SECTION 85
"Sanjaya said, 'Learning that Nakula had been deprived of his car,
afflicted with arrows and mangled with the weapons of Karna's son, and
that he had his shafts, bow, and sword cut off, these eleven formidable
resisters of all foes, the five heroic sons of Drupada, the grandson of
Sini forming the sixth, and the five sons of Draupadi quickly proceeded
on their loud-sounding cars drawn by bounding steeds, with banners waving
in the air, and guided by accomplished drivers. Those well-armed warriors
began to destroy your elephants and cars and men and steeds with shafts
that resembled formidable snakes. Then Hridika's son and Kripa and
Drona's son and Duryodhana and Shakuni's son and Vrika and Kratha and
Devavridha, those foremost of Kaurava car-warriors, speedily proceeded
against them, armed with their bows and mounted upon their cars of rattle
deep as the roar of elephants or the clouds. These Kaurava warriors,
assailing those foremost of men and first of car-warriors, those eleven
heroes (of the Pandava army), O king, with the mightiest of shafts,
checked their progress. At this, the Kulindas, riding upon their
elephants of impetuous speed that looked like mountain summits and that
were of the hue of newly-risen clouds, advanced against those Kaurava
heroes. Well-equipped, and covered with gold, those infuriated elephants,
born in Himalayan regions and ridden by accomplished warriors longing for
battle, looked resplendent like clouds in the welkin, charged with
lightning. The prince of the Kulindas then vigorously assailed Kripa and
his driver and steeds, with ten shafts made wholly of iron. Struck (in
return) with the shafts of Sharadvata's son, the prince fell down with
his elephant on the ground. The younger brother of that prince then,
assailing Kripa's car with a number of lances made wholly of iron and all
bright as the rays of the sun, uttered loud roars. The ruler of the
Gandharvas, however, cut off the head of that warrior while still
uttering those roars. Upon the fall of those Kulindas, those mighty
car-warriors of your army, filled with joy, blew their sea-born conchs,
and, armed with bows, rushed against their enemies. The battle then that
once more took place between the Kurus on the one side and the Pandavas
and the Srinjayas on the other, with arrows and scimitars and darts and
swords and maces and battle-axes, became fierce and awful and exceedingly
destructive of men and steeds and elephants. Car-warriors and steeds and
elephants and foot-soldiers, striking one another, fell down on the
ground, making the field of battle look like the welkin when congregated
masses of clouds charged with lightning and producing incessant peals of
thunder are assailed by fierce winds from all sides. Then the chief of
the Bhojas struck the huge elephants, the car-warriors, the innumerable
foot-soldiers, and the horse under Satanika. Struck with Kritavarma's
shafts, these soon fell down on the ground. About this time, struck with
Ashvatthama's shafts, three huge elephants equipped with all kinds of
weapons, ridden by accomplished warriors, and adorned with lofty
standards, fell down lifeless on the ground like gigantic cliffs riven by
thunder. Then the third brother of the Kulinda chief assailed your son
Duryodhana with some excellent shafts in the centre of the chest. Thy
son, however, pierced him as also his elephant with many whetted shafts.
That prince of elephants then, with the prince on his back, fell down,
with streams of blood issuing from every part of his body, like a
mountain of red chalk in the season of rains, with red streams running
down its breast, tumbling down when riven by the thunder of Sachi's lord.
The Kulinda prince, however, having saved himself in time, rode another
elephant. Urged by the prince, that animal assailed Kratha with his
driver and steeds and car. Pierced, however, with Kratha's shafts, that
elephant, with its rider, fell down like a thunder-riven hill. The ruler
of the Krathas, that invincible car-warrior, however, struck with shafts
by the prince born on the mountains from the back of another elephant,
fell down with his steeds, driver, bow, and standard, like a mighty tree
uprooted by the tempest. Then Vrika deeply pierced with a dozen shafts
that prince having his abode on the Himavat as he stood on his elephant.
The huge beast quickly crushed with his four legs (the Kaurava warrior)
Vrika with his steeds and car. That prince of elephants then, with its
rider, deeply pierced by the son of Vabhru, advanced impetuously against
the latter. Vabhru's son, however, that prince of the Magadhas, afflicted
with arrows by Sahadeva's son, fell down. The prince of the Kulindas
then, with that elephant of his which was capable of slaying the foremost
of warriors with its tusks and body, rushed impetuously towards Shakuni
for slaying him. The mountaineer succeeded in afflicting Shakuni greatly.
Soon, however, the chief of the Gandharas cut off his head. About this
time huge elephants and steeds and car-warriors and large bands of foot,
struck by Satanika, fell down on the earth, paralysed and crushed like
snakes beaten by the tempest caused by Garuda's wings. Then a Kulinda
warrior (on the Kaurava side), smiling the while, pierced Satanika, the
son of Nakula, with many whetted arrows. Nakula's son, however, with a
razor-headed arrow, cut off from his antagonist's trunk his head
resembling a lotus. Then Karna's son pierced Satanika with three arrows,
made wholly of iron and Arjuna also with as many. And he pierced Bhima
with three arrows and Nakula with seven and Janardana with a dozen.
Beholding that feat of Vrishasena, that achiever of superhuman feats, the
Kauravas became filled with joy and applauded him greatly. They, however,
that were conversant with Dhananjaya's prowess, regarded Vrishasena as a
libation already poured on the fire. The diadem-decked Arjuna then, that
slayer of hostile heroes, seeing Madri's son Nakula, that foremost of
men, deprived of his steeds in the midst of all, and beholding Janardana
mangled with arrows, rushed in that battle against Vrishasena who was
then staying in front of the Suta's son (Karna). Like Namuci rushing
against Indra, Karna's son, that great car-warrior, also rushed, in that
battle, against that fierce and foremost of men, Arjuna, that warrior
possessing thousands of arrows, as the latter advanced towards him.
Unsupported by any one, the high-souled son of Karna, quickly piercing
Partha with a shaft in that battle, uttered a loud shout, like Namuci in
days of old after having pierced Indra. Once more Vrishasena pierced
Partha in the left arm-pit with many formidable shafts. Piercing Krishna
next with nine arrows, he struck Partha again with ten shafts. The
white-steeded Arjuna, having before been pierced by Vrishasena with those
formidable arrows, became slightly enraged and set his heart on the
slaughter of Karna's son. The high-souled and diadem-decked Arjuna then,
his brow furrowed from wrath with three lines, quickly sped from the van
of battle a number of shafts for the destruction of Vrishasena in that
encounter. With eyes red in wrath, that hero capable of slaying Yama
himself if the latter fought with him, then laughed terribly and said
unto Karna and all the other Kaurava heroes headed by Duryodhana and
Drona's son, these words, "Today, O Karna, in your very sight in this
battle, I will despatch the fierce Vrishasena unto Yama's abode with my
keen arrows! People say that all of you, united together, slew my son,
endued with great activity, in my absence, and while he was alone and
unsupported on his car. I, however, will slay your son in the very sight
of you all. Let all the Kaurava car-warriors protect him. I will slay the
fierce Vrishasena. After that, I will slay thee, O fool, even I, Arjuna,
in the midst of battle! Today I will, in battle, slay you that are the
root of this quarrel and that hast become so proud in consequence of
Duryodhana's patronage. Putting forth my strength, I will certainly slay
thee in this battle, and Bhimasena will slay this Duryodhana, this wretch
among men, through whose evil policy this quarrel born of dice hath
arisen." Having said these words, Arjuna rubbed the string of his bow and
took aim at Vrishasena in that battle, and sped, O king, a number of
shafts for the slaughter of Karna's son. The diadem-decked Arjuna then,
fearlessly and with great force, pierced Vrishasena with ten shafts in
all his vital limbs. With four fierce razor-headed arrows he cut off
Vrishasena's bow and two arms and head. Struck with Partha's shafts, the
son of Karna, deprived of arms and head, fell down on the earth from his
car, like a gigantic shala adorned with flowers falling down from a
mountain summit. Beholding his son, thus struck with arrows, fall down
from his vehicle, the Suta's son Karna, endued with great activity and
scorched with grief on account of the death of his son, quickly proceeded
on his car, inspired with wrath, against the car of the diadem-decked
Partha.
"Indeed, beholding his son slain in his sight by the white-steeded Arjuna
in battle, the high-souled Karna, filled with great wrath, rushed against
Krishna and Arjuna.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 85 ---------------------
