SECTION 51
"Dhritarashtra said, 'Exceedingly difficult of accomplishment was that
feat, O Sanjaya, which was achieved by Bhima who caused the mighty-armed
Karna himself to measure his length on the terrace of his car. There is
only one person, Karna, who will slay the Pandavas along with the
Srinjayas--even this is what Duryodhana, O Suta, used very often to say
unto me. Beholding, however, that son of Radha now defeated by Bhima in
battle, what did my son Duryodhana next do?'
"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding Radha's son of the Suta caste turned back from
the fight in that great battle, your son, O monarch, addressed his uterine
brothers, saying, "Go the quickly, blessed be ye, and protect the son of
Radha who is plunged into that fathomless ocean of calamity represented
by the fear of Bhimasena." Thus commanded by the king, those princes,
excited with wrath and desirous of slaying Bhimasena, rushed towards him
like insects towards a blazing fire. They were Srutarvan and Durddhara
and Kratha and Vivitsu and Vikata and Soma, and Nishangin and Kavashin
and Pasin and Nanda and Upanandaka, and Duspradharsha and Suvahu and
Vatavega and Suvarchasas, and Dhanurgraha and Durmada and Jalasandha and
Sala and Saha. Surrounded by a large car-force, those princes, endued
with great energy and might, approached Bhimasena and encompassed him on
all sides. They sped at him from every side showers of arrows of diverse
kinds. Thus afflicted by them, Bhima of great strength, O king, quickly
slew fifty foremost car-warriors with five hundred others, amongst those
sons of yours that advanced against him. Filled with rage, Bhimasena
then, O king, with a broad-headed arrow, struck off the head of Vivitsu
adorned with earrings and head-gear, and graced with a face resembling
the full moon. Thus cut off, that prince fell down on the Earth.
Beholding that heroic brother of theirs slain, the (other) brothers
there, O lord, rushed in that battle, from every side, upon Bhima of
terrible prowess. With two other broad-headed arrows then, Bhima of
terrible prowess took the lives of two other sons of yours in that
dreadful battle. Those two, Vikata and Saha, looking like a couple of
celestial youths, O king, thereupon fell down on the Earth like a couple
of trees uprooted by the tempest. Then Bhima, without losing a moment,
despatched Kratha to the abode of Yama, with a long arrow of keen point.
Deprived of life, that prince fell down on the Earth. Loud cries of woe
then, O ruler of men, arose there when those heroic sons of thine, all
great bowmen, were being thus slaughtered. When those troops were once
more agitated, the mighty Bhima, O monarch, then despatched Nanda and
Upananda in that battle to Yama's abode. Thereupon your sons, exceedingly
agitated and inspired with fear, fled away, seeing that Bhimasena in that
battle behaved like the Destroyer himself at the end of the Yuga.
Beholding those sons of yours slain, the Suta's son with a cheerless
heart once more urged his steeds of the hue of swans to that place where
the son of Pandu was. Those steeds, O king, urged on by the ruler of
Madras, approached with great speed the car of Bhimasena and mingled in
battle. The collision, O monarch, that once more took place between Karna
and the son of Pandu in battle, became, O king, exceedingly fierce and
awful and fraught with a loud din. Beholding, O king, those two mighty
car-warriors close with each other, I became very curious to observe the
course of the battle. Then Bhima, boasting of his prowess in battle,
covered Karna in that encounter, O king, with showers of winged shafts in
the very sight of your sons. Then Karna, that warrior acquainted with the
highest of weapons, filled with wrath, pierced Bhima with nine
broad-headed and straight arrows made entirely of iron. Thereupon the
mighty-armed Bhima of terrible prowess, thus struck by Karna, pierced his
assailant in return with seven shafts sped from his bow-string drawn to
his ear. Then Karna, O monarch, sighing like a snake of virulent poison,
shrouded the son of Pandu with a thick shower of arrows. The mighty Bhima
also, shrouding that mighty car-warrior with dense arrowy downpours in
the very sight of the Kauravas, uttered a loud shout. Then Karna, filled
with rage, grasped his strong bow and pierced Bhima with ten arrows
whetted on stone and equipped with kanka feathers. With another
broad-headed arrow of great sharpness, he also cut off Bhima's bow. Then
the mighty-armed Bhima of great strength, taking up a terrible parigha,
twined round with hempen cords and decked with gold and resembling a
second bludgeon of Death himself, and desiring to slay Karna outright,
hurled it at him with a loud roar. Karna, however, with a number of
arrows resembling snakes of virulent poison, cut off into many fragments
that spiked mace as it coursed towards him with the tremendous peal of
thunder. Then Bhima, that grinder of hostile troops, grasping his bow
with greater strength, covered Karna with keen shafts. The battle that
took place between Karna and the son of Pandu in that meeting became
awful for a moment, like that of a couple of huge lions desirous of
slaying each other. Then Karna, O king, drawing the bow with great force
and stretching the string to his very ear, pierced Bhimasena with three
arrows. Deeply pierced by Karna, that great bowman and foremost of all
persons endued with might then took up a terrible shaft capable of
piercing through the body of his antagonist. That shaft, cutting through
Karna's armour and piercing through his body, passed out and entered the
Earth like a snake into ant-hill. In consequence of the violence of that
stroke, Karna felt great pain and became exceedingly agitated. Indeed, he
trembled on his car like a mountain during an earthquake. Then Karna, O
king, filled with rage and the desire to retaliate, struck Bhima with
five and twenty shafts, and then with many more. With one arrow he then
cut off Bhimasena's standard, and with another broad-headed arrow he
despatched Bhima's driver to the presence of Yama. Next quickly cutting
off the bow of Pandu's son with another winged arrow, Karna deprived
Bhima of terrible feats of his car. Deprived of his car, O chief of
Bharata's race, the mighty-armed Bhima, who resembled the Wind-god (in
prowess) took up a mace and jumped down from his excellent vehicle.
Indeed, jumping down from his car with great fury, Bhima began to slay
thy troops, O king, like the wind destroying the clouds of autumn.
Suddenly the son of Pandu, that scorcher of foes, filled with wrath,
routed seven hundred elephants, O king, endued with tusks as large as
plough-shafts, and all skilled in smiting hostile troops. Possessed of
great strength and a knowledge of what the vital parts of an elephant
are, he struck them on their temples and frontal globes and eyes and the
parts above their gums. Thereupon those animals, inspired with fear, ran
away. But urged again by their drivers they surrounded Bhimasena once
more, like the clouds covering the Sun. Like Indra felling mountains with
thunder, Bhima with his mace prostrated those seven hundred elephants
with their riders and weapons and standards. That chastiser of foes, the
son of Kunti, next pressed down two and fifty elephants of great strength
belonging to the son of Subala. Scorching your army, the son of Pandu then
destroyed a century of foremost cars and several hundreds of
foot-soldiers in that battle. Scorched by the Sun as also by the
high-souled Bhima, your army began to shrink like a piece of leather
spread over a fire. Those troops of thine, O bull of Bharata's race,
filled with anxiety through fear of Bhimasena, avoided Bhima in that
battle and fled away in all directions. Then five hundred car-warriors,
cased in excellent mail, rushed towards Bhima with loud shouts, shooting
thick showers of arrows on all sides. Like Vishnu destroying the Asuras,
Bhima destroyed with his mace all those brave warriors with their drivers
and cars and banners and standards and weapons. Then 3,000 horsemen,
despatched by Shakuni, respected by all brave men and armed with darts
and swords and lances, rushed towards Bhima. That slayer of foes,
advancing impetuously towards them, and coursing in diverse tracks, slew
them with his mace. Loud sounds arose from among them while they were
being assailed by Bhima, like those that arise from among herd of
elephants struck with large pieces of rocks. Having slain those 3,000
excellent horses of Subala's son in that way, he rode upon another car,
and filled with rage proceeded against the son of Radha. Meanwhile, Karna
also, O king, covered Dharma's son (Yudhishthira) that chastiser of foes,
with thick showers of arrows, and felled his driver. Then that mighty
car-warrior beholding Yudhishthira fly away in that battle, pursued him,
shooting many straight-coursing shafts equipped with Kanka feathers. The
son of the Wind-god, filled with wrath, and covering the entire welkin
with his shafts, shrouded Karna with thick showers of arrows as the
latter pursued the king from behind. The son of Radha then, that crusher
of foes, turning back from the pursuit, quickly covered Bhima himself
with sharp arrows from every side. Then Satyaki, of immeasurable soul, O
Bharata, placing himself on the side of Bhima's car, began to afflict
Karna who was in front of Bhima. Though exceedingly afflicted by Satyaki,
Karna still approached Bhima. Approaching each other those two bulls
among all wielders of bows, those two heroes endued with great energy,
looked exceedingly resplendent as they sped their beautiful arrows at
each other. Spread by them, O monarch, in the welkin, those flights of
arrows, blazing as the backs of cranes, looked exceedingly fierce and
terrible. In consequence of those thousands of arrows, O king, neither
the rays of the Sun nor the points of the compass, cardinal and
subsidiary, could any longer be noticed either by ourselves or by the
enemy. Indeed, the blazing effulgence of the Sun shining at mid-day was
dispelled by those dense showers of arrows shot by Karna and the son of
Pandu. Beholding the son of Subala, and Kritavarma, and Drona's son, and
Adhiratha's son, and Kripa, engaged with the Pandavas, the Kauravas
rallied and came back to the fight. Tremendous became the din, O monarch,
that was made by that host as it rushed impetuously against their foes,
resembling that terrible noise that is made by many oceans swollen with
rains. Furiously engaged in battle, the two hosts became filled with
great joy as the warriors beheld and seized one another in that dreadful
melee. The battle that commenced at that hour when the Sun had reached
the meridian was such that its like had never been heard or seen by us.
One vast host rushed against another, like a vast reservoir of water
rushing towards the ocean. The din that arose from the two hosts as they
roared at each other, was loud and deep as that which may be heard when
several oceans mingle with one another. Indeed, the two furious hosts,
approaching each other, mingled into one mass like two furious rivers
that run into each other.
"'The battle then commenced, awful and terrible, between the Kurus and
the Pandavas, both of whom were inspired with the desire of winning great
fame. A perfect Babel of voices of the shouting warriors was incessantly
heard there, O royal Bharata, as they addressed one another by name. He
who had anything, by his father's or mother's side or in respect of his
acts or conduct, that could furnish matter for ridicule, was in that
battle made to hear it by his antagonist. Beholding those brave warriors
loudly rebuking one another in that battle, I thought, O king, that their
periods of life had been run out. Beholding the bodies of those angry
heroes of immeasurable energy a great fear entered my heart, respecting
the dire consequences that would ensue. Then the Pandavas, O king, and
the Kauravas also, mighty car-warriors all, striking one another, began
to mangle one another with their keen shafts.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 51 ---------------------
