2023-02-23 18:49:30 by ambuda-bot
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THE CANDIŚATAKA OF BĀŅA
295
'O Bradhna (Sürya), roam confidently over the pathway of the
sky¹ with thy horses that need now have no fear of Mahisa;
O Viśvakarman,³ art thou not fashioning another new bow for the
Bowman (Viṣṇu) from the two horns³ [of Mahişa] ?
O īśvara (Siva), that elephant's skin [thou art wearing] is rough;
take this soft [skin of Mahişa].' Thus in derision*
Spake Gauri (Candi), who slew her foe (Mahisa) and humbled
the pride of the gods by the weight of her foot.
May Gauri (Candi) protect you!
Notes. 1. Lit. 'plunge confidently into the pathway of the sky.' 2.
Viśvakarman was the artificer of the gods, and in the Epic and Puranic
periods is invested with the functions of the Vedic Tvaştar; cf. Dowson,
Hindu Mythology, p. 363-364. He corresponds to the Vulcan of the Ro-
mans, and to the Hephaestus of the Greeks. 3. The implication is that
Vişņu needs a new bow, since he lost his old one in the battle with Mahişa.
But if we render as 'thou art not fashioning, etc.,' the idea would be that
there is no need to fashion a new bow for Vişnu, since Candi, by killing
Mahişa, had recovered his old one which Mahişa had won from him in
the battle. 4. On attahäsa, and its meaning, see stanza 23, note 8. 5.
Lit. 'devoured the pride.'
30
kṣipto bāṇaḥ kṛtas te trikavinatitato nirvalir madhyadeśaḥ
prahrādo nūpurasya kṣataripuśirasaḥ pādapātāir diśo 'gāt
sangrāme samnatāṁgi vyathayasi mahiṣaṇ nāikam anyān api
tvam
ye yudhyante 'tra näivety avatu patiparīhāsahṛṣṭā śivā vaḥ
'<The arrow was sped>, and «thy abdomen», «stretched taut by
the twisting of thy shoulders»>, <<became free from
wrinkles>>,¹
While <Bāṇa was laid low>, and <the Middle Region», «being
stretched in obeisance to the three sacred syllables>>, <<<be-
came freed from Bali>> ;
Because of the stampings of thy foot on the head of thy slain foe
(Mahișa), the <noise> of thy anklet, and also <Prahrāda>,
went to the skies;
O (Candi) of the contracted limbs, [thus] in the battle thou
295
'O Bradhna (Sürya), roam confidently over the pathway of the
sky¹ with thy horses that need now have no fear of Mahisa;
O Viśvakarman,³ art thou not fashioning another new bow for the
Bowman (Viṣṇu) from the two horns³ [of Mahişa] ?
O īśvara (Siva), that elephant's skin [thou art wearing] is rough;
take this soft [skin of Mahişa].' Thus in derision*
Spake Gauri (Candi), who slew her foe (Mahisa) and humbled
the pride of the gods by the weight of her foot.
May Gauri (Candi) protect you!
Notes. 1. Lit. 'plunge confidently into the pathway of the sky.' 2.
Viśvakarman was the artificer of the gods, and in the Epic and Puranic
periods is invested with the functions of the Vedic Tvaştar; cf. Dowson,
Hindu Mythology, p. 363-364. He corresponds to the Vulcan of the Ro-
mans, and to the Hephaestus of the Greeks. 3. The implication is that
Vişņu needs a new bow, since he lost his old one in the battle with Mahişa.
But if we render as 'thou art not fashioning, etc.,' the idea would be that
there is no need to fashion a new bow for Vişnu, since Candi, by killing
Mahişa, had recovered his old one which Mahişa had won from him in
the battle. 4. On attahäsa, and its meaning, see stanza 23, note 8. 5.
Lit. 'devoured the pride.'
30
kṣipto bāṇaḥ kṛtas te trikavinatitato nirvalir madhyadeśaḥ
prahrādo nūpurasya kṣataripuśirasaḥ pādapātāir diśo 'gāt
sangrāme samnatāṁgi vyathayasi mahiṣaṇ nāikam anyān api
tvam
ye yudhyante 'tra näivety avatu patiparīhāsahṛṣṭā śivā vaḥ
'<The arrow was sped>, and «thy abdomen», «stretched taut by
the twisting of thy shoulders»>, <<became free from
wrinkles>>,¹
While <Bāṇa was laid low>, and <the Middle Region», «being
stretched in obeisance to the three sacred syllables>>, <<<be-
came freed from Bali>> ;
Because of the stampings of thy foot on the head of thy slain foe
(Mahișa), the <noise> of thy anklet, and also <Prahrāda>,
went to the skies;
O (Candi) of the contracted limbs, [thus] in the battle thou