SECTION CXV
Sanjaya said, "Arjuna covered with his straight shafts the mighty
car-warrior Salya who was struggling vigorously in battle. And he pierced
Susarman and Kripa with three arrows each. And in that battle the
Atiratha Arjuna, afflicting your host, struck the ruler of the
Pragjyotishas, and Jayadratha the king of the Sindhus, and Chitrasena,
and Vikarna, and Kritavarman, and Durmarshana, O monarch, and those two
mighty car-warriors, viz., the princes of Avanti, each with three arrows
winged with the feathers of the Kanka and the peacock. Jayadratha,
staying on the car of Chitrasena, pierced Partha (in return), O Bharata,
and then, without loss of time, Bhima also, with his shafts. And Salya,
and that foremost of car-warriors, viz., Kripa, both pierced Jishnu, O
monarch, with diverse arrows capable of penetrating into the very vitals.
Thy sons headed by Chitrasena, O king, each quickly pierced Arjuna and
Bhimasena in that battle, O sire, with five sharp shafts. Those two
foremost of car-warriors however, viz., those sons of Kunti, those bulls
of Bharata's race, began in that battle to afflict the mighty host of the
Trigartas. Susarman (in return) pierced Partha with nine swift arrows,
and uttered a loud shout frightening the vast host (of the Pandavas). And
other heroic car-warriors pierced Bhimasena and Dhananjaya with many
straight-going arrows of keen points and golden wings. Amid these
car-warriors, however, those two bulls of Bharata's race, viz., the two
sons of Kunti, those great car-warriors, looked exceedingly beautiful.
And they seemed to sport amid them like two furious lions amid a herd of
kine. Cutting off in various ways the bows and arrows of many brave
warriors in that battle, those two heroes felled the heads of combatants
by hundreds upon hundreds. Innumerable cars were broken, and steeds by
hundreds were slain, and many elephants, along with their riders, were
laid low on the field in that dreadful battle. And car-warriors and
horsemen and elephant-riders in large numbers, O king, deprived of life
were seen moving in convulsions all over the field. And the earth was
covered with slain elephants and foot-soldiers in large bands, and steeds
deprived of life, and cars broken in diverse ways. And the prowess we
beheld there of Partha was highly wonderful, in as much as holding in
check all those heroes, that mighty warrior caused a great slaughter.
Kripa, and Kritavarman, and Jayadratha, the ruler of the Sindhus, and
Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti,--these did not forsake the battle. Then
that great bowman Bhima, and that mighty car-warrior Arjuna, began in
that battle to rout the fierce host of the Kauravas. The kings (in that
army) quickly sped at Dhananjaya's car myriads upon myriads and millions
upon millions of arrows furnished with peacock feathers. Partha, however,
checking those arrows by means of his own arrowy showers, began to send
those mighty car-warriors to Yama's abode. The great car-warrior Salya
then, excited with wrath and as if sporting in that battle, struck Partha
in the chest with some straight shafts of broad heads. Partha then,
cutting off by means of five shafts Salya's bow and leathern fence,
pierced the latter deeply in the very vitals with many arrows of keen
points. Taking up another bow capable of bearing a great strain, the
ruler of the Madras then furiously attacked Jishnu with three arrows, O
king, and Vasudeva with five. And he struck Bhimasena in the arms and the
chest with nine arrows. Then Drona, O king, and that mighty car-warrior,
viz., the ruler of the Magadhas, commanded by Duryodhana, both came to
that spot where those two mighty car-warriors, viz., Partha and
Bhimasena, were slaughtering the mighty host of the Kuru king. Jayatsena
(the king of the Magadhas) then, O bull of Bharata's race pierced Bhima,
that wielder of awful weapons in battle, with eight sharp arrows. Bhima,
however, pierced him (in return) with ten arrows, and once more with
five. And with another broad-headed shaft he felled Jayatsena's
charioteer from his niche in the car. The steeds (of his car), no longer
restrained, ran wildly in all directions and thus carried away the ruler
of the Magadhas (from battle) in the sight of all the troops. Meanwhile
Drona, noticing an opening, pierced Bhimasena, O bull of Bharata's race,
with eight keen shafts furnished with heads shaped after the frog's
mouth. Bhima, however, ever delighting in battle, pierced the preceptor,
who was worthy of paternal reverence, with five broad-headed arrows, and
then, O Bharata, with sixty. Arjuna, again piercing Susarman with a large
number of arrows made (wholly) of iron, destroyed his troops like the
tempest destroying mighty masses of clouds. Then Bhishma, and the king
(viz., Duryodhana), and Vrihadvala, the ruler of the Kosalas, excited
with rage, advanced upon Bhimasena and Dhananjaya. At this, the heroic
warriors of the Pandava army, and Dhrishtadyumna the son of Prishata,
rushed in battle against Bhishma who was advancing like Death himself
with wide-open mouth. Sikhandin also, sighting the grandsire of the
Bharatas, was filled with joy and rushed at him, abandoning all fear of
the mighty car-warrior. Then all the Parthas with Yudhishthira at their
head, placing Sikhandin in the van, and uniting with the Srinjayas,
fought with Bhishma in battle. And similarly all the warriors of thy
army, placing Bhishma of regulated vows in their van, fought in battle
with all the Parthas headed by Sikhandin. The battle then that commenced
there between the Kauravas and the sons of Pandu for the sake of
Bhishma's victory or victory over Bhishma, was exceedingly terrible.
Indeed, in that game of battle, played for the sake of victory or the
reverse, Bhishma, O monarch, became the stake on which the victory of thy
army depended. Then Dhrishtadyumna, O king, commanded all the troops,
saying, 'Rush against the son of Ganga. Do not fear, the best of
car-warriors. Hearing those words of their generalissimo, the army of the
Pandavas quickly advanced against Bhishma, ready to lay down their lives
in that dreadful battle. Bhishma then, that foremost of car-warriors,
received that large host rushing towards him, like the continent
receiving the surging sea."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 115 ---------------------
