SECTION CXVII
Sanjaya said, "Abhimanyu, O king, displaying his prowess for the sake of
Bhishma, fought with your son who was supported by a large force. Then
Duryodhana, excited with wrath, struck Abhimanyu in the chest with rune
straight arrows, and once more with three. Then in that battle, Arjuna's
son, inflamed with wrath, hurled at Duryodhana's car a terrible dart
resembling the rod of Death himself. Thy son, however, that mighty
car-warrior, O king, with a broad-headed arrow of great sharpness, cut
off in twain that dart of terrible force coursing towards him with great
speed. Beholding that dart of his drop down on the earth, Arjuna's
wrathful son pierced Duryodhana with three shafts in his arms and chest.
And once more, O Chief of the Bharatas, that mighty car-warrior of
Bharata's race struck the Kuru king with ten fierce shafts in the centre
of his chest. And the battle, O Bharata, that took place between those
two heroes, viz., Subhadra's son, and that bull of Kuru's race, the
former fighting for compassing Bhishma's death and the latter for
Arjuna's defeat, was fierce and interesting to behold, and gratifying to
the senses, and was applauded by all the kings. That bull among Brahmanas
and chastiser of foes, viz., the son of Drona, excited with wrath in that
battle, forcibly struck Satyaki in the chest with fierce arrow. The
grandson of Sini also, that hero of immeasurable soul, struck the
preceptor's son in every vital limbs with nine shafts winged with the
feathers of the Kanka bird. Aswatthaman then, in that battle, struck
Satyaki (in return) with nine shafts, and once more, quickly, with
thirty, in his arms and chest. Then that great bowman Of the Satwata
race, possessed of great fame, deeply pierced by Drona's son, pierced the
latter (in return) with arrows. The mighty car-warrior Paurava, covering
Dhrishtaketu in that battle with his shafts, mangled that great bowman
exceedingly. The mighty car-warrior Dhrishtaketu, endued with great
strength, quickly pierced the former with thirty arrows. Then the mighty
car-warrior Paurava cut off Dhrishtaketu's bow, and uttering a loud
shout, pierced him with whetted shafts. Dhrishtaketu then taking up
another bow, pierced Paurava, O king, with three and seventy shafts of
great sharpness. Those two great bowmen and mighty car-warriors, both of
gigantic stature, pierced each other with showers of arrows. Each
succeeded in cutting off the other's bow, and each slew the other's
steeds. And both of them, thus deprived of their cars, then encountered
each other in a battle with swords. And each took up a beautiful shield
made of bull's hide and docked with a hundred moons and graced with a
hundred stars. And each of them also took up a polished sword of
brilliant lustre. And thus equipt, they rushed, O king at each other,
like two lions in the deep forest, both seeking the companionship of the
same lioness in her season. They wheeled in beautiful circles, advanced
and retreated, and displayed other movements, seeking to strike each
other. Then Paurava, excited with wrath, addressed Dhrishtaketu,
saying--Wait, Wait,--and struck him on the frontal bone with that large
scimitar of his. The king of the Chedis also, in that battle, struck
Paurava, that bull among men, on his shoulder-joint, with his large
scimitar of sharp edge. Those two repressors of foes thus encountering
each other in dreadful battle and thus striking each other, O king, both
fell down on the field. Then your son Jayatsena, taking Paurava up on his
car, removed him from the field of battle on that vehicle. And as regards
Dhrishtaketu, the valiant and heroic Sahadeva, the son of Madri,
possessed of great prowess, bore him away from the field.
"Chitrasena, having pierced Susarman with many arrows made wholly of
iron, once more pierced him with sixty arrows and once more with nine.
Susarman, however, excited with wrath in battle, pierced your son, O king,
with hundreds of arrows. Chitrasena then, O monarch, excited with rage,
pierced his adversary with thirty straight shafts. Susarman, however,
pierced Chitrasena again in return.[480]
"In that battle for the destruction of Bhishma, Subhadra's son, enhancing
his fame and honour, fought with prince Vrihadvala, putting forth his
prowess for aiding (his sire) Partha and then proceeded towards Bhishma's
front. The ruler of the Kosalas, having pierced the son of Arjuna with
five shafts made of iron, once more pierced him with twenty straight
shafts. Then the son of Subhadra pierced the ruler of Kosalas with eight
shafts made wholly of iron. He succeeded not, however, in making the
ruler of the Kosalas to tremble, and, therefore, he once more pierced him
with many arrows. And Phalguni's son then cut off Vrihadvala's bow, and
struck him again with thirty arrows winged with feathers of the Kanka
bird. Prince Vrihadvala then, taking up another bow, angrily pierced the
son of Phalguni in that battle with many arrows. Verily, O scorcher of
foes, the battle, for Bhishma's sake, that took place between them, both
excited with rage and both conversant with every mode of fight, was like
the encounter of Vali and Vasava in days of old on the occasion of the
battle between the gods and the Asuras.
"Bhimasena, fighting against the elephant-division, looked highly
resplendent like Sakra armed with the thunder after splitting large
mountains.[481] Indeed, elephants, huge as hills, slaughtered by
Bhimasena in battle, fell down in numbers on the field, filling the earth
with their shrieks. Resembling massive heaps of antimony, and of
mountain-like proportions, those elephants with frontal globes split
open, lying prostrate on the earth, seemed like mountains strewn over the
earth's surface. The mighty bowman Yudhishthira, protected by a large
force, afflicted the ruler of the Madras, encountering him in that
dreadful battle. The ruler of the Madras, in return, displaying his
prowess for the sake of Bhishma, afflicted the son of Dharma, that mighty
car-warrior, in battle. The king of Sindhus, having pierced Virata with
nine straight arrows of keen points, once more struck him with thirty.
Virata, however, O king, that commander of a large division, struck
Jayadratha in the centre of his chest with thirty shafts of keen points.
The ruler of the Matsyas and the ruler of the Sindhus, both armed with
beautiful bows and beautiful scimitars, both decked with handsome coats
of mail and weapons and standards, and both of beautiful forms looked
resplendent in that battle.
"Drona, encountering Dhrishtadyumna the prince of the Panchalas in
dreadful battle, fought fiercely with his straight shafts. Then Drona, O
king, having cut off the large bow of Prishata's son, pierced him deeply
with fifty arrows. Then that slayer of hostile heroes, viz., the son of
Prishata, taking up another bow, sped at Drona who was contending with
him, many arrows. The mighty car-warrior Drona however, cut off all those
arrows, striking them with his own. And then Drona sped at Drupada's son
five fierce shafts. Then that slayer of hostile heroes, viz., the son of
Prishata, excited with rage, hurled at Drona in that battle a mace
resembling the rod of Death himself. Drona however, with fifty arrows
checked that mace decked with gold as it coursed impetuously towards him.
Thereupon that mace, cut into fragments, O king, by those shafts shot
from Drona's bow, fell down on the earth. Then that scorcher of foes,
viz., the son of Prishata, beholding his mace baffled, hurled at Drona an
excellent dart made wholly of iron. Drona, however, O Bharata, cut that
dart with nine shafts in that battle and then afflicted that great
bowman, viz., the son of Prishata. Thus took place, O king, that fierce
and awful battle between Drona and the son of Prishata, for the sake of
Bhishma.
"Arjuna, getting at the son of Ganga, afflicted him with many arrows of
keen points, and rushed at him like an infuriate elephant in the forest
upon another. King Bhagadatta, however, of great prowess then rushed at
Arjuna, and checked his course in battle with showers of arrows. Arjuna
then, in that dreadful battle, pierced Bhagadatta's elephant coming
towards him, with many polished arrows of iron, that were all bright as
silver and furnished with keen points. The son of Kunti, meanwhile, O
king, urged Sikhandin, saying,--Proceed, proceed, towards Bhishma, and
slay him!--Then, O elder brother of Pandu, the ruler of Pragjyotishas,
abandoning that son of Pandu, quickly proceeded, O king, against the car
of Drupada. Then Arjuna, O monarch, speedily proceeded towards Bhishma,
placing Sikhandin ahead. And then there took place a fierce battle, for
all the brave combatants of your army rushed with great vigour against
Arjuna, uttering loud shouts. And all this seemed extremely wonderful.
Like the wind dispersing in the summer masses of clouds in the welkin,
Arjuna dispersed, O king, all those diverse divisions of your sons.
Sikhandin, however, without any anxiety, coming up at the grandsire of
the Bharatas, quickly pierced him with great many arrows. As regards
Bhishma, his car was then his fire-chamber. His bow was the flame of that
fire. And swords I and darts and maces constituted the fuel of that fire.
And the showers of arrows he shot were the blazing sparks of that fire
with which he was then consuming Kshatriyas in that battle. As a raging
conflagration with constant supply of fuel, wandereth amid masses of dry
grass when aided by the wind, so did Bhishma blaze up with his flames,
scattering his celestial weapons. And the Kuru hero slew the Somakas that
followed Partha in that battle. Indeed that mighty car-warrior checked
also the other forces of Arjuna, by means of his straight and whetted
shafts furnished with wings of gold. Filling in that dreadful battle all
the points of the compass, cardinal and subsidiary, with his leonine
shouts, Bhishma felled many car-warriors, O king, (from their cars) and
many steeds along with their riders. And he caused large bodies of cars
to look like forests of palmyras shorn of their leafy heads. That
foremost of all wielders of weapons, in that battle, deprived cars and
steeds and elephants, of their riders. Hearing the twang of his bow and
the slap of his palms, both resembling the roll of the thunder, the
troops, O king, trembled all over the field. The shafts, O chief of men,
of your sire were never bootless as they fell. Indeed, shot from Bhishma's
bow they never fell only touching the bodies of the foe (but pierced them
through in every case). We saw crowds of cars, O king, deprived of
riders, but unto which were yoked fleet steeds, dragged on all sides with
the speed of the wind. Full fourteen thousand great car-warriors of noble
parentage, prepared to lay down their lives, unretreating and brave, and
possessed of standards decked with gold, belonging to the Chedis, the
Kasis, and the Karushas, approaching Bhishma, that hero who resembled the
Destroyer himself with wide-open mouth, were despatched to the other
world, with their steeds, cars and elephants. There was not, O king, a
single great car-warrior among the Somakas, who, having approached
Bhishma in that battle, returned with life from that engagement.
Beholding Bhishma's prowess, people regarded all those warriors (who
approached him) as already despatched to the abode of the king of the
Dead. Indeed, no car-warrior ventured to approach Bhishma in battle,
except the heroic Arjuna having white steeds (yoked unto his car) and
owning Krishna for his charioteer, and Sikhandin, the prince of Panchala,
of immeasurable energy."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 117 ---------------------
