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अन्येद्युरथ राजीववनजीवनदायिनि ।
लोकैकदीपे भगवत्युदिते भानुमालिनि ॥

The next day,
as the solar lord,
lustrous rejuvenator of lotus clusters,
single lamp for all three worlds,
rose, 1

विहाय निद्रां विधिवन्निर्मिताहर्मुखक्रियः ।
आदिक्षत् पृतनाध्यक्षान् सेनासन्नहनाय सः ॥

the Prince awoke,
and after performing the prescribed prayers,
ordered the generals to array the army. 2

विजृम्भमाणे प्रस्थानशारदारम्भसम्भ्रमे ।
नृपाणां चामरालीभिर्मरालीभिरभूयत ॥

As the army’s excitement at marching out
bubbled over
like the carnival atmosphere at Śarad’s arrival,
the succession of cāmaras
fanning each king
became a procession of haṃsas. 3

पोषितो हयहेषाभिर्बृंहितो गजबृंहितैः ।
वर्धितस्तूर्यनिध्वानैः कोऽपि कोलाहलोऽभवत् ॥

Magnified by the neighing of horses,
triplified by the trumpeting of elephants,
amplified by the beating of drums,
a defeaning din broke out. 4

अथ निर्गत्य भवनादवैक्ष्यत महीक्षिता ।
धारितस्तोरणाभ्यर्णे तुङ्गस्तुरगपुङ्गवः ॥

As he came out of the palace,
the King saw his tall, trusted stallion,
held ready for him near the arched entrance. 5

जवाधरितजम्भारितुरङ्गभ्रमकारिणम् ।
मणिकुट्टिमसंक्रान्तमाक्रामन् बिम्बमात्मनः ॥

Standing atop his own reflection,
deep within the jewel-glazed floor,
the horse seemed to have subjugated Indra’s steed –
no match for his speed. 6

मुखलीनखलीनाहिरच्छपल्ययनच्छदः ।
वपुषापि गरुत्मन्तमनुगन्तुमिवोत्सुकः ॥

The bridle bit idly gripped in his mouth
was a serpent,
the neatly stitched saddle
flapping against his flanks
was a pair of wings.
It was as if he wanted to taunt Garuḍa
by rivalling him in appearance too. 7

लोलवालाग्रलग्नेन सेव्यमानो नभस्वता ।
रंहोरहस्यशिक्षार्थं शिष्यतामिव जग्मुषा ॥

It seemed that the wind,
clinging to the tip of his tremulous tail
in attendance upon him,
had become his pupil
to perfect the secret science of speed. 8

मुहुः स्वजवसंरोधनमितोन्नमिताननः ।
नमस्कुर्वन्निव पुरोवर्तिनीं विजयश्रियम् ॥

Impatient to be off
he tossed his head up and down,
straining against the reins,
as though paying his respects
to the goddess of victory before him. 9

देहबन्धमिवोत्साहं तमारुह्य महीपतिः ।
अमंस्त पृथिवीं सर्वामात्मनो हस्तवर्तिनीम् ॥

As he mounted this horse –
or rather his determination
in the shape of a horse –
the King felt he held the entire earth
in the palm of his hand. 10

अथ कम्पमहीपालः कम्पयन् द्विषतां मनः ।
प्रातिष्ठत दिशं भेजे मलयाचलमुद्रिताम् ॥

Then King Kampa The Terrifiying,
terrorising his foes to their very hearts,
set out and headed in the direction
marked by Mount Malaya. 11

रजोभिर्मुहुरुद्धूतैर्लघूभवति भूभरे ।
कथञ्चित् पृतनाभारं चक्षमे फणिनां पतिः ॥

The dust that his troops kept pounding up
lightened the load of the globe,
thus stopping Śeṣa,
just,
from collapsing under the army’s weight. 12

प्रतापादित्यकीर्तीन्दुयुगपद्ग्रासलालसः ।
परागः परभूपानामुपरागोऽभवन्नवः ॥

Endeavouring to devour both sun and moon –
the fiery heroism and gleaming fame of the King’s enemies –
simultaneously,
this cloud of dust became the shroud of an eclipse,
the likes of which the world has never seen. 13

पांसुस्थगनलक्षेण पलायत रविः क्वचित् ।
भावियुद्धामरीभूतवीरोद्दलनशङ्कितः ॥

Using the dust as a screen
the sun fled to some unknown land,
terrified of being punctured
by the heroes destined to win immortality
in the battle to come.¹ 14

वितेनिरे करेणूनां करशीकररेणवः ।
घनस्य सेनारजसः करकाकारचातुरीम् ॥

The spray spurting from elephants’ trunks
staged a show of showering hailstones
as the dust of the army thickened into a cloud. 15

अथ लङ्घितकर्णाटः पञ्चषैरेव वासरैः ।
प्रापत् कम्पमहीपालः कण्टकाननपट्टनम् ॥

Then King Kampa,
having crossed the Karṇāṭa land
in just five or six days,
reached the city of Kaṇṭakānana. 16

स तत्र दिवसान् कांश्चिदतिवाह्य महाबलः।
अभिषेणयितुं चम्पमुपाक्रमत कालवित् ॥

There that mighty king spent several days
before he set out to attack Campa,
carefully choosing his moment. 17

प्रसृतैस्तच्चमूधूलिस्तोमैः क्षीरतरङ्गिणी ।
कीर्त्या चम्पक्षितीन्द्रस्य साकं कलुषतामगात् ॥

The billows of dust
kicked up by the marching troops
blackened the milk-white waters of the Kṣīrasindhu,
along with King Campa’s repute. 18

स दुग्धवाहिनीवीचिमारुताधूतशाखिनि ।
विरिञ्चिनगराभ्यर्णे न्यवेशयदनीकिनीम् ॥

The Karṇāṭa king stationed his army near Viriñcinagara,
where the breeze
from the wave-whipped waters of the Kṣīrasindhu
rustled the trees. 19

अथ सन्नद्धसैन्यस्तं न्यरुन्ध द्रमिडाधिपम् ।
घनीकृतहिमानीको हेमन्त इव भास्करम् ॥

Then Kampa,
army arrayed,
laid siege to the Dramiḍa king
just as Hemanta,
blizzards massed,
lays siege to the sun. 20

संवर्तमारुताक्षिप्तसमुद्रद्व‍यसन्निभौ ।
व्यूहौ द्रमिडकर्णाटनाथयोः सन्निपेततुः ॥

Like two oceans
hurled together by the gales of pralaya,
the squadrons of the Dramiḍa and Karṇāṭa kings
crashed upon each other. 21

रजस्तमसि वीरास्त्रसङ्घसङ्घट्टनोत्थितैः ।
बभ्रे स्फुलिङ्गसङ्घातैः खद्योतनिवहद्युतिः ॥

The millions of sparks that flew forth
as weapon after weapon of the warring warriors clashed
lit up
like so many flashing fireflies
the dust deepening into dusk. 22

क्षतजार्द्राः प्रवीराणां प्रेङ्खन्त्यः खड्गलेखिकाः ।
जिघत्सतः कृतान्तस्य जिह्वा इव विरेजिरे ॥

Swords brandished by brave soldiers,
slick with blood,
flicked back and forth
as if they were the rampaging tongues of ravenous Death. 23

आस्रापगासु परितो निःसृतासु सहस्रशः ।
भटानां भल्लनिर्लूनैरम्भोजायितमाननैः ॥

All around
rivers of blood
rushing forth in a myriad of reds
brimmed with lotuses –
heroes’ heads sliced off by bhalla arrows. 24

वीराः कुञ्जरकुम्भेषु शायिनः शत्रुसायकैः ।
प्राबुध्यन्त सुरस्त्रीणां कुचकुम्भेषु तत्क्षणात् ॥

Brave soldiers
put to sleep by the shafts of their foes
upon pillows formed of elephants’ temples,
awoke the next moment
upon pillows formed of apsarases’ breasts.² 25

ततः कम्पनरेन्द्रस्य भटैर्भुजबलोत्कटैः ।
पलायत पराभूता द्रमिडेन्द्रवरूथिनी ॥

King Kampa’s men,
running wild in their might,
put to flight
the forces of the Dramiḍa lord. 26

हतानुकारिणः केचित् क्षितौ निपतितास्ततः ।
क्रोष्टुर्भयेन धावन्तः कर्णाटान् पर्यहासयन् ॥

Some dropped down to the ground
feigning death,
only to scramble up into a run
for fear of the jackals –
provoking the mirth of their Karṇāṭa foes. 27

विक्षेप्तुं विस्मृतैश्चर्मफलकैर्निर्मितप्लवाः ।
मृषैव केचिदतरन् मृगतृष्णातरङ्गिणीः ॥

Some seemed to be crossing illusory streams,
plying paddles formed of the leather shields
they still unconsciously clutched –
in vain. 28

अथ तस्य पुरीमेव नीत्वा शिबिरतां नृपः ।
अचलं राजगम्भीरमरुन्ध द्विषदाश्रितम् ॥

Finally King Kampa,
using Campa’s city as his camp,
laid siege to the Rājagambhīra mountain
where hid his foe. 29

प्रवाताभिमुखाधूतैः पताकापाणिपल्लवैः ।
आरोहणाय राजेन्द्रमाजुहावेव भूधरः ॥

The mountain seemed to beckon the King to ascend,
motioning him forward
with frail hands
formed of flags fluttering in the wind. 30

अथ प्रववृते युद्धं सेनयोरुभयोरपि ।
पतदुत्पतदस्त्रांशुज्वलितोर्वीनभःस्थलम् ॥

Thus was battle joined between the two armies,
setting aglow both land and sky as
flying up
flying down
missile glanced against missile. 31

निर्जगाम निजागाराच्चम्पक्ष्मापोऽपि कोपनः ।
कृपाणपाणिर्वल्मीकाज्जिह्वाल इव जिह्मगः ॥

The apoplectic Prince Campa
darted out of his den,
standing sword in hand,
like a snake out of an anthill,
tongue flicking. 32

अहंपूर्विकया वीरेष्वभितो युद्धकाङ्क्षिषु ।
प्रत्यग्रहीन्महीपालश्चम्पं सिंह इव द्विपम् ॥

As battle-thirsty warriors all around him
jostled with each other
to deal the first blow,
the King sprung upon Campa
as a lion upon an elephant. 33

अथ वञ्चिततत्खड्गप्रहारः कम्पभूपतिः ।
अकरोदसिना चम्पममरेन्द्रपुरातिथिम् ॥

At that moment King Kampa,
dodging Campa’s blow,
made him
with a stroke of his own sword
a guest of Indra in heaven. 34

इत्थं सङ्गरमूर्ध्नि चम्पनृपतिं नीत्वा कथाशेषतां
श्रीमान् कम्पनृपेश्वरो जनयितुः सम्प्राप्तवान् शासनम् ।
काञ्चीन्यस्तजयप्रशस्तिरमिथःसङ्कीर्णवर्णाश्रमं
नीत्या नित्यनिरत्ययर्द्धिरशिषत् तुण्डीरभूमण्डलम् ॥

Thus in the thick of the battle the glorious monarch Kampa,
carrying out his father’s orders,
relegated Campa to the realm of memory.
Issuing a proclamation of victory in Kāñcī
he governed the Tuṇḍīra land,
keeping varṇas and āśramas intact³,
the wisdom of his rule securing him
a prosperity permanent and perfect. 35