SECTION 81
"Sanjaya said, 'Meanwhile ninety Kaurava car-warriors rushed for battle
against the ape-bannered Arjuna who was advancing, borne by his steeds of
exceeding fleetness. Those tigers among men, having sworn a terrible oath
about the other world, encompassed that tiger among men, Arjuna. Krishna,
however, (without minding those warriors), urged the white steeds of
Arjuna, endued with great speed and adorned with ornaments of gold and
covered with networks of pearls, towards Karna's car. Those ninety
Samsaptaka cars pursued Dhananjaya, that slayer of foes, pouring upon him
showers of shafts, as he proceeded towards Karna's car. Then Arjuna, with
his keen shafts, cut off those ninety assailants endued with great
activity, along with their drivers and bows and standards. Slain by the
diadem-decked Arjuna with diverse kinds of shafts, they fell down like
Siddhas falling down, with their cars, from heaven upon the exhaustion of
their merits. After this, many Kauravas, with cars and elephants and
steeds, fearlessly advanced against that foremost one of Kuru's race,
that chief of the Bharatas, Phalguna. That large force of your sons,
teeming with struggling men and steeds, and swelling with foremost of
elephants, then encompassed Dhananjaya, checking his further progress.
The mighty Kaurava bowmen shrouded that descendant of Kuru's race with
darts and swords and lances and spears and maces and scimitars and
arrows. Like the Sun destroying the darkness with his rays, the son of
Pandu destroyed with his own shafts that shower of weapons over-spread in
the welkin. Then a force of Mlecchas riding thirteen hundred
ever-infuriated elephants, at the command of your son, assailed Partha in
the flank. With barbed arrows and Nalikas and cloth-yard shafts and
lances and spears and darts and Kampanas and short arrows, they afflicted
Partha on his car. That matchless shower of weapons, some of which were
hurled by the elephants with their tusks, Phalguna cut off with his
broad-headed shafts and crescent-shaped arrows of great keenness. With
excellent arrows of diverse kinds, he struck all those elephants and
their standards and banners and riders, like Indra striking mountains
with thunderbolts. Afflicted with gold-winged shafts, those huge
elephants decked with necklaces of gold fell down deprived of life, like
mountains ablaze with volcanic fires. Amid that roaring and shouting and
wailing army of men and elephants and steeds, the twang of Gandiva, O
monarch, rose high. Elephants, O king, struck (with shafts), fled away on
all sides. Steeds also, their riders slain, wandered in all directions.
Cars, O monarch, looking like the changeful forms of vapour in the sky,
deprived of riders and steeds, were seen in thousands. Horsemen, O
monarch, wandering hither and thither, were seen to fall down deprived of
life by the shafts of Partha. At that time the might of Arjuna's arms was
seen. (So great was that might) that alone, in that battle, he vanquished
horsemen and elephants and car-warriors (that had been assailing him from
every side). Then Bhimasena, beholding the diadem-decked Phalguna
encompassed, O bull of Bharata's race, by a large (Kaurava) host
consisting of three kinds of forces, abandoned the small unslaughtered
remnant of the Kaurava car-warriors with whom he had been engaged, and
rushed impetuously, O king, to the spot where Dhananjaya's car was.
Meanwhile the Kaurava force that still remained after heavy slaughter,
exceedingly weakened, fled away, Bhima (as already said) beholding
Arjuna, proceeded towards his brother. The unfatigued Bhima, armed with a
mace, destroyed, in that battle, the portion that still remained after
the greater part had been slaughtered by Arjuna, of the Kaurava host
possessed of great might. Fierce as the death-night, subsisting upon men
and elephants and steeds as its food, and capable of crushing walls and
mansions and gates of cities, that exceedingly terrible mace of Bhima
incessantly descended on men and elephants and steeds around him. That
mace, O sire, slew numberless steeds and riders. With that mace the son
of Pandu crushed men and steeds cased in steel armour. Struck therewith,
they fell down with great noise. Biting the earth with their teeth, and
bathed in blood, these, with the crowns of their heads and bows and lower
limbs crushed, laid themselves down on the field, supplying all
carnivorous creatures with food. Satiated with blood and flesh and
marrow, and eating bones as well, that mace (of Bhimasena) became, like
the death-night, difficult of being gazed at. Having slain 10,000 horses
and numerous foot-soldiers, Bhima ran hither and thither in rage, armed
with his mace. Then, O Bharata, your troops, beholding Bhima mace in hand,
thought that Yama himself, armed with his fatal bludgeon, was in their
midst. The son of Pandu then, excited with rage, and resembling an
infuriated elephant, penetrated into the elephant division (of the
Kauravas), like a Makara entering the ocean. Having, with his formidable
mace, penetrated into that elephant division, the enraged Bhima, within a
very short time, despatched it to Yama's abode. We then beheld those
infuriated elephants with spiked plates on their bodies falling on every
side, with their riders and standards, like winged mountains. Having
destroyed that elephant division, the mighty Bhimasena, once more riding
on his car, followed Arjuna at his rear. That great host, thus
slaughtered, filled with cheerlessness and about to fly away, stood
almost inactive, O monarch, assailed on all sides with weapons. Beholding
that host looking humble and standing inactive and almost motionless,
Arjuna covered it with life-scorching shafts. Men and steeds and
elephants, pierced in that battle with showers of shafts by the wielder
of Gandiva, looked beautiful like Kadamva flowers with their filaments.
Thus struck with Arjuna's shafts that quickly slew men and steeds and
cars and elephants, loud wails, O king, arose from the Kuru army. With
cries of "Oh" and "Alas," and exceedingly frightened, and huddling close
to one another, your army began to turn round with great speed. The
battle, however, continued between the Kurus and the Pandavas of great
might. There was not a single car-warrior or horseman or elephant-warrior
or steed or elephant that was unwounded. Their coats of mail pierced with
shafts and themselves bathed in blood, the troops looked blazing like a
forest of flowering Asokas. Beholding Savyasaci putting forth his valour
on that occasion, the Kauravas became hopeless of Karna's life. Regarding
the touch of Arjuna's shafts to be unbearable, the Kauravas, vanquished
by the wielder of Gandiva, fled from the field. Deserting Karna in that
battle as they were being thus struck with Arjuna's shafts, they fled
away in fear on all sides, loudly calling upon the Suta's son (to rescue
them). Partha, however, pursued them, shooting hundreds of shafts and
gladdening the Pandava warriors headed by Bhimasena. Thy sons then, O
monarch, proceeded towards the car of Karna. Sinking, as they seemed to
be, in a fathomless ocean, Karna then became an island unto them. The
Kauravas, O monarch, like snakes without poison, took Karna's shelter,
moved by the fear of the wielder of Gandiva. Indeed, even as creatures, O
sire, endued with actions, from fear of death, take the shelter of
virtue, your sons, O ruler of men, from fear of the high-souled son of
Pandu, took shelter with the mighty bowman Karna. Then, Karna, uninspired
with fear, addressed those distressed warriors afflicted with arrows and
bathed in blood, saying, 'Do not fear! Come to me!" Beholding your army
vigorously broken by Partha, Karna, stretching his bow, stood desirous of
slaughtering the foe. Seeing that the Kurus had left the field, Karna,
that foremost of all wielders of weapons, reflecting a little, set his
heart upon the slaughter of Partha and began to draw deep breaths.
Bending his formidable bow, Adhiratha's son Vrisha once more rushed
against the Pancalas, in the very sight of Savyasaci. Soon, however, many
lords of the earth, with eyes red as blood, poured their arrowy downpours
on him like clouds pouring rain upon a mountain. Then thousands of
arrows, O foremost of living creatures, shot by Karna, O sire, deprived
many Pancalas of their lives. Loud sounds of wailing were uttered by the
Pancalas, O you of great intelligence, while they were being thus
smitten by the Suta's son, that rescuer of friends, for the sake of his
friends.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 81 ---------------------
