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: Weare: Walesa: |
ac
Araqz Afralecermcafiag vl
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;
