Brahmashira (Divine Weapon)
Seeing this missile
assembled and aimed,
With the dreadful white-mouth
drawn and ready,
All living things
of every kind,
All animals and plants
between Earth and Heaven
Grew terrified
and turned their backs,
And fled with loud cries
into the foliage to hide.
Trees with their boughs
trembled and tossed,
The winds ran wild
and whirled about.
It touched the world’s helm
with terrible flames
And blazed in a sphere
of blinding splendor.
All furred and feathered
were filled with dread;
All green and growing
groaned in terror.
All the Heavens blazed
for our heroes’ sake,
All the roads were alight
for the rescuers’ discomfort:
Clouds rang out countless clamors;
Stones fell from Heaven,
and the star-road trembled.
The three worlds
were lit by a thousand suns;
All the welkin filled
with woeful noise.
The breeze-way
was hidden by a blinding blaze,
and linden-light shone
over land and wave.
The winds’-way trembled,
the wide-path shook;
Streams churned,
stones shuddered.
The weeds of the hills
were warped out of shape;
Branches quivered,
boles were broken.
Thunder crashed,
winds thrown together;
The broad ground blazed
with a blinding radiance.
The canopy shook,
and canted awry;
Willowy boughs
tossed wildly in the whirl.
Birds and beasts
fled blindly away;
Earth and air filled
with echoes of their cries.
All creatures cowered
from that crackling light,
The fiery javelin,
fearsome to all.