Sacred Concord

Iliad 12.30

Iliad · translated by Alexander Pope

This just rebuke inflamed the Lycian crew; They join, they thicken, and the assault renew: Unmoved the embodied Greeks their fury dare, And fix’d support the weight of all the war; Nor could the Greeks repel the Lycian powers, Nor the bold Lycians force the Grecian towers. As on the confines of adjoining grounds, Two stubborn swains with blows dispute their bounds; They tug, they sweat; but neither gain, nor yield, One foot, one inch, of the contended field; Thus obstinate to death, they fight, they fall; Nor these can keep, nor those can win the wall. Their manly breasts are pierced with many a wound, Loud strokes are heard, and rattling arms resound; The copious slaughter covers all the shore, And the high ramparts drip with human gore.
Iliad 12.30 · Iliad · 12

Themes in this passage

WarAngerCourageDeathJusticeHealing

War in other traditions

The same theme, as Hinduism and Christianity address it.

Born in Madhu’s race, that slayer of hostile heroes, is prepared to cast away his very life in battle. Skilled in battle, that mighty-armed warrior, scattering the enemy’s ranks before him, will fight in battle mounted on car or from the elephant’s back. That best of kings, O monarch, is in my judgment, a Ratha. He will, in fierce battle, cast away for thy sake his very life with all his troops, possessed of great prowess and acquainted with all the modes of warfare, he will, O king, fight fearlessly with thy foes in battle. Never retreating from battle, brave, and resembling Yama himself, Vahlika, O king, is in my judgment, an Atiratha. Rushing to the encounter he never cometh back. Indeed, he will slay hostile warriors in battle like the Wind-god himself. That router of hostile car-ranks, that car-warrior of wonderful feats in battle, commander of thy forces, Satyavan is, O king, a Maharatha. He never cherisheth grief at the prospect of battle. Confounding those warriors that stand in the way of his car, he falleth upon them. Always displaying his prowess against the enemy, that best of men will, for thy sake, in fierce press of battle, achieve all that a good Kshatriya should. That chief of Rakshasas, Alambhusha, of cruel deeds, is a Maharatha. Remembering his old hostilities (with the Pandavas), he will commit great execution among the foe. He is the best of Rathas amongst all the Rakshasa-warriors. Possessing powers of illusion, and firm in enmity, he will wander fiercely on the field. The ruler of Pragjyotisha, the brave Bhagadatta of exceeding prowess, is the foremost of those holding the elephant hook, and is skilled also in fighting from a car. An encounter took place between him and the wielder of Gandiva for days together, O king, each desirous of victory over the other. Then Bhagadatta, O son of Gandhari, who regarded Indra as his friend, made friendship with (Indra’s son) the high-souled Pandava.
Mbh 5.168.1c · Mahabharata · UDYOGA PARVA
As the press-stone on the gathering skin dances upon the soma-sboots, thus do thou, O drum, lustily dance upon the booty! 11. A conqueror of enemies, overwhelming, foe-subduing, eager for the fray, victoriously crushing, as a speaker his speech do thou carry forth thy sound; sound forth here strength for victory in battle! 12. Shaking those that are unshaken, hurrying to the strife, a conqueror of enemies, an unconquerable leader, protected by Indra, attending to the hosts, do thou that crusheth the hearts of the enemies, quickly go! V, 21 Hymn to the battle-drum, the terror of the enemy. 1. Carry with thy voice, O drum, lack of heart, and failure of courage among the enemies! Disagreement, dismay, and fright, do we place into the enemies: beat them down, O drum! 2. Agitated in their minds, their sight, their hearts, the enemies shall run, frightened with terror, when our oblation has been offered! 3. Made of wood, equipped with the skin of the cow, at home with every clan, put thou with thy voice terror into the enemies, when thou hast been anointed with ghee! 4. As the wild animals of the forest start in fear from man, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten them away, and bewilder their minds! 5. As goats and sheep run from the wolf, badly frightened, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten them away, and bewilder their minds! 6. As birds start in fear from the eagle, as by day and by night (they start) at the roar of the lion, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten them away, and bewilder their minds! 7. With the drum and the skin of the antelope all the gods, that sway the battle, have scared away the enemies. 8. At the noise of the beat of the feet when Indra disports himself, and at his shadow, our enemies yonder, that come in successive ranks, shall tremble! 9. The whirring of the bowstring and the drums shall shout at the directions where the conquered armies of the enemies go in successive ranks! 10.
AV 3.30b · Atharva Veda · 3
For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
1 Samuel 17:21 · Bible · 1 Samuel
Then 'twas- Beholding Dhritirashtra's battle set, Weapons unsheathing, bows drawn forth, the war Instant to break-Arjun, whose ensign-badge Was Hanuman the monkey, spake this thing To Krishna the Divine, his charioteer: "Drive, Dauntless One! to yonder open ground Betwixt the armies; I would see more nigh These who will fight with us, those we must slay To-day, in war's arbitrament; for, sure, On bloodshed all are bent who throng this plain, Obeying Dhritirashtra's sinful son."
BhG 1.4 · Bhagavad Gita

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