SECTION 58
"Sanjaya said, 'Thus raged that great battle between those lords of Earth
when Arjuna and Karna and Bhimasena, the son of Pandu became angry.
Having vanquished the son of Drona, and other great car-warriors, Arjuna,
O king, addressing Vasudeva, said, "Behold, O Krishna of mighty arms, the
Pandava army is flying away. Behold, Karna is slaying our great
car-warriors in this battle. I do not, O you of Dasaratha's race, see
king Yudhishthira the just. Nor is the standard of Dharma's son, foremost
of warriors, visible. The third part of the day still remaineth,
Janardana. No one amongst the Dhartarashtras cometh against me for fight.
For doing, therefore, what is agreeable to me, proceed to the spot where
Yudhishthira is. Beholding Dharma's son safe and sound with his younger
brothers in battle, I will again fight with the foe, O you of Vrishni's
race." At these words of Vibhatsu, Hari (Krishna) quickly proceeded on
that car to that spot where king Yudhishthira, along with the mighty
Srinjaya car-warriors of great strength, were fighting with the foe,
making death their goal. During the progress of that great carnage,
Govinda, beholding the field of battle, addressed Savyasaci, saying,
"Behold, O Partha, how great and awful is this carnage, O Bharata, of
Kshatriyas on Earth for the sake of Duryodhana. Behold, O Bharata, the
gold-backed bows of slain warriors, as also their costly quivers
displaced from their shoulders. Behold those straight shafts equipped
with wings of gold, and those clothyard arrows washed with oil and
looking like snakes freed from their sloughs. Behold, O Bharata, those
scimitars, decked with gold, and having ivory handles, and those
displaced shields embossed with gold. Behold those lances decked with
gold, those darts having golden ornaments, and those huge maces twined
round with gold. Behold those swords adorned with gold, those axes with
golden ornaments, and the heads of those battle-axes fallen off from
their golden handles. Behold those iron Kuntas, those short clubs
exceedingly heavy, those beautiful rockets, those huge bludgeons with
spiked heads, those discs displaced from the arms of their wielders, and
those spears (that have been used) in this dreadful battle. Endued (while
living) with great activity, warriors that came to battle, having taken
up diverse weapons, are lying, though deprived of life, as if still
alive. Behold, thousands of warriors lying on the field, with limbs
crushed by means of maces, or heads broken by means of heavy clubs, or
torn and mangled by elephants and steeds and cars. The field of battle is
covered with shafts and darts and swords and axes and scimitars and
spiked maces and lances and iron Kuntas and battle-axes, and the bodies
of men and steeds and elephants, hacked with many wounds and covered with
streams of blood and deprived of life, O slayer of foes. The Earth looks
beautiful, O Bharata, with arms smeared with sandal, decked with Angadas
of gold and with Keyuras, and having their ends cased in leathern fences.
With hands cased in leathern fences, with displaced ornaments, with
severed thighs looking like elephants' trunks of many active warriors,
with fallen heads, decked with costly gems and earrings, of heroes having
large expansive eyes, the Earth looks exceedingly beautiful. With
headless trunks smeared all over with blood with severed limbs and heads
and hips, the Earth looks, O best of the Bharatas, like an altar strewn
with extinguished fires. Behold those beautiful cars with rows of golden
bells, broken in diverse ways, and those slain steeds lying scattered on
the field, with arrows yet sticking to their bodies. Behold those bottoms
of cars, those quivers, those banners, those diverse kinds of standards,
those gigantic conchs of car-warriors, white in hue and scattered all
over the field. Behold those elephants, huge as hills, lying on the
Earth, with tongues lolling out, and those other elephants and steeds,
deprived of life and decked with triumphal banners. Behold those housings
of elephants, and those skins and blankets, and those other beautiful and
variegated and torn blankets. Behold those rows of bells torn and broken
in diverse ways in consequence of falling elephants of gigantic size, and
those beautiful goads set with stones of lapis lazuli, and those hooks
falling upon the ground. Behold those whips, adorned with gold, and
variegated with gems, still in the grasp of (slain) horsemen, and those
blankets and skins of the Ranku deer falling on the ground but which had
served for seats on horse back. Behold those gems for adorning the
diadems of kings, and those beautiful necklaces of gold, and those
displaced umbrellas and yak-tails for fanning. Behold the Earth, miry
with blood, strewn with the faces of heroes, decked with beautiful
earrings and well-cut beards and possessed of the splendour of the moon
and stars. Behold those wounded warriors in whom life is not yet extinct
and who, lying all around, are uttering wails of woe. Their relatives, O
prince, casting aside their weapons are tending them, weeping
incessantly. Having covered many warriors with arrows and deprived them
of life, behold those combatants, endued with activity longing for
victory, and swelling with rage, are once more proceeding for battle
against their antagonists. Others are running hither and thither on the
field. Being begged for water by fallen heroes, others related to them
have gone in quest of drink. Many, O Arjuna, are breathing their last
meanwhile. Returning their brave relatives, seeing them become senseless
are throwing down the water they brought and are running wildly, shouting
at one another. Behold, many have died after having slaked their thirst,
and many, O Bharata, are dying while drinking. Others, though
affectionate towards relatives, are still seen to rush towards foes in
great battle deserting their dear relatives. Others, again, O best of
men, biting their nether lips, and with faces rendered terrible in
consequence of the contraction of their brows, are surveying the field
all around." While saying these words unto Arjuna, Vasudeva proceeded
towards Yudhishthira. Arjuna also, beholding the king in that great
battle, repeatedly urged Govinda, saying, "Proceed, Proceed." Having
shown the field of battle to Partha, Madhava, while proceeding quickly,
slowly said unto Partha once more, "Behold those kings rushing towards
king Yudhishthira. Behold Karna, who resembles a blazing fire, on the
arena of the battle. Yonder the mighty-bowman Bhima is proceeding to
battle. They that are the foremost among the Pancalas, the Srinjayas, and
the Pandavas--they, that is, that have Dhrishtadyumna for their head, are
following Bhima. The vast army of the enemy is again broken by the
rushing Parthas. Behold, O Arjuna, Karna is trying to rally the flying
Kauravas. Resembling the Destroyer himself in impetuosity and Indra
himself in prowess, yonder proceedeth Drona's son, O you of Kuru's race,
that hero who is the foremost of all wielders of weapons. The mighty
carwarrior Dhrishtadyumna is rushing against that hero. The Srinjayas are
following the lead of Dhristadyumna. Behold, the Srinjayas are falling."
Thus did the invincible Vasudeva describe everything unto the
diadem-decked Arjuna. Then, O king, commenced a terrible and awful
battle. Loud leonine shouts arose as the two hosts encountered each
other, O monarch, making death their goal. Even thus, O king, in
consequence of your evil counsels, did that destruction set in on Earth, O
lord of Earth, of both your warriors and those of the enemy.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 58 ---------------------
