As the radiant sun disc appeared on the horizon Krishnadeva held his head high and blew his milky white, divine Panchjanya conch. Following that both commanders, grandsire Bhishma and maharathi Dhrishtadyumna, blew their conches. After that, the divine conches of the five Pandava brothers resonated. Then various sounds of many conches blended with each other. The horses in the chariot troops and cavalry neighed. Thousands of elephants began raising their trunks while trumpeting. Amidst the inspiring shouts of ‘Onward…Attack’ the oceans of both armies collided against each other like huge, dark black roaring clouds of Mriga.
Bhishma and Drona were unyielding today. They strongly attacked many times, to break open the crescent moon formation of the Pandava army. Bhimsena and Ghatotkacha overthrew them effortlessly. Then furious Duryodhana came forward. He covered Ghatotkacha under a shower of arrows. As Bhima couldn’t see his son anywhere he got furious and lost his temper. He shot a powerful arrow at Duryodhana’s chest. It penetrated through his iron armour and pierced his chest. Duryodhana’s flower-bedecked bow slipped from his wounded hands. Then he himself lost consciousness and collapsed in his chariot. Seeing their leader collapse, the terrified Kaurava army started running helter-skelter. Raising both his hands Dushasana tried to stop them in vain. His charioteer pulled aside the unconscious Duryodhana’s huge chariot with seven black horses.
Abhimanyu and I infiltrated in the Gandhara army of Shakuni and his ten brothers shouting war slogans of ‘Onward…Attack’. Master archer Arjuna’s army was supporting us strongly from our right side.
By this time Duryodhana’s charioteer who had pulled his chariot aside, sniffed him medicinal herbs and brought him back to consciousness. The moment he regained his consciousness he roared, “Where is that gluttonous Pandava? Why are our soldiers running away like this?” As the charioteer made him aware of the situation, he composed himself. Hastily racing his chariot through his army, raising both his hands he howled at the top of his lungs, addressing his soldiers, “You cowards, where are you running? I am your master. Don’t you feel ashamed of yourselves to run away like this leaving me unconscious? Come back and fight.” His howling made his soldiers stop and come back with their weapons. Duryodhana sighed in relief and commanded his charioteer to take the chariot right in front of the grandsire and Drona.
He admonished grandsire in harsh words saying, “Grandsire, in spite of phenomenal archers like yourself and Aacharya Drona being present in our army the terrified soldiers of our army are running everywhere. Do you think that is right? Are you really fighting for me or just pretending to do so? Watching my soldiers run away I am completely convinced that you are the advocate of my enemies – the Pandavas. Both of you are not fighting from the bottom of your heart today. Every action of yours is full of charade. Your body is in my service but your heart longs for the Pandavas.
“Grandsire, if you would have cleared this right in the beginning I would have appointed world conqueror, invincible master archer Karna, the king of Anga as the commander with formal rituals. Then I wouldn’t have had to face such humiliation at all.”
Grandsire Bhishma remained calm in spite of Duryodhana’s harsh words, and said to him, “Gandhari’s son, I got tired of telling you to give half of the kingdom to Pandavas! Don’t become a part of an unjust act. The Pandavas are invincible – they are protected by the shadow of Srikrishna-Vaasudeva’s blessings. You didn’t listen to anything or anybody.
“Stop talking nonsense and keep your eyes open to see that Bhishma’s vow is like an indelible line carved on the black boulder of Kala.”
Grandsire Bhishma commanded his charioteer sternly to take his chariot directly in front of Arjuna’s Nandighosha chariot – ‘Nandighosha…Nandighosha!’ Looking for Krishnadeva his old and skilled charioteer brought his chariot moving swiftly like Alatachakra – a revolving Agnikankana in front of Nandighosha. He spoke so loudly that it would have made the warriors and their charioteers around him tremble in fear and drop their weapons, “Foolish Kaurava, if I don’t make Vasudeva’s son Vaasudeva, the son of Yashoda who has never obtained anything else except success in his life, to hold a weapon in his hands then I will not call myself Ganga’s son Bhishma.”
Indomitable Bhishma’s swift, swishing arrows unerringly killed my charioteer. He collapsed on the battlefield from the charioteer’s seat. Because of that my chariot got stuck in one place. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t think straight. Furthermore, seeing my charioteer getting killed many charioteers in my chariot troop protecting Arjuna’s chariot wheels abandoned their chariots and started running away. Due to that the protective cover around Arjuna’s chariot slackened. War expert warrior Devavrata Bhishma grabbed this opportunity correctly and commanded the chariot warriors behind him to besiege Nandighosha. Furious master archer Arjuna was telling Krishnadeva, “Oh great Yadavaa, who is going to stand against me? I have killed many incredibly powerful Rakshasas. Take the chariot forward.” Saying thus he showered a rain of arrows on Bhishma.
That offensive attack of Arjuna provoked Bhishma.
Now Gangeya Bhishma got wild with rage. After all, in his eyes our master archer Arjuna was just a youngster. Bhishma’s face started looking like tempestuous ocean at the time of a catastrophe. Though he was agitated, his fighting spirit, made him an archer even younger than Arjuna. He began tossing the heads of Arjuna’s soldiers in the air like tossing balls. Whosoever came within the range of his sight got wounded by the shower of arrows swiftly shot from his twanging bow. Many of his arrows like Anjalika, Sarpamukha, Bhalla, Naracha and such pierced the temples of the elephants in our army. Arrows like Chandramukha, Bastika, Kankapatra, Gajasthi, Shilimukha and such wounded the hefty horses in our cavalry. The camels, agitated by grandsire’s arrows such as Jidma, Suchi and Bastika, began trampling upon our own soldiers while running everywhere. The Kaurava commander was indeed proving his epithet Bhishma, meaning ghastly.
Krishnadeva who was the charioteer of Nandighosha was using all his expertise of charioting. Sometimes all four horses of the chariot were springing high in the air on the signal of the reins in his hands. At other times, they were kneeling down unanimously at his signal rendering Bhishma’s arrows ineffective. But Bhishma’s experienced charioteer steered his chariot around Nandighosha in such a skilful way that Arjuna began seeing flashes of the grandsire everywhere – standing in front of him in a moment and behind him the next moment. He was confused. The Gandiva bow in his hand steadied for a moment. Grabbing this opportunity grandsire Bhishma made him drop his bow in the chariot itself, by showering arrows at him. Disabled Arjuna, injured by Bhishma’s arrows which had pierced his body at many places, leaned against the flagpole of Nandighosha and slid down as he lost consciousness. Immediately chaos erupted in his division. Raising their weapons awkwardly in the air everyone began pleading Krishnadeva desperately – ‘Save us – oh Lord of Dwaraka – save us from the arrows of grandsire. Spare our lives.’
Similar kind of wailing cries started coming from all sides. Krishnadeva had no other choice but to get down from Nandighosha. Meanwhile I had found another charioteer and came closer to Nandighosha to help Arjuna. My foremost duty was to bring Arjuna back to consciousness. For that, I made him sniff the divine herb in the wooden tube kept in Nandighosha. He regained his consciousness. As soon as he came around he asked, “Where is Krishna?” We began looking everywhere on the battlefield. There, even in grandsire’s mind,
a commotion ensued as he couldn’t see Krishnadeva anywhere on the Nandighosha chariot. He had dropped his bow and stopped shooting arrows. He was also asking his charioteer, “Where is Krishna?” He had also got out of his chariot onto the battlefield.
Krishnadeva was walking towards his chariot only, but he was looking for something on the ground. By this time, Arjuna and I had left the Nandighosha chariot and had caught up with him. Meanwhile Krishnadeva saw Kuru commander Bhishma walking slowly towards him. The moment he saw Bhishma he picked up a chariot wheel lying on the batt
lefield and furiously rotated it on both his palms. He tossed it in the air for a moment and caught it in both his hands again. Then as he was about to rush fiercely towards Bhishma, Arjuna who was walking next to me leaped forward and grabbed his feet in his arms. He pleaded with Krishnadeva – ‘Achyuta…! Please don’t use this chakra!’ Krishnadeva balanced the chakra in his hands and looked smilingly at Arjuna.
White bearded grandsire Bhishma in his war costume stood calmly in front of him with his palms joined and eyes closed. Looking at Bhishma standing still in front of him Krishnadeva smiled and dropped the chariot wheel on the ground. Spreading both his arms wide he held grandsire Bhishma in a deep embrace, who was the first one to unmistakably recognize him and address him with the epithet ‘Vaasudeva’.
Jalapurusha of Hastinapura united with the Jalapurusha of Dwaraka!
Both great men separated from each other without speaking a single word.
At that moment, the sun set on the western horizon of Kurukshetra. The war stopped. Both great men started walking calmly towards their pavilions.
That night in our meeting that took place in Krishnadeva’s pavilion after dinner the only thing discussed was the formation of our army for the next day.
But in the meeting of the Kaurava warriors in grandsire’s pavilion all plans of Duryodhana had gone waste. Mentioning that Krishnadeva had held the chakra-weapon in his hands he was loudly telling his commander, ‘That cowherd has broken his promise. Send a messenger promptly to his pavilion and reprimand him that he has broken the rule of engagement and hence has been removed from the position of Arjuna’s charioteer. Rising from the elevated seat of the commander and patting his muscular shoulders as an elder, grandsire said to him, “Duryodhana, you can still stop this catastrophic, atrocious war! Neither you, nor any of your brothers and none of whatever is remaining of our eleven akshauhini army – can be compared to Srikrishna even remotely! You are making a mistake in understanding him. Compose and control yourself. Srikrishna has not broken any rule at all. He had held a chariot wheel in his hands – not a weapon! Why did he even do that? Only I can understand it. By holding it he allowed me to keep my promise. That too without breaking his own promise! That is why I am telling you firmly for the last time as your elder, stop this war now. Return the kingdom of Indraprastha to the Pandavas. Only then that cowherd will go back to Dwaraka. But that also he will do only after sending us Kauravas to Hastinapura and the Pandavas to Indraprastha!” It was impossible for Duryodhana to accept it.
On the horizon of Kurukshetra which was perpetual and unmoved by any events, the sun of the fourth day began to shine. As per the precise instructions of Commander Bhishma, the Kaurava army was ready at dawn itself in the formation of a bull, ready to attack. Bhishma himself stood at the end of the tapering mouth along with warriors like Drona, Kripa, Duryodhana, and Ashwatthama. Vinda and Anuvinda took the places of the flared-up nostrils of the bull. King Chala and Shalya spread their soldiers in the area of the sharp, spiked horns of the bull. Sudakshina and Neela took the places of the strong shoulders of the bull. The Kekeyas lined up their soldiers in the big hump of the bull leaning to the right. Bhagadutta, Bhurishrava and Jayadratha stood at the huge abdominal area of the bull. Yadava maharathi Kritavarma arranged his Yadava army in the shape of the curved tail of the bull and himself stood at the front. In this manner, grandsire had given some respite to these Yadava troops. The combative wild tribes were placed mainly at the two front and two back legs of this gigantic bull. Daradas and Yavana soldiers were in the position of the front legs and Barbaras and Nishadha soldiers were at the rear legs.
When our spies brought in the news about the bull formation at night Krishnadeva advised commander Dhrishtadyumna to lay out the Pandava army in the form of an elephant ready to fight. With his head tilted forward this elephant stood ready in a pose to slam anyone that approached him. The vital area of the temples was covered by my troops of staunch lifeguards ready to fight with their lives and the forbearing Pandya soldiers who came from near the sea. The Chedi soldiers of Dhrishtaketu stood in the elephant’s trunk rolled inside. The abdominal area of our mammoth elephant was filled with all five Pandavas and the Magadha soldiers of Jayasena. Virata and Drupada’s soldiers had been placed at the rump and the posterior area. It was a significant war strategy of Krishnadeva to give rest to both the armies that had been fighting continuously for the last three days. The short-tailed rear end of our elephant was given to the few Mlenchchhas.
Amidst the cacophony of war drums the gruesome battle of the fourth day ensued. Grandsire Bhishma’s Gangaugha chariot with seven white horses, surrounded by the chariots of Drona, Duryodhana, Balhika, Durmarshana, and Jayadratha, sprinted forward. All of them attacked Arjuna. Five warriors besieged gallant Abhimanyu in our army fighting on the right side. Arjuna-Abhimanyu, the father-son duo courageously kept fighting and overthrowing these group assaults on them with their war skills. Arjuna’s divine Gandiva bow began shining like the thunderous lightning of Mriga. Dhrishtadyumna beheaded the son of King Chala, which wreaked havoc on that side. Chala and Shalya with each other’s support surrounded Dhrishtadyumna and broke his bow. Seeing Dhrishtadyumna get unarmed valiant Abhimanyu promptly came to support him. He confined Shalya with his swift arrows so much so that his soldiers started calling for Duryodhana to help them. Hearing their screams Duryodhana blew his ‘Vidaraka’ conch, with a reddened face and veins protruding. He steered the mammoth elephants of Jayadratha’s Sindhu troops to assist Shalya. Duryodhana’s loud war cries blended with the trumpeting sounds of the elephants raising their trunks high – “Attack… trample the troops of Abhimanyu- Dhrishtadyumna and destroy them!”
Bhimsena realized that Abhimanyu wouldn’t be able to hold it against the elephantry of Duryodhana and descended from his chariot. With his eyes enlarged and shouting ‘Attack…’ he began swinging the gold-plated heavy iron mace on his shoulder very swiftly. He started striking the temples of any elephant that approached him so skilfully and quickly that many elephants who bore the strike went wild and turned back. Screaming ‘chee…. chee…’ the elephants, terrified of Bhima, started running back trampling their own soldiers. In all that commotion, no one realized where Duryodhan was lost.
Bhima saw eight sons of Dhritarashtra moving forward in chariots to confront him. He immediately mounted his chariot and shouted, “‘Vishoka, let the reins loose and signal the horses to take the chariot in front of those eight.” As soon as the eight brothers of Duryodhana came within sight Bhimsena continuously shot arrows at them with lightning speed and made them fall down from their chariots like the wind of Mriga beats and ceaselessly shakes down the ripened mango fruits from the tree.
Seeing not one but eight of his brothers killed, Duryodhana got furious and attacked Bhima. He shot a potent Shakti at Bhima. Due to that Bhima’s head began reeling. He took support of the flagpole and sat down in his chariot. Seeing his father get unconscious for the first time, Hidimba’s son Ghatotkacha came to his assistance. He spread terror in Duryodhana’s army by his demonic illusive technique of war. At that time Bhishma said to Duryodhana, “Kauravaa, the Rakshasas get powerful at evening time! Ghatotkacha is from the Rakshasa family. The sun is setting now. So, stop the war.”
Duryodhana stopped the war according to grandsire’s instruction. The fourth day of the war was over. When Krishnadeva came to know that the Pandava army had taken unconscious Bhima to his pavilion he directly brought the Nandighosha chariot in front of Bhimsena’s pavilion. He got down from the chariot while holding the wooden tube with medicinal powder in his hand. All Pandava soldiers greeted him and made way for him. Bhima was laid on a sheet and was unconscious. As soon as Krishnadeva entered the pavilion he affectionately put Bhima’s head in his lap. He held the tube of holy medicinal herbs in front of his nose.
After some time Bhimsena recovered. He sat up like a whale springing out of the western ocean. He immediately questioned, “Where is that scoundrel son of Dhritarashtra?” T
hen our Lord of Dwaraka gave him a pure smile and said, “He is in his pavilion! The war has stopped for the day. You are exhausted due to the fight with the elephants. Take rest. We will see him tomorrow.” He forced Bhimsena to sleep in his lap again. Sometime later when Bhima began snoring he gently put his sweat-covered, round head down just like he would gently put down Balaramadada’s head in his childhood when Balaramadada would go to sleep in his lap while grazing the cattle in Gokul. Without speaking anything with anybody he left for his pavilion. I followed him.
At night, as usual our council took place in Krishnadeva’s pavilion. Our surveillance chief bowed down to Krishnadeva and presented the news that he had picked up from Bhishma’s pavilion. Grandsire Bhishma was going to arrange the Makara - crocodile formation again tomorrow for the fifth day of the war.
Krishnadeva gave instructions to Bhimsena and other regiment leaders about how to arrange the army in the Shyena-hawk formation tomorrow. He wrapped up today’s meeting a bit sooner. All regiment leaders touched his feet and left for their pavilions to rest for the night. I was also about to leave. At that time saying “Satyaki, you wait for some time” he made me wait. I could feel a bit more affection in his calling me ‘Satyaki’ today than usual. When all warriors had left, he asked me very lovingly, “Yadava commander, do you have any idea how many soldiers we have lost in the war so far?” I became alert. This question was unexpected. I answered, “No sire, no idea.”
He got up from his seat and coming closer to me, putting his right arm on my left shoulder he said with a stable mind “Six akshauhini soldiers from both sides collectively – that is about fifteen lakh soldiers have got a hero’s death in the battle. What must their families, their wives be feeling? Sakha Satyaki, in a war we lose control over everything. The end result of the war is only that, whatever is agreeable to Kala - Time. You act befitting a Yadava commander tomorrow in the hawk formation of our army. Go now, and have a good night’s sleep.”
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 86
