SECTION 13
“SANJAYA SAID, ‘THEN the mighty and heroic bowman Karna began to smite the Pandava army in that battle, with his straight shafts. Similarly, those great car-warriors, viz., the Pandavas, O king, filled with wrath, began to smite the army of thy son in the very sight of Karna. Karna also, O king, in that battle slew the Pandava army with his cloth-yard shafts bright as the rays of the Sun and polished by the hands of the smith. There, O Bharata, the elephants, struck by Karna with his shafts, uttered loud cries, lost strength, became faint, and wandered on all sides. While the army was being thus destroyed by the Suta’s son, Nakula rushed with speed against that mighty car-warrior. And Bhimasena rushed against Drona’s son who was engaged in the accomplishment of the most difficult feats. Satyaki checked the Kaikaya princes Vinda and Anuvinda. King Citrasena rushed against the advancing Srutakarman; and Prativindhya against Citra owning a beautiful standard and a beautiful bow. Duryodhana rushed against king Yudhishthira the son of Dharma; while Dhananjaya rushed against the angry throngs of the samsaptakas. In that slaughter of great heroes, Dhrishtadyumna proceeded against Kripa. The invincible Shikhandi closed with Kritavarma. Srutakirti encountered Shalya, and Madri’s son, the valiant Sahadeva, O king, encountered thy son Duhshasana. The two Kaikaya princes, in that battle, shrouded Satyaki with a shower of blazing arrows, and the latter also, O Bharata, shrouded the two Kaikaya brothers. Those two heroic brothers deeply struck Satyaki in the chest like two elephants striking with their tusks a hostile compeer in the forest. Indeed, O king, those two brothers, in that battle, their own vitals pierced with shafts, pierced Satyaki of true deeds with their shafts. Satyaki, however, O great king, covering all the points of the compass with a shower of arrows and smiling the while, checked the two brothers, O Bharata. Checked by those showers of arrows shot by the grandson of Sini, the two brothers speedily shrouded the car of Sini’s grandson with their shafts. Cutting off their beautiful bows, Saurin of great fame checked them both with his keen arrows in that battle. Taking up two other beautiful bows, and a number of powerful shafts, the two began to cover Satyaki and career with great activity and skill. Shot by the two brothers, those mighty shafts equipped with the feathers of the Kanka and the peacock and decked with gold, began to fall, illumining all the points of the compass. In that dreadful battle between them, O king, the arrows they shot caused a darkness there. Those mighty car-warriors then cut off each other’s bows. Then the invincible Satwata, O king, filled with rage, took up another bow in that battle, and stringing it, cut off Anuvinda’s head with a keen razor-headed shaft. Decked with earrings, that large head, O king, fell like the head of Samvara slain in the great battle (of old). And it reached the Earth in no time, filling all the Kaikayas with grief. Beholding that brave warrior slain, his brother, the mighty car-warrior Vinda, stringing another bow began to resist the grandson of Sini from every side. Piercing with sixty arrows equipped with wings of gold and whetted on stone, he uttered a loud shout and said, “Wait, Wait!” Then that mighty car-warrior of the Kaikayas speedily struck Satyaki with many thousands of shafts in his arms and chest. All his limbs wounded with arrows, Satyaki, of prowess incapable of being baffled, looked resplendent in that battle, O king, like a flowering Kinsuka. Pierced by the high-souled Kaikaya in that encounter, Satyaki, with the greatest ease, pierced the Kaikaya (in return) with five and twenty arrows. Then those two foremost of car-warriors, having each cut off the other’s handsome bow in that encounter, and having each quickly slain the other’s driver and steeds approached each other on foot for a fight with swords. Both endued with massive arms, they looked resplendent on that extensive arena, each having taken up a shield decked with a hundred moons, and each armed with an excellent sword, like Jambha and Sakra, both endued with great might, in the battle between the gods and the Asuras (of old). Both of them, in that great battle, then began to career in circles. And then they speedily encountered each other in battle, each approaching the other near. And each of them made great efforts for the destruction of the other. Then Satwata cut in twain the shield of Kaikeya. The latter also, O king, cut in twain the shield of Satyaki. Having cut off his antagonist’s shield covered with centuries of stars, Kaikeya began to career in circles, advancing and receding (at times). Then the grandson of Sini, endued with great activity, cut off by a sidestroke the prince of the Kaikeyas thus careering in that great arena armed with excellent sword. Cased in armour that great bowman, viz., the Kaikeya prince, O king, thus cut off in twain in that great battle, fell down like a hill riven with thunder. Having slain him in battle that foremost of car-warriors that scorcher of foes, viz., the brave grandson of Sini quickly got upon the car of Yudhamanyu. Afterwards riding upon another car duly equipped (with everything), Satyaki began to slay with his shafts the large force of the Kaikeyas. The vast army of the Kaikeyas, thus slaughtered in battle, leaving that foe of theirs fled away on all sides.’”
SECTION 14
“SANJAYA SAID, ‘SRUTAKARMAN then, O king, filled with wrath, struck that lord of Earth, viz., Citrasena, in that battle, with fifty shafts. The ruler of the Abhisars (in return), striking Srutakarman, O king, with nine straight arrows, pierced his driver with five. Srutakarman then, filled with rage, struck Citrasena at the head of his forces, with a keen arrow in a vital part. Deeply pierced, O monarch, with that arrow by that high-souled prince the heroic Citrasena felt great pain and swooned away. During this interval, Srutakarman of great renown covered that lord of Earth, (viz., his insensible antagonist), with ninety arrows. The mighty car-warrior Citrasena then, recovering consciousness, cut off his antagonist’s bow with a broad-headed arrow, and pierced his antagonist himself with seven arrows. Taking up another bow that was decked with gold, and capable of striking hard, Srutakarman then, with his waves of arrows, made Citrasena assume a wonderful appearance. Adorned with those arrows, the youthful king, wearing beautiful garlands, looked in that battle like a well-adorned youth in the midst of an assembly. Quickly piercing Srutakarman with an arrow in the centre of the chest, he said unto him, “Wait, Wait!” Srutakarman also, pierced with that arrow in the battle, began to shed blood, like a mountain shedding streams of liquid red chalk. Bathed in blood and dyed therewith, that hero shone in battle like a flowering Kinsuka. Srutakarman, then, O king, thus assailed by the foe, became filled with rage, and cut in twain the foe-resisting bow of Citrasena. The latter’s bow having been cut off, Srutakarman then, O king, pierced him with three hundred arrows equipped with goodly wings, covering him completely therewith. With another broad-headed arrow, sharp-edged and keen pointed, he cut off the head, decked with head-gear of his high-souled antagonist. That blazing head of Citrasena fell down on the ground, like the moon loosened from the firmament upon the Earth at will. Beholding the king slain, the troops of Citrasena, O sire, rushed impetuously against (his slayer). That great bowman then, filled with rage, rushed, shooting his shafts, against that army, like Yama filled with fury, against all creatures at the time of the universal dissolution. Slaughtered in that battle by thy grandson armed with the bow, they quickly fled on all sides like elephants scorched by a forest conflagration. Beholding them flying away, hopeless of vanquishing the foe, Srutakarman, pursuing them with his keen arrows, looked exceedingly resplendent (on his car). Then Prativindhya, piercing Citra with five arrows, struck his driver with three and his standard with one. Him Citra pierced, striking in the arms and the chest, with nine broad-headed shafts equipped with wings of gold, having keen points, and plumed with Kanka and peacock feathers. Then Prativindhya, O Bharata, cutting off with his shafts the bow of his antagonist deeply struck the latter with five keen arrows. Then Citra, O monarch, sped at thy grandson a terrible and irresistible dart, adorned with golden bells, and resembling a flame of fire. Prativindhya, however, in that battle, cut off, with the greatest ease, into three fragments, that dart as it coursed towards him like a flashing meteor. Cut off into three fragments, with Prativindhya’s shafts, that dart fell down, like the thunderbolt insp
iring all creatures with fear at the end of the Yuga. Beholding that dart baffled, Citra, taking up a huge mace decked with a net-work of gold, hurled it at Prativindhya. That mace slew the latter’s steeds and driver also in that great battle, and crushing, besides, his car, fell with great impetuosity on the Earth. Meanwhile, having alighted from his car, O Bharata, Prativindhya hurled at Citra a dart, well-adorned and equipped with a golden staff. Catching it as it coursed towards him, the high-souled king Citra, O Bharata, hurled the very weapon at Prativindhya. Striking the brave Prativindhya in that battle, that blazing dart, piercing through his right arm, fell down on the Earth, and falling illumined the whole region like a blast of lightning. Then Prativindhya, O king, filled with rage, and desiring to compass the destruction of Citra, sped at him a lance decked with gold. That lance penetrating through his armour and chest, entered the Earth like a mighty snake in its hole. Struck with that lance, the king fell down, stretching out his large and massive arms that resembled a couple of iron clubs. Beholding Citra slain, thy warriors, those ornaments of battle, rushed impetuously at Prativindhya from all sides. Shooting diverse kinds of shafts and Sataghnis decked with rows of bells, they soon covered Prativindhya like masses of clouds covering the Sun. The mighty-armed Prativindhya, consuming with his arrowy showers those assailants of his in that battle, routed thy army like the thunder-wielding Sakra routing the Asura host. Thus slaughtered in battle by the Pandavas, thy troops, O king, suddenly dispersed in all directions like congregated masses of clouds dispersed by the wind. While thy army, slaughtered on all sides, was thus flying away, only Drona’s son singly rushed with speed against the mighty Bhimasena. All at once a fierce encounter ensued between them like to what had taken place between Vritra and Vasava in the battle between the gods and the Asuras (of old).’”
SECTION 15
“SANJAYA SAID, ‘ENDUED with the greatest activity, Drona’s son, O king, displaying the lightness of his arms, pierced Bhima with an arrow. Aiming at all his vital points — for he had a knowledge of all the vital points of the body — the quick-handed Ashvatthama again struck him with ninety shafts. Pierced all over with keen arrows by the son of Drona, Bhimasena looked resplendent in that battle like the Sun himself with his rays. The son of Pandu then, covering the son of Drona with a 1,000 well-directed shafts, uttered a leonine roar. Baffling with his own shafts the shafts of his foe in that battle, the son of Drona, O king, as if smiling, then struck the Pandava on the forehead with a cloth-yard shaft. The son of Pandu bore that arrow on his forehead even as the proud rhinoceros, O king, in the forest bears its horn. The valiant Bhima, then, in that battle as if smiling all the while, struck the struggling son of Drona on the forehead with three cloth-yard shafts. With those three arrows sticking on his forehead, that Brahmana looked beautiful like a three-peaked mountain washed with water in the season of rains. The son of Drona then afflicted the Pandava with hundreds of arrows, but failed to shake him like the wind failing to shake the mountain. Similarly the son of Pandu, filled with joy, could not in that battle shake the son of Drona with his hundreds of keen shafts like torrents of rain failing to shake a mountain. Shrouding each other with showers of terrible shafts those two great car-warriors, those two heroes, endued with fierce might, shone resplendent on those two foremost of cars of theirs. Then they looked like two blazing Suns risen for the destruction of the world, and engaged themselves in scorching each other with their rays representing excellent arrows. Endeavouring with great care to counteract each other’s feats in the great battle, and actually engaged in matching deed by deed with showers of arrows most fearlessly, those two foremost of men careered in that combat like a couple of tigers. Both invincible and terrible, arrows constituted their fangs and bows their mouths. They became invisible under those clouds of arrows on all sides like the Sun and the Moon in the firmament shrouded by masses of clouds. And then those two chastisers of foes soon became visible and blazed forth like Mars and Mercury freed from cloudy screens. Then at that instant during the progress of that awful battle, Drona’s son placing Vrikodara to his right, poured hundreds of fierce arrows upon him like the clouds pouring torrents of rain upon a mountain. Bhima, however, could not brook that indication of his enemy’s triumphs. The son of Pandu, O king, from that very station on Ashvatthama’s right, began to counteract the latter’s feats. Their cars continuing to wheel around in diverse ways and advance and retreat (according to the exigencies of the situation), the battle between those two lions among men became exceedingly furious. Careering in diverse paths, and (executing) circular manoeuvres, they continued to strike each other with arrows shot from their bows drawn to their fullest stretch. And each made the greatest endeavours to compass the destruction of the other. And each of them desired to make the other carless in that battle. Then that car-warrior, viz., the son of Drona, invoked many mighty weapons. The son of Pandu, however, in that battle, with his own weapons, counteracted all those weapons of his foe. Then, O monarch, there took place an awful encounter of weapons, like to the terrible encounter of planets at the time of the universal dissolution. Those shafts, O Bharata, let off by them, coming in collision, illuminated all the points of the compass and thy troops also all around. Covered with flights of arrows, the welkin assumed a terrible sight, like to what happens, O king, at the time of the universal dissolution, when it is covered with falling meteors. From the clash of shafts, O Bharata, fire was generated there with sparks and blazing flames. That fire began to consume both armies. Siddhas, moving there, O monarch, said these words, “O lord, this battle is the foremost of all battles. Any battle (fought before) does not come up to even a sixteenth part of this. A battle like this will never occur again. Both these persons, viz., this Brahmana and this Kshatriya, are endued with knowledge. Both are possessed of courage, and both are fierce in prowess. Dreadful is the might of Bhima, and wonderful is the skill of the other in weapons. How great is their energy and how wonderful the skill possessed by both! Both of them stand in this battle like two universe-destroying Yamas at the end of the Yuga. They are born like two Rudras or like two Suns. These two tigers among men, both endued with terrible forms, are like two Yamas in this battle.” Such were the words of the Siddhas heard there every moment. And among the assembled denizens of heaven there arose a leonine roar. Beholding the amazing and inconceivable feats of the two warriors in that battle, the dense throngs of Siddhas, and Charanas were filled with wonder. And the gods, the Siddhas, and the great Rishis applauded them both saying, “Excellent, O mighty-armed son of Drona. Excellent, O Bhima.” Meanwhile those two heroes, in that battle, O king, having done injuries to each other, glared at each other with eyes rolling in rage. With eyes red in rage, their lips also quivered in rage. And they grinded their teeth in wrath and bit their lips. And those two great car-warriors covered each other with showers of arrows, as if they were in that battle two masses of clouds that poured torrents of arrows for rain and that gleamed with weapons constituting their lightning. Having pierced each other’s standards and drivers in that great battle, and having also pierced each other’s steeds, they continued to strike each other. Then, O monarch, filled with rage, they took up in that dreadful encounter, two arrows, and each desirous of slaying the other shot quickly at his foe. Those two blazing arrows, resistless and endued with the force of thunder, coming, O king, to the two warriors as they stood at the head of their respective divisions, struck them both. Each of the two mighty combatants then deeply struck with those arrows, sank, on the terrace of their respective car. Understanding the son of Drona to be insensible, his driver then bore him away from the battle-field, O king, in the sight of all the troops. Similarly, O king, Bhima’s driver bore away from the battle-field on his car, the son of Pandu, that scorcher of foes, who was repeatedly falling into a swoon.’”
The Sanskrit Epics Page 552
