SECTION CLXXXIII
"Bhishma said, 'After the battle had ceased, my charioteer, well-skilled
in such operations, drew out from his own body, from the bodies of my
steeds, and from my body as well, the arrows that struck there. Next
morning, when the sun rose, the battle commenced again, my horses having
(a little while before) been bathed and allowed to roll on the ground and
having had their thirst slaked and thereby re-invigorated. And beholding
me coming quickly to the encounter attired in a coat of mail and
stationed on my car, the mighty Rama equipped his car with great care.
And I myself also, beholding Rama coming towards me from desire of
battle, placed aside my bow and quickly descended from my car. Saluting
Rama I re-ascended it, O Bharata, and desirous of giving battle, stood
fearlessly before that son of Jamadagni. I then overwhelmed him with a
thick shower of arrows, and he too covered me with an arrowy shower in
return. And filled with wrath. Jamadagni's son once more shot at me a
number of fierce shafts of great force and blazing mouths looking like
veritable snakes! And I too, O king, shooting sharp shafts by hundreds
and thousands, repeatedly cut: off Rama's arrows in mid-air before they
could come at me. Then the mighty son of Jamadagni began to hurl
celestial weapons at me, all of which I repelled, desirous of achieving
mightier feats, O you of strong arms, with-my weapons. And loud was the
din that then arose in the welkin all around. At that time, I hurled at
Rama the weapon named Vayavya which Rama neutralised, O Bharata, by the
weapon called Guhyaka. Then I applied, with proper mantras, the weapon
called Agneya but the lord Rama neutralised that weapon of mine by one
(of his) called Varuna. And it was in this way that I neutralised the
celestial weapons of Rama, and that chastiser of foes, Rama also, endued
with great energy and acquainted with celestial weapons, neutralised the
weapons shot by me. Then, O monarch, that best of Brahmanas, the mighty
son of Jamadagni, filled with wrath, suddenly wheeling to my right,
pierced me in the breast. At this, O best of the Bharatas, I swooned on
my best of cars. And beholding me, reft of consciousness, my charioteer
quickly bore me away from the field. And seeing me afflicted and pierced
with Rama's weapons and borne away drooping and in a swoon, all the
followers of Rama, including Akritavrana and others and the princess of
Kasi, filled with joy, O Bharata, began to shout aloud! Regaining
consciousness then, I addressed my charioteer, saying,--Go where Rama
stayeth! My pains have left me, and I am ready for battle!--Thus
instructed, my charioteer soon took me where Rama was, with the aid of
those exceedingly handsome steeds of mine that seemed to dance as they
coursed (through the plain) and that were endued with the speed of the
wind. And approaching Rama then, O you of Kuru's race, and filled with
wrath, from desire of vanquishing his angry self, I overwhelmed him with
an arrowy shower! But Rama, shooting three for every single of mine, cut
into fragments every one of my straight-going arrows in mid air before
any of them could reach him! And beholding those well-furnished arrows of
mine by hundreds and thousands, each cut off in twain by Rama's arrows,
all the followers of Rama were filled with joy. Impelled then by the
desire of slaying him, I shot at Rama, the son of Jamadagni, a
good-looking arrow of blazing effulgence with Death's self sitting at its
head. Struck very forcibly therewith and succumbing to its impetus, Rama
fell into a swoon and dropped down on the ground. And when Rama thus
dropped on the ground, exclamations of Oh and Alas arose on all sides,
and the whole universe, O Bharata, was filled with confusion and alarm,
such as may be witnessed if the sun himself were ever to fall down from
the firmament! Then all those ascetics together with the princess of
Kasi, quietly proceeded, O son of Kuru's race, with great anxiety towards
Rama. And embracing him, O Kaurava, they began to comfort him softly with
the touch of their hands, rendered cold by contact with water, and with
assurances of victory. Thus comforted, Rama rose up and fixing an arrow
to his bow he addressed me in an agitated voice, saying, 'Stay, O
Bhishma! Thou are already slain! And let off by him, that arrow quickly
pierced my left side in that fierce encounter. And struck therewith, I
began to tremble like a tree shaken by the tempest. Slaying my horses
then in terrific combat, Rama, fighting with great coolness, covered me
with swarms of winged arrows, shot with remarkable lightness of hand. At
this, O mighty-armed one, I also began to shoot arrows with great
lightness of hand for obstructing Rama's arrowy shower. Then those arrows
shot by myself and Rama covering the welkin all around, stayed even there
(without failing down). And, thereupon, enveloped by clouds of arrows the
very sun could not shed its rays through them. And the very wind,
obstructed by those clouds, seemed to be unable to pass through them.
Then, in consequence of the obstructed motion of the wind, the rays of
the sun, and the clash of the arrows against one another, a conflagration
was caused in the welkin. And then those arrows blazed forth in
consequence of the fire generated by themselves, and fell on the earth,
consumed into ashes! Then Rama, O Kaurava, filled with rage, covered me
with hundreds and thousands and hundreds of thousands and hundreds of
millions arrows! And I also, O king, with my arrows resembling snakes of
virulent poison, cut into fragments all those arrows of Rama and caused
them to fall down on the earth like snakes cut into pieces. And it was
thus, O best of the Bharatas, that combat took place. When, however, the
shades of evening approached, my preceptor withdrew from the fight.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 5 : UPA-PARVA 183 ---------------------
