SECTION CXIV
Sanjaya said, "Hearing these words of the high-souled Drona, Bhagadatta
and Kripa and Salya and Kritavarman, and Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti,
and Jayadratha the ruler of the Sindhus, and Chitrasena and Vikarna and
Durmarshana and others, these ten warriors of your army, supported by a
large host consisting of many nationalities, fought with Bhimasena,
desirous of winning high renown in the battle for Bhishma's sake. And
Salya struck Bhima with nine arrows, and Kritavarman struck him with
three, and Kripa with nine. And Chitrasena and Vikarna and Bhagadatta, O
sire, each struck him with ten arrows. And the ruler of the Sindhus
struck him with three, and Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti each struck him
with five arrows. And Duryodhana struck that son of Pandu with twenty
sharp arrows. Bhimasena, O king, pierced in return every one of those
kings, those foremost of men in the world, those mighty car-warriors of
the Dhartarashtra army, one after another. The brave Pandava, that slayer
of hostile heroes, pierced Salya with seven arrows, and Kritavarman with
eight. And he cut off Kripa's bow with arrow fixed thereon, O Bharata, in
the middle, dividing it in twain. And after thus cutting off his bow, he
pierced Kripa once more with seven arrows. And he struck Vinda and
Anuvinda with three arrows each. And he pierced Durmarshana with twenty
arrows, and Chitrasena with five, and Vikarna with ten, and Jayadratha
with five. And once more striking the ruler of the Sindhus with three
arrows, he uttered a loud shout, filled with joy. Then Gautama, that
foremost of car-warriors, taking up another bow, angrily pierced Bhima
with ten sharp shafts. Pierced with those ten shafts like a huge elephant
with the hook, the valiant Bhimasena, O king, filled with wrath, struck
Gautama in that battle with many shafts. Possessed of the splendour of
Yama himself, as he appears at the end of the Yuga, Bhimasena then, with
three arrows, despatched unto Death's domain the steeds of the ruler of
the Sindhus as also his charioteer. Thereupon that mighty car-warrior,
(viz., Jayadratha), quickly jumping down from that car whose steeds had
been slain, shot in that battle many sharp-pointed shafts at Bhimasena.
Then, O sire, with a couple of broad-headed arrows, he cut off, O chief
of the Bharatas, the bow of the high-souled king of the Sindhus in the
middle. His bow cut off, himself deprived of car, his steeds and
charioteer slain, Jayadratha then, O king, quickly mounted on the car of
Chitrasena. Indeed, the son of Pandu achieved in that battle a most
wonderful feat, for piercing all those mighty car-warriors and holding
them in check, he deprived, O sire, the ruler of the Sindhus of his car
in the very sight of all the army. Salya could not brook to see the
prowess that Bhimasena displayed, for saying unto him,--Wait, Wait,--he
aimed some sharp arrows well-polished by the forger's hands, and pierced
Bhima therewith in that battle. And Kripa and Kritavarman and the valiant
Bhagadatta, and Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, and Chitrasena, and
Durmarshana, and Vikarna, and the valiant ruler of the Sindhus also, in
that battle,--These chastisers of foes, all quickly pierced Bhima for the
sake of Salya. Bhima then pierced each of them in return with five
arrows. And he pierced Salya then with seventy arrows and once more with
ten. And Salya then pierced him with nine arrows and once more with five.
And he pierced Bhimasena's charioteer also, deep in his vitals, with a
broad-headed arrow. The valiant Bhimasena then, beholding his charioteer
Visoka deeply pierced, sped three arrows at the arms and chest of the
ruler of Madras. And as regards the other great bowmen, he pierced each
of them in that battle With three straight arrows, and then uttered a
loud roar like that of a lion. Each of those great bowmen then, exerting
himself with vigour, deeply Pierced that son of Pandu skilled in battle,
with three arrows in his vitals. That mighty bowman viz., Bhimasena,
though pierced deeply, trembled not (but stood still) like a mountain
drenched with torrents of rain by showering clouds. Then that mighty
car-warrior of the Pandavas, filled with wrath, that celebrated hero,
deeply, pierced the ruler of the Madras with three arrows. And he pierced
the ruler of the Pragjyotishas, O king, in that battle, with a hundred
arrows. Of great renown, he then pierced Kripa with many arrows, and
then, displaying great dexterity, he cut off with a keen-edged shaft the
bow, with arrow fixed thereon, of the high-souled Kritavarman. Then
Kritavarman, that scorcher of foes, taking up another bow, struck
Vrikodara between his eyebrows with a long arrow. Bhima, however, in that
battle, having pierced Salya with nine arrows made wholly of iron, and
Bhagadatta with three, and Kritavarman with eight, pierced each of the
others with Gautama at their head, with two arrows. Those warriors also,
in return, pierced him, O king, with sharp-pointed shafts. Though thus
afflicted by those mighty car-warriors with all kinds of weapons, yet,
regarding them all as straw, he coursed on the field without any anxiety.
Those foremost of car-warriors (on the other hand), with great coolness,
sped at Bhima sharp-pointed arrows by hundreds and thousands. The heroic
and mighty Bhagadatta then, in that battle, hurled at him a dart of
fierce impetuosity furnished with a golden staff. And the Sindhu king, of
strong arms, hurled at him a lance and an axe. And Kripa, O king, hurled
at him a Sataghni, and Salya an arrow. And the other great bowmen each
sped at him five arrows with great force. The son of the Wind-god then
cut off, with a sharp shaft, that lance in twain. And he cut off that axe
also with three shafts, as if it were a sesame stalk. And with five
shafts winged with the feathers of the Kanka bird, he cut that Sataghni
into fragments. That mighty car-warrior then, having cut off the arrow
sped by the ruler of the Madras, forcibly cut off the dart sped by
Bhagadatta in that battle. As regards the other fierce shafts, Bhimasena,
proud of his feats in battle, cut them each into three fragments by means
of his own straight shafts. And he struck each of those great bowmen also
with three shafts. Then Dhananjaya, during the progress of that dreadful
battle, beholding the mighty car-warrior Bhima striking the foe and
battling (against many) with his arrows, came thither on his car. Then
those bulls among men, of your army, beholding those two high-souled sons
of Pandu together, gave up all hopes of victory. Then Arjuna, desirous of
slaying Bhishma, placing Sikhandin before him, approached Bhima who had
been fighting with those great car-warriors and fell upon those fierce
combatants, numbering ten, of your army, O Bharata. Then Vibhatsu,
desirous of doing what was agreeable to Bhima, pierced all those
warriors, O king, who had been battling with Bhima. Then king Duryodhana
urged Susarman, for the destruction of both Arjuna and Bhimasena, saying,
'O Susarman, go you quickly supported by a large force. Slay those two
sons of Pandu, viz., Dhananjaya and Vrikodara.' Hearing these words of
his, the Trigarta king who ruled the country called Prasthala, quickly
rushed in battle upon those two bowmen, viz., Bhima and Dhananjaya, and
surrounded them both by many thousands of cars. Then commenced a fierce
battle between Arjuna and the foe."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 114 ---------------------
