Text 42] The Battle Between the Demigods and Demons 51

balir mahendram dasabhis
tribhir airdvatam saraih

caturbhis caturo vahan
ekenadroham arcchayat

balih—Maharaja Bali; mahd-indram—the King of heaven;
dasabhih—with ten; tribhih—with three; airdvatam—Airavata, carry-
ing Indra; saraih—by arrows; caturbhih—by four arrows; caturah—the
four; vahdn—mounted soldiers; ekena—by one; droham—the driver of
the elephants; arcchayat—attacked.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Bali then attacked Indra with ten arrows and attacked
Airavata, Indra’s carrier elephant, with three arrows. With four ar-
rows he attacked the four horsemen guarding Airavata’s legs, and
with one arrow he attacked the driver of the elephant.

PURPORT

The word vahan refers to the soldiers on horseback who protected the
legs of the carrier elephants. According to the system of military ar-
rangement, the legs of the elephant bearing the commander were also
protected.

TEXT 42
a Wadd: Baaata: Batwa: |

rex  ffirNeaemnaataa Weel

sa tan Gpatatah sakras
tavadbhih sighra-vikramah
ciccheda nisitair bhallair

asampraptan hasann iva

sah—he (Indra); tan—arrows; dpatatah—while moving toward
him and falling down; sakrah—Indra; tavadbhih—immediately; sighra-
vikramah—was practiced to oppress very soon; ciccheda—cut to pieces;
nisitaih—very sharp; bhallaih—with another type of arrow;
