SECTION XXXII
"Vaisampayana said, 'Marching out of the city, those heroic smiters the
Matsyas, arrayed in order of battle, overtook the Trigartas when the sun
had passed the meridian. And both excited to fury and both desirous of
having the king, the mighty Trigartas and the Matsyas, irrepressible in
battle, sent up loud roars. And then the terrible and infuriate elephants
ridden over by the skilful combatants of both sides were urged on with
spiked clubs and hooks. And the encounter, O king, that took place when
the sun was low in the horizon, between the infantry and cavalry and
chariots and elephants of both parties, was like unto that of old between
the gods and the Asuras, terrible and fierce and sufficient for making
one's hair stand on end and calculated to increase the population of
Yama's kingdom. And as the combatants rushed against one another, smiting
and slashing, thick clouds of dust began to rise, so that nothing could
be discovered. And covered with the dust raised by the contending armies,
birds began to drop down on the earth. And the sun himself disappeared
behind the thick cloud of arrows shot, and the firmament looked bright as
if with myriads of the fireflies. And shifting their bows, the staves of
which were decked with gold, from one hand to another, those heroes began
to strike each other down, discharging their arrows right and left. And
cars encountered cars, and foot-soldiers fought with foot-soldiers, and
horse-men with horsemen, and elephants with mighty elephants. And they
furiously encountered one another with swords and axes, bearded darts and
javelins, and iron clubs. And although, O king, those mighty-armed
warriors furiously assailed one another in that conflict, yet neither
party succeeded in prevailing over the other. And severed heads, some
with beautiful noses, some with upper lips deeply gashed, some decked
with ear-rings, and some divided with wounds about the well-trimmed hair
were seen rolling on the ground covered with dust. And soon the field of
battle was overspread with the limbs of Kshatriya warriors, cut off by
means of arrows and lying like trunks of Sala trees. And scattered over
with heads decked in ear-rings, and sandal-besmeared arms looking like
the bodies of snakes, the field of battle became exceedingly beautiful.
And as cars encountered cars, and horsemen encountered horsemen, and
foot-soldiers fought with foot-soldiers, and elephants met with
elephants, the frightful dust soon became drenched with torrents of
blood. And some amongst the combatants began to swoon away, and the
warriors began to fight reckless of consideration of humanity, friendship
and relationship. And both their course and sight obstructed by the
arrowy shower, vultures began to alight on the ground. But although those
strong-armed combatants furiously fought with one another, yet the heroes
of neither party succeeded in routing their antagonists. And Satanika
having slain a full hundred of the enemy and Visalaksha full four
hundred, both those mighty warriors penetrated into the heart of the
great Trigarta host. And having entered into the thick of the Trigarta
host, those famous and mighty heroes began to deprive their antagonists
of their senses by causing a closer conflict to set in--a conflict, in
which the combatants seized one another by the hair and tore one another
with their nails.[29] And eyeing the point where the cars of the
Trigartas had been mustered in strong numbers, those heroes at last
directed their attack towards it. And that foremost of car-warriors, king
Virata also, with Suryadatta in his van and Madiraksha in his rear,
having destroyed in that conflict five hundred cars, eight hundred
horses, and five warriors on great cars, displayed various skilful
manoeuvres on his car on that field of battle. And at last the king came
upon the ruler of the Trigartas mounted on a golden chariot. And those
high-souled and powerful warriors, desirous of fighting, rushed roaring
against each like two bulls in a cow-pen. Then that bull among men,
irrepressible in battle, Susarman, the king of the Trigartas, challenged
Matsya to a single combat on car. Then those warriors excited to fury
rushed against each other on their cars and began to shower their arrows
upon each other like clouds pouring torrents of rain.[30] And enraged
with each other, those fierce warriors, both skilled in weapons, both
wielding swords and darts and maces, then moved about (on the field of
battle) assailing each other with whetted arrows. Then king Virata
pierced Susarman with ten shafts and each of his four horses also with
five shafts. And Susarman also, irresistible in battle and conversant
with fatal weapons, pierced king of Matsya with fifty whetted shafts. And
then, O mighty monarch, in consequence of the dust on the field of
battle, the soldiers of both Susarman and Matsya's king could not
distinguish one another.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 4 : UPA-PARVA 32 ---------------------
