SECTION 57
"Sanjaya said, 'Then Duryodhana, O chief of Bharatas, repairing to Karna,
said unto him as also unto the ruler of the Madras and the other lords of
Earth present there, these words, "Without seeking hath this occasion
arrived, when the gates of heaven have become wide open. Happy are those
Kshatriyas, O Karna, that obtain such a battle. Brave heroes fighting in
battle with brave Kshatriyas equal to them in might and prowess, obtain
great good, O son of Radha. The occasion that hath come is even such.
Either let these brave Kshatriyas, slaying the Pandavas in battle, obtain
the broad Earth, or let them, slain in battle by the foe, win the blessed
region reserved for heroes." Hearing these words of Duryodhana, those
bulls among Kshatriyas cheerfully uttered loud shouts and beat and blew
their musical instruments. When Duryodhana's force became thus filled
with joy, the son of Drona, gladdening all your warriors further said, "In
the very sight of all the troops, and before the eyes of you all, my
father after he had laid aside his weapons, was slain by Dhrishtadyumna.
By that wrath which such an act might kindle, and for the sake also of my
friend, the kings, I swear truly before you all. Listen then to that oath
of mine. Without slaying Dhrishtadyumna I shall not doff my armour. If
this vow of mine be not fulfilled, let me not go to heaven. Be it Arjuna,
be it Bhimasena, or be it anybody else, whoever will come against me I
will crush him or all of them. There is no doubt in this." After
Ashvatthama had uttered these words, the entire Bharata army, united
together, rushed against the Pandavas, and the latter also rushed against
the former. The collision of brave leaders of car-divisions, O Bharata,
became exceedingly awful. A destruction of life then set in at the van of
the Kurus and the Srinjayas, that resembled what takes place at the last
great universal dissolution. Upon the commencement of that
passage-at-arms, various (superior) beings, with the gods, came there
accompanied by the Apsaras, for beholding those foremost of men. Filled
with joy, the Apsaras began to cover those foremost of men devoted to the
duties of their order, with celestial garlands, with diverse kinds of
celestial perfumes, and with diverse species of gems. Soft winds bore
those excellent odours to the nostrils of all the foremost of warriors.
Having smelt those perfumes in consequence of the action of the wind, the
warriors once more engaged in battle, and striking one another began to
fall down on the Earth. Strewn with celestial flowers, with beautiful
shafts equipped with wings of gold, and with many foremost of warriors,
the Earth looked beautiful like the firmament bespangled with myriads of
stars. Then in consequence of cheers coming from the welkin and the noise
of musical instruments, the furious passage-at-arms distinguished by
twang of bows and clatter of car-wheels and shouts of warriors became
exceedingly fierce.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 57 ---------------------
