SECTION 15
"Sanjaya said, 'Endued with the greatest activity, Drona's son, O king,
displaying the lightness of his arms, pierced Bhima with an arrow. Aiming
at all his vital points--for he had a knowledge of all the vital points
of the body--the quick-handed Ashvatthama again struck him with ninety
shafts. Pierced all over with keen arrows by the son of Drona, Bhimasena
looked resplendent in that battle like the Sun himself with his rays. The
son of Pandu then, covering the son of Drona with a 1,000 well-directed
shafts, uttered a leonine roar. Baffling with his own shafts the shafts
of his foe in that battle, the son of Drona, O king, as if smiling, then
struck the Pandava on the forehead with a cloth-yard shaft. The son of
Pandu bore that arrow on his forehead even as the proud rhinoceros, O
king, in the forest bears its horn. The valiant Bhima, then, in that
battle as if smiling all the while, struck the struggling son of Drona on
the forehead with three cloth-yard shafts. With those three arrows
sticking on his forehead, that brahmana looked beautiful like a
three-peaked mountain washed with water in the season of rains. The son
of Drona then afflicted the Pandava with hundreds of arrows, but failed
to shake him like the wind failing to shake the mountain. Similarly the
son of Pandu, filled with joy, could not in that battle shake the son of
Drona with his hundreds of keen shafts like torrents of rain failing to
shake a mountain. Shrouding each other with showers of terrible shafts
those two great car-warriors, those two heroes, endued with fierce might,
shone resplendent on those two foremost of cars of theirs. Then they
looked like two blazing Suns risen for the destruction of the world, and
engaged themselves in scorching each other with their rays representing
excellent arrows. Endeavouring with great care to counteract each other's
feats in the great battle, and actually engaged in matching deed by deed
with showers of arrows most fearlessly, those two foremost of men
careered in that combat like a couple of tigers. Both invincible and
terrible, arrows constituted their fangs and bows their mouths. They
became invisible under those clouds of arrows on all sides like the Sun
and the Moon in the firmament shrouded by masses of clouds. And then
those two chastisers of foes soon became visible and blazed forth like
Mars and Mercury freed from cloudy screens. Then at that instant during
the progress of that awful battle, Drona's son placing Vrikodara to his
right, poured hundreds of fierce arrows upon him like the clouds pouring
torrents of rain upon a mountain. Bhima, however, could not brook that
indication of his enemy's triumphs. The son of Pandu, O king, from that
very station on Ashvatthama's right, began to counteract the latter's
feats. Their cars continuing to wheel around in diverse ways and advance
and retreat (according to the exigencies of the situation), the battle
between those two lions among men became exceedingly furious. Careering
in diverse paths, and (executing) circular manoeuvres, they continued to
strike each other with arrows shot from their bows drawn to their fullest
stretch. And each made the greatest endeavours to compass the destruction
of the other. And each of them desired to make the other carless in that
battle. Then that car-warrior, viz., the son of Drona, invoked many
mighty weapons. The son of Pandu, however, in that battle, with his own
weapons, counteracted all those weapons of his foe. Then, O monarch,
there took place an awful encounter of weapons, like to the terrible
encounter of planets at the time of the universal dissolution. Those
shafts, O Bharata, let off by them, coming in collision, illuminated all
the points of the compass and your troops also all around. Covered with
flights of arrows, the welkin assumed a terrible sight, like to what
happens, O king, at the time of the universal dissolution, when it is
covered with falling meteors. From the clash of shafts, O Bharata, fire
was generated there with sparks and blazing flames. That fire began to
consume both armies. Siddhas, moving there, O monarch, said these words,
"O lord, this battle is the foremost of all battles. Any battle (fought
before) does not come up to even a sixteenth part of this. A battle like
this will never occur again. Both these persons, viz., this brahmana and
this kshatriya, are endued with knowledge. Both are possessed of courage,
and both are fierce in prowess. Dreadful is the might of Bhima, and
wonderful is the skill of the other in weapons. How great is their energy
and how wonderful the skill possessed by both! Both of them stand in this
battle like two universe-destroying Yamas at the end of the Yuga. They
are born like two Rudras or like two Suns. These two tigers among men,
both endued with terrible forms, are like two Yamas in this battle." Such
were the words of the Siddhas heard there every moment. And among the
assembled denizens of heaven there arose a leonine roar. Beholding the
amazing and inconceivable feats of the two warriors in that battle, the
dense throngs of Siddhas, and Charanas were filled with wonder. And the
gods, the Siddhas, and the great Rishis applauded them both saying,
"Excellent, O mighty-armed son of Drona. Excellent, O Bhima." Meanwhile
those two heroes, in that battle, O king, having done injuries to each
other, glared at each other with eyes rolling in rage. With eyes red in
rage, their lips also quivered in rage. And they grinded their teeth in
wrath and bit their lips. And those two great car-warriors covered each
other with showers of arrows, as if they were in that battle two masses
of clouds that poured torrents of arrows for rain and that gleamed with
weapons constituting their lightning. Having pierced each other's
standards and drivers in that great battle, and having also pierced each
other's steeds, they continued to strike each other. Then, O monarch,
filled with rage, they took up in that dreadful encounter, two arrows,
and each desirous of slaying the other shot quickly at his foe. Those two
blazing arrows, resistless and endued with the force of thunder, coming,
O king, to the two warriors as they stood at the head of their respective
divisions, struck them both. Each of the two mighty combatants then
deeply struck with those arrows, sank, on the terrace of their respective
car. Understanding the son of Drona to be insensible, his driver then
bore him away from the battle-field, O king, in the sight of all the
troops. Similarly, O king, Bhima's driver bore away from the battle-field
on his car, the son of Pandu, that scorcher of foes, who was repeatedly
falling into a swoon.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 15 ---------------------
