SECTION 30
"Sanjaya said, 'Placing Karna at their van, your warriors, difficult of
defeat in fight, returned and fought (with the foe) a battle that
resembled that between the gods and the Asuras. Excited by the loud
uproar made by elephants and men and cars and steeds and conchs,
elephant-men and car-warriors and foot-soldiers and horsemen, in large
numbers, filled with wrath advanced against the foe and slew the latter
with strokes of diverse kinds of weapons. Elephants and cars, steeds and
men, in that dreadful battle were destroyed by brave warriors with sharp
battle axes and swords and axes and shafts of diverse kinds and by means
also of their animals. Strewn with human heads that were adorned with
white teeth and fair faces and beautiful eyes and goodly noses, and
graced with beautiful diadems and earrings, and everyone of which
resembled the lotus, the Sun, or the Moon, the Earth looked exceedingly
resplendent. Elephants and men and steeds, by thousands, were slain with
hundreds of spiked clubs and short bludgeons and darts and lances and
hooks and Bhusundis and maces. The blood that fell formed a river like
currents on the field. In consequence of those car-warriors and men and
steeds and elephants slain by the foe, and lying with ghostly features
and gaping wounds, the field of battle looked like the domains of the
king of the dead at the time of universal dissolution. Then, O god among
men, your troops, and those bulls amongst the Kurus, viz., your sons
resembling the children of the celestials, with a host of warriors of
immeasurable might at their van, all proceeded against Satyaki, that bull
of Sini's race. Thereupon that host, teeming with many foremost of men
and steeds and cars and elephants, producing an uproar loud as that of
the vast deep, and resembling the army of the Asuras or that of the
celestials, shone with fierce beauty. Then the son of Surya, resembling
the chief of the celestials himself in prowess and like unto the younger
brother of Indra, struck that foremost one of Sini's race with shafts
whose splendour resembled the rays of the Sun. That bull of Sini's race
also, in that battle, then quickly shrouded that foremost of men, with
his car and steeds and driver, with diverse kinds of shafts terrible as
the poison of the snake. Then many Atirathas belonging to your army,
accompanied by elephants and cars and foot-soldiers, quickly approached
that bull among car-warriors, viz., Vasusena, when they beheld the latter
deeply afflicted with the shafts of that foremost hero of Sini's race.
That force, however, vast as the ocean, assailed by foes possessed of
great quickness viz., the Pandava warriors headed by the sons of Drupada,
fled away from the field. At that time a great carnage occurred of men
and cars and steeds and elephants. Then those two foremost of men, viz.,
Arjuna and Keshava, having said their daily prayer and duly worshipped
the lord Bhava, quickly rushed against your troops, resolved to slay those
foes of theirs. Their foes (i.e., the Kurus) cast their eyes cheerlessly
on that car whose rattle resembled the roar of the clouds and whose
banners waved beautifully in the air and which had white steeds yoked
unto it and which was coming towards them. Then Arjuna, bending Gandiva
and as if dancing on his car, filled the welkin and all the points of the
compass, cardinal and subsidiary, with showers of shafts, not leaving the
smallest space empty. Like the tempest destroying the clouds, the son of
Pandu destroyed with his arrows many cars looking like celestial
vehicles, that were well-adorned, and equipped with weapons and
standards, along with their drivers. Many elephants also, with the men
that guided them, adorned with truimphal banners and weapons, and many
horsemen with horses, and many foot-soldiers also, Arjuna despatched with
his arrows to Yama's abode. Then Duryodhana singly proceeded against that
mighty car-warrior who was angry and irresistible and resembled a
veritable Yama, striking him with his straight shafts. Arjuna, cutting
off his adversary's bow and driver and steeds and standard with seven
shafts, next cut off his umbrella with one arrow. Obtaining then an
opportunity, he sped at Duryodhana an excellent shaft, capable of taking
the life of the person struck. Drona's son, however, cut off that shaft
into seven fragments. Cutting off then the bow of Drona's son and slaying
the four steeds of the latter with his arrow, the son of Pandu next cut
off the formidable bow of Kripa too. Then cutting off the bow of
Hridika's son, he felled the latter's standard and steeds. Then cutting
off the bow of Duhshasana, he proceeded against the son of Radha. At
this, Karna, leaving Satyaki quickly pierced Arjuna with three arrows and
Krishna with twenty, and Partha again repeatedly. Although many were the
arrows that he shot while slaying his foes in that battle, like Indra
himself inspired with wrath, Karna yet felt no fatigue. Meanwhile
Satyaki, coming up, pierced Karna with nine and ninety fierce arrows, and
once more with a hundred. Then all the foremost heroes among the Parthas
began to afflict Karna. Yudhamanyu and Shikhandi and the sons of Draupadi
and the Prabhadrakas, and Uttamauja and Yuyutsu and the twins and
Dhrishtadyumna, and the divisions of the Cedis and the Karushas and the
Matsyas and Kaikeyas, and the mighty Chekitana, and king Yudhishthira of
excellent vows, all these, accompanied by cars and steeds and elephants,
and foot-soldiers of fierce prowess, encompassed Karna on all sides in
that battle, and showered upon him diverse kinds of weapons, addressing
him in harsh words and resolved to compass his destruction. Cutting off
that shower of weapons with his sharp shafts, Karna dispersed his
assailants by the power of his weapons like the wind breaking down the
trees that stand on its way. Filled with wrath, Karna was seen to destroy
car-warriors, and elephants with their riders, and horses with horse-men,
and large bands of foot-soldiers. Slaughtered by the energy of Karna's
weapons, almost the whole of that force of the Pandavas, deprived of
weapons, and with limbs mangled and torn, retired from the field. Then
Arjuna, smiling the while, baffled with his own weapons the weapons of
Karna and covered the welkin, the Earth, and all the points of the
compass with dense shower of arrows. The shafts of Arjuna fell like heavy
clubs and spiked bludgeons. And some amongst them fell like Sataghnis and
some fell like fierce thunderbolts. Slaughtered therewith, the Kaurava
force consisting of infantry and horse and cars and elephants, shutting
its eyes, uttered loud wails of woe and wandered senselessly. Many were
the steeds and men and elephants that perished on that occasion. Many,
again, struck with shafts and deeply afflicted fled away in fear.
"'Whilst your warriors were thus engaged in battle from desire of victory,
the Sun approaching the Setting Mountain, entered it. In consequence of
the darkness, O king, but especially owing to the dust, we could not
notice anything favourable or unfavourable. The mighty bowmen (amongst
the Kauravas), fearing a night-battle, O Bharata, then retired from the
field, accompanied by all their combatants. Upon the retirement of the
Kauravas, O king, at the close of the day, the Parthas, cheerful at
having obtained the victory, also retired to their own encampment,
jeering at their enemies by producing diverse kinds of sounds with their
musical instruments, and applauding Acyuta and Arjuna. After those heroes
had thus withdrawn the army, all the troops and all the kings uttered
benediction upon the Pandavas. The withdrawal having been made, those
sinless men, the Pandavas, became very glad, and proceeding to their
tents rested there for the night. Then rakshasas and pishacas, and
carnivorous beasts, in large numbers came to that awful field of battle
resembling the sporting ground of Rudra himself.'
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 30 ---------------------
