SECTION 76
"Sanjaya said, 'During the progress of the fierce engagement, Bhima,
while fighting along, being encompassed by innumerable foes, addressed
his driver, saying, "Bear me into the midst of the Dhartarashtra host.
Proceed, O charioteer, with speed, borne by these steeds. I will despatch
all these Dhartarashtras to the presence of Yama." Thus urged by
Bhimasena, the charioteer proceeded, quickly and with great impetuosity,
against your son's host to that spot whence Bhima desired to slaughter it.
Then a large number of Kaurava troops, with elephants and cars and horse
and foot, advanced against him from all sides. They then, from every
side, began to strike that foremost of vehicles belonging to Bhima, with
numerous arrows. The high-souled Bhima, however, with his own shafts of
golden wings, cut off all those advancing arrows of his enemies. Thus cut
off into two or three fragments with Bhima's arrows, those shafts,
equipped with golden wings, of his enemies, fell down on the earth. Then,
O king, amongst those foremost of Kshatriyas, struck with Bhima's shafts,
the elephants and cars and horse and foot, set up a loud wail, O monarch,
that resembled the din made by mountains when riven with thunder. Thus
struck by Bhima, those foremost of Kshatriyas, their limbs pierced with
Bhima's powerful shafts, rushed against Bhima in that battle from every
side, like new-fledged birds towards a tree. When your troops thus rushed
against him, Bhima of furious impetuosity displayed all his vim like
Destroyer himself armed with a mace when he burns and exterminates all
creatures at the end of the Yuga. Thy soldiers were unable to resist in
that battle that fierce forcible energy of Bhima endued with fierce
impetuosity, like that of the Destroyer himself of wide open mouth when
he rusheth at the end of the Yuga for exterminating all creatures. Then,
O Bharata, like masses of clouds scattered by the tempest the Bharata
host, thus mangled and burnt in that battle by the high-souled Bhima,
broke and fled in fear in all directions. Then the mighty Bhimasena of
great intelligence once more cheerfully said unto his charioteer,
"Ascertain, O Suta, whether those assembled cars and standards that are
advancing towards me, are ours or the enemy's. Absorbed in battle, I am
unable to distinguish them. Let me not shroud our own troops with my
shafts. O Visoka, beholding hostile warriors and cars and the tops of
their standards on all sides, I am greatly afflicted. The king is in
pain. The diadem-decked Arjuna also has not yet come. These things, O
Suta, fill my heart with sorrow. Even this is my grief, O charioteer,
that king Yudhishthira the just should have gone away, leaving me in the
midst of the enemy. I do not know whether he, as also Vibhatsu, is alive
or dead. This adds to my sorrow. I shall, however, though filled with
great grief, destroy those hostile troops of great might. Thus
slaughtering in the midst of battle my assembled foes, I shall rejoice
with you today. Examining all the quivers containing my arrows, tell me,
O Suta, ascertaining the matter well, what quantity of arrows is still
left on my car, that is, how much of what sort."
"'Thus commanded, Visoka said, "Of arrows, O hero, you hast yet 60,000,
while your razor-headed shafts number 10,000, and broad-headed ones number
as much. Of cloth-yard shafts you hast still 2,000, O hero, and of
Pradaras you hast still, O Partha, 3,000! Indeed, of the weapons, O son
of Pandu, the portion that still remains is not capable of being borne,
if placed on carts, by six bullocks. Shoot and hurl them, O learned one,
for of maces and swords and other weapons used with the arms alone, thou
hast thousands upon thousands, as also lances and scimitars and darts and
spears! Never fear that your weapons will be exhausted."
"'Bhima said, "Behold, O Suta, today this awful battle in which
everything will be shrouded with my impetuous arrows sped fiercely from
my bow and, mangling all my foes, and in consequence of which the very
sun will disappear from the field, making the latter resemble the domains
of Death! Today, even this will be known to all the Kshatriyas including
the very children, O Suta, that Bhimasena hath succumbed in battle or
that, alone, he hath subjugated all the Kurus! Today, let all the
Kauravas fall in battle or let all the world applaud me, beginning with
the feats of my earliest years. Alone, I will overthrow them all, or let
all of them strike Bhimasena down. Let the gods that aid in the
achievement of the best acts bless me. Let that slayer of foes Arjuna
come here now like Sakra, duly invoked, quickly coming to a sacrifice.
Behold, the Bharata host is breaking! Why do those kings fly away? It is
evident that Savyasaci, that foremost of men, is quickly shrouding that
host with his shafts. Behold, those standards, O Visoka, and elephants
and steeds and bands of foot-soldiers are flying away. Behold, these
cars, assailed with shafts and darts, with those warriors riding on them,
are being scattered, O Suta! Yonder, the Kaurava host, assailed with the
shafts, equipped with wings of gold and feathers of peacocks, of
Dhananjaya, and resembling thunderbolts in force, though slaughtered
extensively, is repeatedly filling its gaps. There, cars and steeds and
elephants are flying away, crushing down bands of foot-soldiers. Indeed,
all the Kauravas, having lost their sense, are flying away, like
elephants filled with panic at a forest conflagration, and uttering cries
of woe. These huge elephants, again, O Visoka, are uttering loud cries,
assailed with shafts."
"'Visoka said, "How is it, O Bhima, that you dost not hear the loud
twang of the yawning Gandiva stretched by Partha in wrath? Are these two
ears of yours gone? All your wishes, O son of Pandu, have been fulfilled!
Yonder the Ape (on Arjuna's banner) is seen in the midst of the elephant
force (of the enemy). Behold, the string of Gandiva is flashing
repeatedly like lightning amid blue clouds. Yonder the Ape on
Dhananjaya's standard-top is everywhere seen to terrify hostile divisions
in this dreadful battle. Even I, looking at it, am struck with fear.
There the beautiful diadem of Arjuna is shining brilliantly. There, the
precious jewel on the diadem, endued with the splendour of the sun,
looketh exceedingly resplendent. There, beside him, behold his conch
Devadatta of loud blare and the hue of a white cloud. There, by the side
of Janardana, reins in hand, as he penetrates into the hostile army,
behold his discus of solar effulgence, its nave hard as thunder, and its
edge sharp as a razor. Behold, O hero, that discus of Keshava, that
enhancer of his fame, which is always worshipped by the Yadus. There, the
trunks, resembling lofty trees perfectly straight, of huge elephants, cut
off by Kiritin, are falling upon the earth. There those huge creatures
also, with their riders, pierced and split with shafts, are falling down,
like hills riven with thunder. There, behold, O son of Kunti, the
Panchajanya of Krishna, exceedingly beautiful and of the hue of the moon,
as also the blazing Kaustubha on his breast and his triumphal garland.
Without doubt, that first and foremost of all car-warriors, Partha, is
advancing, routing the hostile army as he comes, borne by his foremost of
steeds, of the hue of white clouds, and urged by Krishna. Behold those
cars and steeds and bands of foot-soldiers, mangled by your younger
brother with the energy of the chief of the celestials. Behold, they are
falling down like a forest uprooted by the tempest caused by Garuda's
wings. Behold, four hundred car-warriors, with their steeds and drivers,
and seven hundred elephants and innumerable foot-soldiers and horsemen
slain in this battle by Kiritin with his mighty shafts. Slaughtering the
Kurus, the mighty Arjuna is coming towards your side even like the
constellation Citra. All your wishes are fulfilled. Thy foes are being
exterminated. Let your might, as also the period of your life, ever
increase."
"'Bhima said, "Since, O Visoka, you tellest me of Arjuna's arrival, I
will give you four and ten populous villages and a hundred female slaves
and twenty cars, being pleased with thee, O Suta, for this agreeable
intelligence imparted by thee!"'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 76 ---------------------
