were taking flight.  At another the ‘danavas’ were fleeing.  It was becoming difficult to stop the war with increasing determination to get at the enemy.  All corpses were hanging from all tree tops.  The flying arrows were shining bright with the sun falling on them.  Heads were hanging on the tips of spears and arrows.  The entire sky was strewn with something or the other of the weapons and dust.  The elephants at the quarters were roaring.  Vinayaka was pulling the ‘dānavas’ aside with his hands and trunk.  The fleeing armies were meeting great rishies, siddhas and other people doing penance.  Fierce winds of the deluge kind were blowing across the battle field.