SECTION LX
Sanjaya said,--"When the night passed away, O Bharata, the high-souled
Bhishma, with wrath engendered, supported by a large force, and stationed
at the head of the Bharata army, proceeded against the foe. And Drona and
Duryodhana and Valhika, and also Durmarshana and Chitrasena, the mighty
Jayadratha, and other royal warriors, supported by large divisions
accompanied, surrounding him all sides. And surrounded by those great and
mighty car-warriors endued with great prowess and energy, O king, he
shone, O best of monarchs, in the midst of those foremost of royal
warriors, like the chief of the celestials in the midst of the gods. And
the magnificent standards on the backs of the elephants stationed in
front of those ranks, of diverse colours, viz., red, yellow, black and
brown, waving in the air, looked exceedingly beautiful. And that army
with the royal son of Santanu and other mighty car-warriors and with
elephants and steeds, looked resplendent like a mass of clouds charged
with lightning, or like the firmament, in the season of rains, with
gathering clouds.[374] And then the fierce army of the Kurus, bent on
battle and protected by Santanu's son, rushed impetuously towards Arjuna
like the fierce current of the ocean-going Ganga.[375] Pervaded by
diverse kinds of forces possessed of great strength, and having in its
wings elephants, steeds, infantry, and cars in profusion, that array the
high-souled (Arjuna) having the prince of apes on his banner beheld from
a distance to resemble a mighty mass of clouds.[376] That high-souled
hero, that bull among men, upon his car furnished with tall standard and
unto which were yoked white steeds, at the head of his (own) division and
surrounded by a mighty force, proceeded against the whole hostile army.
And all the Kauravas with your sons, beholding that ape-bannered (warrior)
with his excellent standard and handsome car-shaft wrapped (in costly
cover), accompanied by that bull of Yadu's race, his charioteer in
battle, were filled with dismay. And your army beheld that best of arrays,
which was protected by that mighty car-warrior of the world, viz.,
Kiritin, with weapons upraised to have at each of its corners four
thousand elephants. Like the array which was formed on the day before by
that best of Kurus viz., king Yudhishthira the just, and like of which
had never been seen or heard before by human beings, was this one of
today (that the Pandavas formed). Then on the field of battle thousand of
drums were loudly beaten, and there arose from all the divisions the loud
blare of conches and the notes of trumpets and many leonine shouts. Then
(innumerable) bows of loud twang, stretched by heroic warriors with shaft
fixed on the bowstrings, and the blare of conches, silenced that uproar
of drums and cymbals. And the entire welkin filled with that blare of
conches was diffused with an earthly dust that made it wonderful to
behold. And with that dust the sky looked as if a vast canopy were spread
overhead. And beholding that canopy the brave warriors all rushed
impetuously (to battle). And car-warriors, struck by car-warriors, were
overthrown with charioteers, steeds, cars, and standards. And elephants,
struck by elephants, fell down, and foot-soldiers struck by
foot-soldiers. And rushing horsemen, struck down by rushing horsemen with
lances and swords, fell down with frightful countenances. And all this
seemed exceedingly wonderful. And excellent shields decked with golden
stars and possessed of solar effulgence, broken by (strokes of)
battle-axes, lances and swords dropped on the field.[377] And many
car-warriors mangled and bruised by the tusks and the strong trunks of
elephants, fell down with their charioteers. And many bulls among
car-warriors struck by bulls among car-warriors with their shafts, fell
down on the ground. And many persons hearing the wails of horsemen and
foot-soldiers struck with the tusks and other limbs of elephants or
crushed by the impetus of those huge creatures rushing in close ranks,
fell down on the field of battle.[378]
"Then when cavalry and foot-soldiers were falling fast, and elephants and
steeds and cars were flying away in fear, Bhishma, surrounded by many
mighty car-warriors, obtained sight of him who had the prince of apes on
his standard. And the palmyra-bannered warrior, viz. the son of Santanu,
having five palmyras on his standard, then rushed against the
diadem-decked (Arjuna) whose car, in consequence of the fleetness of the
excellent steeds attached to it was endued with wonderful energy and
which blazed like the very lightning in consequence of the energy of his
mighty weapons. And so against that son of Indra who was like unto Indra
himself, rushed many (other) warriors headed by Drona and Kripa and Salya
and Vivinsati and Duryodhana and also Somadatta's son, O king. Then the
heroic Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, conversant with all weapons and
cased in a handsome and golden coat of mail, rushing out of the ranks,
quickly proceeded against all those warriors. And that son of Krishna of
feats incapable of being borne, baffling the mighty weapons of all those
warriors of great strength, looked resplendent like the adorable Agni
himself, on the sacrificial altar, of blazing flames, invoked with high
mantras. Then Bhishma of mighty energy, creating in that battle a very
river whose waters were the blood of foes, and quickly avoiding
Subhadra's son, encountered that mighty car-warrior, viz., Partha
himself. Then Arjuna decked with diadem and garlands with his Gandiva of
wonderful mien and twang loud as the roar of the thunder, shooting
showers of arrows, baffled that shower of mighty weapons (shot by
Bhishma). And that high-souled warrior having the prince of apes on his
banner, of feats incapable of being borne, then poured in return upon
Bhishma, that best of all wielders of bows a shower of sharp-edged arrows
and polished shafts of broad heads. And so your troops also beheld that
shower of mighty weapons shot by him who had the prince of apes on his
banner, opposed and dispersed by Bhishma like the maker of day dispelling
(the gloom of night). And the Kurus and the Srinjayas, and all the people
there, beheld that single combat between those two foremost of men, viz.,
Bhishma and Dhananjaya, proceeding thus steadily and thus distinguished
by the terrible twang of the bows of both."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 60 ---------------------
