SECTION C
Sanjaya said, "Then Bhishma, the son of Santanu, went out with the
troops. And he disposed his own troops in mighty array called
Sarvatobhadra.[463] Kripa, and Kritavarman, and that mighty car-warrior
Saivya, and Sakuni, and the ruler of the Sindhus, and Sudakshina the
ruler of the Kamvojas, these all, together with Bhishma and your sons, O
Bharata, took up their stations in the van of the whole army and in the
very front of the (Kaurava) array. Drona and Bhurisravas and Salya and
Bhagadatta, O sire, clad in mail, took up their position in the right
wing of that array. And Aswatthaman, and Somadatta, and those great
car-warriors, viz., the two princes of Avanti, accompanied by a large
force, protected the left wing. Duryodhana, O monarch, surrounded on all
sides by the Trigartas, took up, for encountering the Pandavas, a
position in the midst of that array. That foremost of car-warriors, viz.,
Alamvusha, and that mighty car-warrior, viz., Srutayush, clad in mail,
took up their position in the rear of that array, and therefore, of the
whole army. Having, O Bharata, on that occasion formed their array thus,
thy warriors, clad in mail, looked like scorching fires.
"Then king Yudhishthira, and that son of Pandu, viz., Bhimasena, and the
twin sons of Madri, viz., Nakula and Sahadeva, clad in mail, took up
their position in the van of that array and therefore, at the very head
of all their troops. And Dhrishtadyumna, and Virata, and that mighty
car-warrior, viz., Satyaki,--these destroyers of hostile ranks,--stood,
supported by a large force. And Sikhandin, and Vijaya (Arjuna), and the
Rakshasa Ghatotkacha, and Chekitana of mighty arms, and the valiant
Kuntibhoja, stood for battle, surrounded by a large force. And that great
bowman Abhimanyu, and the mighty Drupada, and the (five) Kaikeya
brothers, stood for battle, clad in mail. Having formed their mighty and
invincible array thus, the Pandavas, endued with great courage in battle,
stood for the fight, clad in mail.
"Then the kings of your array, O monarch, exerting themselves at their
best, accompanied by their forces, and placing Bhishma at their van,
rushed against the Parthas in battle. Similarly the Pandavas also, O
king, headed by Bhimasena, and desirous of victory in battle proceeded,
for battling with Bhishma. With leonine roars and confused cries, blowing
their conches Krakachas, and cow-horns, beating their drums and cymbals
and Pandavas in thousands.[464] And uttering terrible shouts, the
Pandavas advanced to battle. With the din of our drums and cymbals and
conches and smaller drums, with loud leonine roars, and other kinds of
shouts, ourselves also, replying to the cries of the foe, rushed against
him with great impetuosity, inflamed with rage. Those sounds mingling
with one another, produced a tremendous uproar. The warriors then, of the
two armies, rushing at one another, began to strike. And in consequence
of the din produced by that encounter, the earth seemed to tremble. And
birds, uttering fierce cries, hovered in the air. The Sun, radiant as he
was when he had risen, became dimmed. And fierce winds blew, indicating
great terrors. Frightful jackals wandered, yelling terribly, O king, and
foreboding an awful carnage at hand. The quarters seemed, O king, to be
ablaze, and showers of dust fell from the blue. And a shower fell there,
of pieces of bones mixed with blood. And tears fell from the eyes of the
animals which were all weeping. And filled with anxiety, O king, these
began to urinate and eject the contents of their stomachs. And the loud
shouts of battle, O bull of Bharata's race, were rendered inaudible by
the louder cries of Rakshasas and cannibals. And jackals and vultures and
crows and dogs, uttering diverse kinds of cries, began, O sire, to fall
and swoop down on the field. And blazing meteors, striking against the
Sun's disc, fell with great celerity on the earth, foreboding great
terrors. Then those two vast hosts belonging to the Pandavas and the
Dhartarashtras, in course of that awful encounter, shook in consequence
of that tremendous uproar of conches and drums like forests shaken by the
tempest. And the noise made by the two armies, both of which abounded
with kings, elephants, and steeds, and which encountered each other in an
evil hour, resembled the noise made by oceans tossed by the tempest."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 100 ---------------------
