Arjuna and Vajradatta

This was the second battle of Arjuna’s digvijaya (his journey over the earth) as guardian of the Aśvamedha horse. It lasted three days at Prāgjyotishapura. Arjuna fought Vajradatta, the son of the slain Bhagadatta, who fought in the elephant style his father had made famous. Arjuna won, and spared Vajradatta’s life in keeping with Yudhishṭhira’s standing order. He had spared the Trigartas before this (see Chapter 74), and he spared the Saindhavas after it.

The provocation

Arjuna had put down the Trigartas. The horse next came to Prāgjyotishapura, once ruled by Bhagadatta, the mighty elephant-warrior king who had died fighting for the Kauravas at Kurukshetra. Bhagadatta’s son Vajradatta now ruled there. When he saw the yajña-horse enter his land, Vajradatta rode out, struck the horse, and then drew back toward his city. Arjuna chased him and drove him back with arrows, so that he had to leave the horse alone.

Vajradatta went back to his city and put on full battle armour. He rode out again on his great tusker under a white parasol and cāmara (fly-whisk). This time he sought single combat with Arjuna on purpose, “out of youth and ignorance,” in the words of the text. (Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 75)

The three-day battle

Vajradatta hurled flaming tomaras (iron darts) at Arjuna. Arjuna broke them into pieces in mid-air before they could land, and this made Vajradatta double his volleys. Arjuna answered with his own gold-nocked arrows, growing fiercer in his anger. In time Arjuna’s arrows brought down Vajradatta and his elephant. Vajradatta was wounded but did not lose consciousness, and he quickly mounted again and renewed the attack. The fight between them lasted three full days. The text likens it to the ancient battle of Indra and Vṛtra. (Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 75)

Vajradatta’s challenge and defeat

On the fourth day, Vajradatta called out to Arjuna in fury: “Arjuna! Stand and fight. You shall not escape me while I live. I will give you as tilodaka (an offering of water and sesame seed for the dead) to my father. You killed my old father Bhagadatta, your own father’s old friend. Fight with me, though I am only a boy.”

He drove his elephant at Arjuna once more with doubled force. It drenched Arjuna with water sprayed from its trunk and roared like thunder as it charged.

Arjuna was resolved and held his ground. He thought both of the harm to Yudhishṭhira’s yajña and of the old enmity, and he grew fiercely angry. He held back the charging elephant with arrows, as the shore holds back the sea. He covered its body with wounds until it looked like a porcupine. Vajradatta, undaunted, kept sending his own sharp arrows, and Arjuna in turn stopped and broke them. The text calls this exchange astonishing to see.

At last Arjuna loosed a fire-tipped arrow into the elephant’s vital spot. The great animal, struck to death, crashed to the ground like a mountain broken by the vajra. As it fell, Arjuna spoke to the fallen Vajradatta: “Have no fear. My brother Yudhishṭhira told me when I set out: do not kill any king from now on. Enough has been done in this fight. Do not kill the warriors further.” He told Vajradatta to come to the Aśvamedha that would be held at the full moon of Caitra. Vajradatta, beaten, agreed. In Arjuna’s own words at the moment of victory, the order is stated most clearly of all the battles of the digvijaya. (Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 76)

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 75 (the provocation and the three-day battle)
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 76 (Vajradatta’s challenge, his defeat and Arjuna’s words)
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 74 (the earlier battle with the Trigartas, named in the opening)