SECTION LVIII
Sanjaya said, "Then those kings, excited with rage, beholding Phalguni in
battle, surrounded him on all sides with many thousands of cars. And
having, O Bharata surrounded him with multitudinous division of cars,
they shrouded him from all sides with many thousands of shafts. And
bright lances of sharp points, and maces, and clubs endued with spikes,
and bearded darts and battle-axes, and mallets and bludgeons they hurled
at Phalguni's car, excited with rage. And that shower of weapons
approaching (towards him) like a flight of locusts, Pritha's son checked
on all sides with his gold-decked arrows. And beholding there on that
occasion the superhuman lightness of hand that Vibhatsu possessed, the
gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Pisachas, the Uragas and the
Rakshasas eulogised Phalguni, O king, saying,--'Excellent, Excellent.'
And the heroic Gandharvas along with Suvala's son with a large force
surrounded Satyaki and Abhimanyu. Then the brave warriors led by Suvala's
son from anger, cut into pieces the excellent car of the Vrishni hero,
with weapons of diverse kinds. And in course of that fierce conflict,
Satyaki, abandoning that car of his, speedily mounted on Abhimanyu's car,
O chastiser of foes. And those two, mounted on the same car, then began
to speedily slaughter the army of Suvala's son with straight arrows of
sharp points. And Drona and Bhishma, steadily struggling in battle, began
to slaughter the division of king Yudhishthira the just, with sharp
shafts furnished with the feathers of the Kanka bird. Then the son of
Dharma and two other sons of Pandu by Madri, in the very sight of the
whole army, began to grind the division of Drona. And the battle that
took place there was fierce and awful, making the hair stand on end, like
the terrible battle that took place between the gods and the Asuras in
days of yore. And Bhimasena and Ghatotkacha, both achieved mighty feats.
Then Duryodhana, approaching, checked them both. And the prowess we then
beheld of Hidimva's son was exceedingly wonderful, insomuch that he
fought in battle, O Bharata, transcending his very father. And Bhimasena,
the son of Pandu, excited with wrath, pierced the vindictive Duryodhana
in the breast, with an arrow, smiling the while. Then king Duryodhana,
afflicted by the violence of that blow, sat down on the terrace of his
car and swooned away. And his charioteer then, beholding him senseless,
speedily bore him away, O king, from battle. And then the troops that
supported Duryodhana broke and fled. And thereupon Bhima, smiting that
Kuru army thus flying away in all directions, with sharp-pointed shafts,
pursued it behind. And Prishata's son (Dhrishtadyumna), that foremost of
warriors, and Pandu's son king Yudhishthira, the just, in the very sight,
O Bharata, of both Drona and Ganga's son, slew their army with sharp
shafts capable of slaying hostile forces. That host of your son, thus
flying away in battle, those mighty car-warriors. Bhishma and Drona were
incapable of checking. For though attempted to be checked by Bhishma and
the high-souled Drona, that host fled away in the very sight of Drona and
Bhishma. And then when (those) thousand of car-warriors fled away in all
directions, Subhadra's son and that bull of Sini's race, both stationed
on the same car, began, O chastiser of foes, to slaughter the army of
Suvala's son of battle. And Sini's grandson and that bull of Kuru's race
looked resplendent like the sun and the moon when together in the
firmament after the last lunation of the dark fortnight has passed away.
And then Arjuna also, O king, excited with rage, showered arrows on thy
army like the clouds pouring rain in torrents. And the Kaurava army, thus
slaughtered in battle with the shafts of Partha, fled away, trembling in
grief and fear. And beholding the army flying away, the mighty Bhishma
and Drona, excited with rage and both desirous of Duryodhana's welfare
sought to cheek it. Then king Duryodhana himself, comforting the
combatants, checked that army, then flying away in all directions. And
thereupon all the mighty Kshatriya car-warriors stopped, each at the spot
where he saw your son. And then others among the common soldiers,
beholding them stop, stopped of their own accord, O king, from shame and
desire of displaying their courage unto one another. And the impetuosity,
O king, of that army thus rallied to the fight resembled that of the
surging sea at the moment of the moon's rise. And king Duryodhana,
beholding that army of his rallied for the fight, quickly repaired to
Santanu's son Bhishma and said these words. 'O grandsire, listen to what
I say, O Bharata. When, O son of Kuru, you are alive, and Drona, that
foremost of persons conversant with weapons, along with his son and with
all our other friends (is alive), and then that mighty bowman Kripa also
is alive, I do not regard it as at all creditable that my army should
thus fly away. I do not regard the Pandavas to be, by any means, a match
for you or for Drona, in battle, or for Drona's son, or for Kripa.
Without doubt, O grandsire, the sons of Pandu are being favoured by thee,
inasmuch as you forgivest, O hero, this slaughter of my army. Thou
shouldst have told me, O king, before this battle took place, that thou
wouldst not fight with the Pandavas. Hearing such words from thee, as
also from the preceptor, O Bharata, I would then have, with Karna,
reflected upon what course I should pursue. If I do not deserve to be
abandoned by you two in battle, then, O bulls among men, do the fight
according to the measure of your prowess. Hearing these words, Bhishma,
laughing repeatedly, and turning up his eyes in wrath, said to your son,
'Many a time, O king, have I said unto you words worthy of thy
acceptance and fraught with your good. The Pandavas are incapable of being
vanquished in battle by the very gods with Vasava amongst them. That,
however, which my aged self is capable of doing, I will do to the extent
of my power, O best of kings, in this battle. Witness it now with thy
kinsmen. Today, in the very sight of all, alone I shall check the sons of
Pandu at the head of their troops and with all their kinsfolk.' Thus
addressed by Bhishma, your son, O king, filled with delight, caused
conches to be blown and drums to be beaten. And the Pandavas also, O
king, hearing that loud uproar, blew their conches, and caused their
drums and cymbals to be played upon."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 58 ---------------------
