SECTION 93
"Dhritarashtra said, 'What was the aspect of the Kuru and the Srinjaya
host on that awful day while it was crushed with arrows and scorched
(with weapons) in that encounter between Karna and Arjuna and while it
was flying away from the field?'
"Sanjaya said, 'Hear, O king, with attention how that awful and great
carnage of human beings and elephants and steeds occurred in battle.
When, after Karna's fall Partha uttered leonine shouts, a great fright
entered the hearts of your sons. Upon the fall of Karna no warrior of thy
army set his heart on rallying the troops or putting forth his prowess.
Their refuge having been destroyed by Arjuna, they were then like
raftless merchants, whose vessels have wrecked on the fathomless ocean,
desirous of crossing the uncrossable main. After the slaughter of the
Suta's son, O king, the Kauravas, terrified and mangled with shafts,
masterless and desirous of protection, became like a herd of elephants
afflicted by lions. Vanquished by Savyasaci on that afternoon, they fled
away like bulls with broken horns or snakes with broken fangs. Their
foremost of heroes slain, their troops thrown into confusion, themselves
mangled with keen arrows, your sons, after the fall of Karna, O king, fled
away in fear. Divested of weapons and armour, no longer able to ascertain
which point of the compass was which, and deprived of their senses, they
crushed one another in course of their flight and looked at one another,
afflicted with fear. "It is me that Vibhatsu is pursuing with speed!" "It
is me that Vrikodara is pursuing with speed!"--thought every one among
the Kauravas who became pale with fear and fell down as they fled. Some
on horses, some on cars, some on elephants, and some on foot, mighty
car-warriors, endued with great speed, fled away in fear. Cars were
broken by elephants, horsemen were crushed by great car-warriors, and
bands of foot-soldiers were trodden down by bodies of horsemen, as these
fled in fear. After the fall of the Suta's son, your warriors became like
people without protectors in a forest teeming with beasts of prey and
robbers. They were then like elephants without riders and men without
arms. Afflicted with fear, they looked upon the world as if it were full
of Partha. Beholding them fly away afflicted with the fear of Bhimasena,
indeed, and seeing his troops thus leave the field in thousands,
Duryodhana, uttering cries of "Oh!" and "Alas!" addressed his driver,
saying, "Partha will never be able to transgress me standing bow in hand.
Urge my steeds slowly behind all the troops. Without doubt, if I fight
standing in the rear of the army, the son of Kunti will never be able to
transgress me even as the vast deep is unable to transgress its
continents. Slaying Arjuna and Govinda and the proud Vrikodara and the
rest of my foes, I will free myself from the debt I owe to Karna."
Hearing these words of the Kuru king that were so worthy of a hero and
honourable man, the charioteer slowly urged his steeds adorned with
trappings of gold. Then 25,000 warriors on foot, belonging to your army,
without cars and cavalry and elephants among them, prepared for battle.
Bhimasena, filled with wrath, and Dhrishtadyumna the son of Prishata,
encompassed them with four kinds of forces and began to strike them with
their shafts. In return, those warriors fought with Bhima and Prishata's
son. Some amongst them challenged the two heroes by name. Then Bhimasena
became filled with rage. Alighting from his car, mace in hand, he fought
with those warriors arrived for battle. Observant of the rules of fair
fight, Vrikodara, the son of Kunti, came down from his car, and relying
upon the might of his arms, began to fight on foot with those foes of his
that were on foot. Taking up his massive mace adorned with gold, he began
to slaughter them all, like the Destroyer armed with his bludgeon. The
Kaurava warriors on foot, filled with rage and becoming reckless of their
lives, rushed against Bhima in that battle like insects upon a blazing
fire. Those infuriated combatants, difficult of being defeated in battle,
approaching Bhimasena, perished in a trice like living creatures upon
seeing the Destroyer. The mighty Bhima, armed with a mace, careered like
a hawk and destroyed all those 25,000 combatants. Having slain that
division of heroic warriors, Bhima, of prowess incapable of being baffled
and of great might, once more stood, with Dhrishtadyumna before him.
Possessed of great energy, Dhananjaya proceeded against the (remnant of
the) car-force (of the Kauravas). The two sons of Madri, and Satyaki,
filled with joy, rushed with speed against Shakuni and slaughtered the
troops of Subala's son. Having slain with keen shafts his cavalry and
elephants in that encounter, they rushed impetuously against Shakuni
himself, upon which a great battle took place. Meanwhile Dhananjaya, O
lord, proceeding against your car-force, twanged his bow Gandiva
celebrated over the three worlds. Beholding that car having white steeds
yoked unto it and owning Krishna for its driver, and seeing that Arjuna
was the warrior standing on it, your troops fled away in fear. 25,000
soldiers on foot, deprived of cars and mangled with shafts, had perished
(at the hands of Bhima and Dhrishtadyumna). Having slain them, that tiger
among men, that great car-warrior among the Pancalas, viz., the
high-souled Dhrishtadyumna the son of the Pancala king, soon showed
himself, with Bhimasena before him. That slayer of foes and mighty bowman
appeared exceedingly handsome. Beholding Dhrishtadyumna's car which had
steeds white as pigeons yoked unto it and whose lofty standard was made
of the trunk of a Kovidara, the Kauravas fled away in great fear. The
twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) of great fame, and Satyaki, having pursued
with great speed the king of the Gandharvas who was possessed of
lightness of hands in the use of weapons, re-appeared (amid the Pandava
ranks). Chekitana and Shikhandi and the (five) sons of Draupadi, O sire,
having slaughtered your vast army, blew their conchs. All those heroes,
although they saw your troops flying away with faces turned from the
field, still pursued them, like bulls pursuing angry bulls after
vanquishing them. Pandu's son Savyasaci of great might, O king, beholding
a remnant of your army still standing for battle, became filled with
wrath. Possessed of great energy, Dhananjaya, rushed against that
car-force, drawing his bow Gandiva celebrated over the three worlds.
Suddenly he shrouded them with showers of arrows. The dust that was
raised darkened the scene and nothing could any longer be distinguished.
When the earth was thus shrouded with dust and when darkness covered
everything, your troops, O king, fled on all sides from fear. When the
Kuru army was thus broken, the Kuru king, O monarch, viz., your son,
rushed against all his foes advancing against him. Then Duryodhana
challenged all the Pandavas to battle, O chief of Bharata's race, like
the Asura Vali in days of yore challenging the gods. At this, all the
Pandava heroes, uniting together, rushed against the advancing
Duryodhana, shooting and hurling at him diverse weapons and upbraiding
him repeatedly. Duryodhana, however, filled with rage, fearlessly
slaughtered those enemies of his in hundreds and thousands, with keen
shafts. The prowess that we then beheld of your son was exceedingly
wonderful, for alone and unsupported, he fought with all the Pandavas
united together. Duryodhana then beheld his own troops who, mangled with
arrows, had set their hearts on flight, gone not far from the field.
Rallying them then, O monarch, your son who was resolved to maintain his
honour, gladdening those warriors of his, said these words unto them: "I
do not see that spot in the earth or on the mountains, whither if the fly,
the Pandavas will not slay you! What use then in flying away? Small is
the force that the Pandavas now have. The two Krishnas also are
exceedingly mangled. If all of us stay for battle, victory will certainly
be ours. If we fly in disunion, the sinful Pandavas, pursuing us, will
certainly slay all of us. For this, it is better that we should die in
battle. Death in battle is fraught with happiness. Fight, observant of
the Kshatriya's duty. He that is dead knows no misery. On the other hand,
such a one enjoys eternal bliss hereafter. Listen, the Kshatriyas, ay, all
of you, that are assembled here! When the destroyer Yama spareth neither
the hero nor the coward, who is there so foolish of understanding,
although observant of a Kshatriya's vow like us, that would not fight.
Would the place yourselves under the power of the angry foe Bhimasena? It
behoveth you not to abandon the duty observed by your sires and
grandsires. There is no greater sin for a Kshatriya than flight from
battle. There is no more blessed path for heaven, the Kauravas, than the
duty of battle. Slain in battle, the warriors, enjoy heaven without
delay.'"
"Sanjaya continued, 'While even these words were being uttered by thy
son, the (Kaurava) warriors, exceedingly mangled, fled away on all sides,
regardless of that speech.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 93 ---------------------
