SECTION XCIV
Sanjaya said, "Having in that battle made all those warriors (of thy
army) turn their faces from the field, the Rakshasa then, O chief of the
Bharatas, rushed at Duryodhana, desirous of slaying him. Beholding him
rushing with great impetuosity towards the king, many warriors of thy
army, incapable of defeat in battle, rushed towards him (in return) from
desire of slaying him. Those mighty car-warriors, drawing their bows that
measured full six cubits long, and uttering loud roars like a herd of
lions, all rushed together against that single warrior. And surrounding
him on all sides, they covered him with their arrowy showers like the
clouds covering the mountain-breast with torrents of rain in autumn.
Deeply pierced with those arrows and much pained, he resembled then an
elephant pierced with the hook. Quickly then he soared up into the
firmament like Garuda. And (while there) he uttered many loud roars like
the autumnal clouds, making the welkin and all the points of the compass,
cardinal and subsidiary, resounded with those fierce cries. Hearing those
roars of the Rakshasa, O chief of the Bharatas, king Yudhishthira then,
addressing Bhima, said unto that chastiser of foes these words, 'The
noise that we hear uttered by the fiercely-roaring Rakshasa, without
doubt, indicates that he is battling with the mighty car-warriors of the
Dhartarashtra army. I see also that the burden has proved heavier than
what that bull among Rakshasas is able to bear. The grandsire, too,
excited with rage, is ready to slaughter the Panchalas. For protecting
them Phalguni is battling with the foe. O you of mighty arms hearing now
of these two tasks, both of which demand prompt attention, go and give
succour to Hidimva's son who is placed in a position of very great
danger.' Listening to these words of his brother, Vrikodara, with great
speed, proceeded, frightening all the kings with his leonine roars, with
great impetuosity, O king, like the ocean itself during the period of the
new full moon. Him followed Satyadhriti and Sauchiti difficult of being
vanquished in battle, and Srenimat, and Vasudana and the powerful son of
the ruler of Kasi, and many car-warriors headed by Abhimanyu, as also
those mighty car-warriors, viz., the sons of Draupadi, and the valiant
Kshatradeva, and Kshatradharman, and Nila, the ruler of the low
countries, at the head of his own forces. And these surrounded the son of
Hidimva with a large division of cars (for aiding him).[446] And they
advanced to the rescue of Ghatotkacha, that prince of the Rakshasas, with
the six thousand elephants, always infuriate and accomplished in smiting.
And with their loud leonine roars, and the clatter of their car-wheels,
and with the tread of their horse's hoofs, they made the very earth to
tremble. Hearing the din of those advancing warriors the faces of thy
troops who were filled with anxiety in consequence of their fear of
Bhimasena became pale. Leaving Ghatotkacha then they all fled away. Then
commenced in that part of the field a dreadful battle between those
high-souled warriors and thine, both of whom were unretreating. Mighty
car-warriors, hurling diverse kinds of the weapons, chased and smote one
another. That fierce battle striking terror into the hearts of the timid,
was such that the different classes of combatants became entangled with
one another. Horses engaged with elephants and foot-soldiers with
car-warriors. And challenging one another, O king, they engaged in the
fight.[447] And in consequence of that clash of cars, steeds, elephants,
and foot-soldiers, a thick dust appeared, raised by the car-wheels and
the tread (of those combatants and animals). And that dust, thick and of
the colour of reddish smoke, shrouded the field of battle. And the
combatants were unable to distinguish their own from the foe. Sire
recognised not the son, and son recognised not the sire, in that dreadful
engagement which made the hair stand on end and in which no consideration
was shown (by any one for any body). And the noise made by the hissing
weapons and the shouting combatants resembled, O chief of Bharata's race,
that made by departed spirits (in the infernal regions). And there flowed
a river whose current consisted of the blood of elephants and steeds and
men. And the hair (of the combatants) formed its weeds and moss. And in
that battle heads falling from the trunks of men made a loud noise like
that of a falling shower of stones. And the earth was strewn with the
headless trunks of human beings, with mangled bodies of elephants and
with the hacked limbs of steeds. And mighty car-warriors chased one
another for smiting one another down, and hurled diverse kinds of
weapons. Steeds, urged by their riders and falling upon steeds, dashed
against one another and fell down deprived of life. And men, with eyes
red in wrath, rushing against men and striking one another with their
chests, smote one another down. And elephants, urged by their guides
against hostile elephants, slew their compeers in that battle, with the
points of their tusks. Covered with blood in consequence of their wounds
and decked with standards (on their backs), elephants were entangled with
elephants and looked like masses of clouds charged with lightning. And
some amongst them mounted (by others) with the points of their tusks, and
some with their frontal globes split with lances, ran hither and thither
with loud shrieks like masses of roaring clouds. And some amongst them
with their trunks lopped off,[448] and others with mangled limbs, dropped
down in that dreadful battle like mountains shorn of their wings.[449]
Other huge elephants, copiously shedding blood from their flanks, ripped
open by compeers, looked like mountains with (liquified) red chalk
running down their sides (after a shower).[450] Others, slain with shafts
or pierced with lances and deprived of their riders, looked like
mountains deprived of their crests.[451]Some amongst them, possessed by
wrath and blinded (with fury) in consequence of the juice (trickling down
their temples and cheeks).[452] and no longer restrained with the hook,
crushed cars and steeds and foot-soldiers in that battle by hundreds. And
so steeds, attacked by horsemen with bearded darts and lances, rushed
against their assailants, as if agitating the points of the compass.
Car-warriors of noble parentage and prepared to lay down their lives,
encountering car-warriors, fought fearlessly, relying upon their utmost
might. The combatants, O king, seeking glory or heaven, struck one
another in that awful press, as if in a marriage by self-choice. During
however, that dreadful battle making the hair stand on end, the
Dhartarashtra troops generally were made to run their backs on the field."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 94 ---------------------
