Arjuna said:
1. Then, while returning (to the abode of Indra), I beheld on my way a great celestials city, moving at will, endued with the splendour of the fire or the sun,
2. Containing trees made of jewels, teeming with many-coloured birds of sweet voice, inhabited by the Paulomas and the Kalakanja ever merry,
3. Adorned with gate-ways, towers and four gates, impregnable, made of all sorts of jewels celestials wonderful to look at,
4. Containing trees made of all sorts of jewels and bearing fruits and flowers, inhabited by beautiful and celestials feathery creatures,
5. Surrounded on all sides by the Asuras, always cheerful, adorned with garlands and holding in their hands maces, swords, darts, bows and clubs.
6. Beholding that city of the Daitya, wonderful to look at, O king, I asked Matali “What is it that looks so marvellous?”
Matali said:
7. (Formerly) a Daitya-female, named Puloma and another great giantess, Kalaka (by name), practised severe austerities for a thousand celestials years.
8-9. When they had finished their austerities, the self-existent (god) Svayambhu granted them boons. (And), O king of kings, they obtained the boons-viz., that their children might never suffer distress; that (they) might obtain a highly beautiful and an exceedingly splendid aerial city,
10. Full of all sorts of gems, unassailable even by immortals, the Maharshis, the Yakshas, the Gandharvas, the Pannagas, the Asuras and the Rakshasas,
11. Containing all the desirable objects and devoid of grief and desire. O best of the Bharatas, created by Brahma for the Kala-keyas,
12. This is that celestials city, devoid of gods, which is moving about. O hero, it is inhabited by the Pauloma and he Kalakeya Danavas.
13. This mighty city is called Hiranyapura and is guarded by the powerful Asuras, the Kalakeyas and the Paulomas.
14. O king of kings, there they dwell happily, indestructible by the gods, free from anxiety and having all their desires fulfilled.
15. Formerly it was destined by Brahma that they should be killed by mortals. O Partha, (therefore) destroy speedily these invincible and exceedingly powerful Kalakanjas in battle by the weapon Vajra (thunderbolt).
Arjuna said:
16. O lord of earth, learning that they were indestructible by the gods and Asuras. I gladly said to Matali “do you go to this city speedily.
17. I will bring about the destruction of all these enemies of the celestials with weapons. There exist no wicked enemies of the gods whom I do not consider my victims.”
18. Thereupon, Matali had me speedily conveyed by that celestials car, yoked with steeds, towards the neighbourhood of Hiranyapura.
19. On beholding me, those sons of Diti, wearing various sorts of garments and mounted on chariots, rushed at me with great violence.
20. Then those foremost of the Danavas (possessed) of fiery prowess, angrily assailed me with Nalikas, Narachas, Bhallas, Maces, swords and Tomaras.
21. Thereupon, O king, availing myself of the strength of my knowledge (in arms), I warded off that shower of weapons by mighty discharges of arrows;
22. And coursing through the field of battle on the car, bewildered them. Thus confounded, the Danavas began to fell down one another.
23. (And) with blazing arrows I cut off, by hundreds, the heads of those who, getting confounded, were rushing at one another.
24. Thus smitten (by me) those sons of Diti, taking refuge in that city, again rose up in the air with it, by the help of illusion peculiar to the Danavas.
25. Thereupon, O descendant of the Kurus, covering the passage of the Daityas by heavy shower of arrows, I obstructed their movement.
26. (But) the sons of Diti, on the strength of their boon, easily supported themselves on that celestials and aerial city of sun-like splendour and moving at will.
27. At one time it plunged into the earth and then rose up in the air again, now it took a curved direction and then again submerged under water.
28. (Then), O tormentor of foes, I surrounded with various weapons that mighty moving about at will.
29. And, O best of the Bharatas, I assailed that city together with the Daityas by showers of arrows, shot from celestials weapons.
30. (And), O king, that city of the Asuras, riven and broken by straight-coursing steels darts shot by me, fell to the ground.
31. Those Asuras too, O king, wounded by my iron shafts, fleet as the thunder and propelled by Fate, began to rove about.
32. Then, Matali, soaring to the heavens, as if taking a leap in front, speedily came down to the earth on that chariot effulgent as the sun.
33. O Bharata, then, desirous of fighting with me, they furiously hemmed me in with sixty thousand cars. (But) I destroyed those (cars) by sharpened arrows adorned with vulture feathers.
34. They were, then, engaged in the fight, like billows on the sea. Thereupon, considering that they would not be destroyed by the manner of fighting peculiar to mortals,
35-37. I, took to discharging duly the celestials weapons. But the thousands of weapons, discharged by those car-warriors, the wonderful fighters, gradually repelled my celestials weapons; and I beheld hundreds and thousands of exceedingly powerful (Danavas) ranging on their cars, in battle, displaying various tactics. Adorned with variegated helmets ornamented mails, furnished with beautiful flags.
38. And decked with various ornaments (they) attracted my mind. I, in that encounter, by showers of arrows shot from weapons,
39. Could not oppress them; but they sorely afflicted me. (Thus) hard pressed by numerous (Asuras), furnished with weapons and skilled in battle,
40. I was afflicted in that terrible encounter and was seized with a dreadful terror. Thereupon, mustering up (courage), I (bowed down) to the god of gods, Rudra,
41. Saying “may all beings remain in place,” and sent that mighty weapon which is named Rudra and is destructive of all enemies.
42. Then I beheld a person with three heads, nine eyes, three faces, six arms and with hair blazing as the sun or the fire.
43. (And)O destroyer of foes, as for his clothing he wore huge serpents issuing out their tongues.
44. Then, O best of the Bharatas, beholding that terrible and eternal Rudra and shaking off my fear, I fixed it on the Gandiva. (And) bowing down to the three eyed Sarva of unrivalled energy,
45. O Bharata, I discharged (it) for the destruction of those foremost of the Danavas. No sooner had I hurled it, than it at once assumed a thousand shapes;
46. (Such as), O lord of the earth, those of deer, of lions, of tigers, of bears, of buffaloes, of serpents, of cows.
47. O Sharabhas, of elephants, of monkeys in vast numbers, of bulls, of boars, of cats,
48. Of dogs, of ghosts, of all the Bhurundas, of vultures, of Garudas of Chamaras,
49. Of the celestials, of the Rishis, of all the Gandharva, of the Pishachas, of the Yakshas, of the enemies of the gods,
50. Of the Guhyakas in battle, of the Nirritas, of elephant-mouthed sharks, of owls,
51. Of the creatures having the shapes of fishes and horses, of beings armed with various weapons and swords and of the Rakshasas, armed with maces and clubs.
52. These and numerous other (beings), wearing various shapes, filled the universe when the weapon was discharged.
53-55. (And) repeatedly smitten by creatures of many shapes covered with flesh, fat, bones and marrow, having three heads, four tusks, four mouths and four arms, the Danavas met with destruction. O Bharata, then, with numerous other shafts, blazing like the sun or fire, glaring like the fire of thunderbolt and made of the essence of rocks, I killed all the Danavas in a moment.
56. (And) seeing them cut to pieces by the Gandiva weapon, deprived of life and thrown down from the sky. I again bowed down to that god, the slayer of the (Asura), Tripura,
57. The charioteer of the gods (Matali), beholding them, that were decked with celestials ornaments, crushed by the Rudra weapon was highly pleased.
58. Seeing that I performed this unbearable feat (of arms), unachievable even by the celestials, Matali, the charioteer of Shakra, eulogised me;
59. And with great delight, said these words with joined-hands-the feat, that you have achieved, is incapable of being borne (even) by the gods and the Asuras.
60. Even the lord of the gods cannot perform such a feat in battle. This great aerial city, indestructible by the gods and the Asuras,
61. Has been destroyed by you, O hero, by your prowess and strength of asceticism. That city being destroyed and the Danavas being killed,
62. All their sorrowing wives smitten with grief and with hair dishevelled, issued out of their city lamenting like Kuraris.
63-66. Mourning for their sons, fathers and brothers, uttering piteous cries of distress for the loss of their lords and beating their breasts, (they) fell down upon the ground, their ornaments falling off from their bodies. That city of the Danavas, resembling the city of the Gandharvas, filled with lamentation, afflicted with sorrow and distress, devoid of beauty and deprived of its lords, looked like a lake devoid of elephants or like a forest with all its trees dead, (and then) vanished (from sight). (And) Matali speedily brought me, well-pleased,
67. And successful in my mission, to the abode of the king of the gods. Having destroyed Hiranyapur and killed those mighty Asuras,
68-72. The Nivatakavachas, I returned to Shakra. And, O highly effulgent (king), Matali narrated in detail to the lord of the gods, my entire feat (of arms) as it had happened. The prosperous hundred-eyed lord Purandara, together with the Vasus, hearing the fall of Hiranyapur, the dispersion of the illusion and the destruction of the exceedingly powerful Nivatakavachas in battle, became pleased and exclaimed “bravo! bravo!” Then the lord of the gods together with the celestials, repeatedly cheering me, spoke these highly delightful words: “The feat that you have displayed in battle, surpasses that of the gods and of the Asuras.
73. O Partha, you have (now) paid your preceptor's fees by slaying my powerful enemies. O Dhananjaya, you will, thus, ever remain cool-headed in battle,
74-75. And be able to discharge your weapons unerringly. Neither the celestials, nor the Danavas, nor the Rakshasas, nor the Yakshas, nor the Asuras, nor the Gandharvas, nor the birds, nor the serpents shall be to stand you in fight. (And) O Kuru's son, O virtuous son of Kunti, Yudhishthira, having conquered the earth by the strength of your arms, will govern it.
Thus ends the hundred and seventy-third chapter, the destruction of the Daityas of Hiranyapur, in the Nivatakavacha Yuddha of the Vana Parva.