SECTION 3
"Sanjaya said, 'Hear, O king, with attention, how that great carnage of
the Kurus and the Pandavas occurred when they encountered each other.
After the Suta's son had been slain by the illustrious son of Pandu, and
after your troops had been repeatedly rallied and had repeatedly fled
away, and after a terrible carnage had taken place, O foremost of men, of
human beings in battle subsequent to Karna's death, Partha began to utter
leonine roars. At that time a great fear entered the hearts of your sons.
Indeed, after Karna's death, there was no warrior in your army who could
set his heart upon rallying the troops or displaying his prowess. They
then looked like ship-wrecked merchants on the fathomless ocean without a
raft to save themselves. When their protector was slain by the
diadem-decked Arjuna, they were like persons on the wide sea desirous of
reaching some shore of safety. Indeed, O king, after the slaughter of the
Suta's son, your troops, struck with panic and mangled with arrows, were
like unprotected men desirous of a protector or like a herd of deer
afflicted by a lion. Vanquished by Savyasaci, they retired in the evening
like bulls with broken horns or snakes shorn of their fangs. Their
foremost of heroes slain, themselves thrown into confusion and mangled
with keen arrows, your sons, O king, upon the slaughter of the Suta's son,
fled away in fear. Deprived of weapons and coats of mail, all of them
lost their senses and knew not in which direction to fly. Casting their
eyes on all sides in fear, many of them began to slaughter one another.
Many fell down or became pale, thinking, "It is me whom Vibhatsu is
pursuing!" "It is me whom Vrikodara is pursuing!" Some riding on fleet
steeds, some on fleet cars, and some on fleet elephants, many great
car-warriors fled away from fear, abandoning the foot-soldiers. Cars were
broken by elephants, horsemen were crushed by great car-warriors, and
bands of foot-soldiers were smashed and slain by bodies of horses as
these fled away from the field. After the fall of the Suta's son, thy
troops became like stragglers from a caravan in a forest abounding with
robbers and beasts of prey. Some elephants whose riders had been slain,
and others whose trunks had been cut off, afflicted with fear, beheld the
whole world to be full of Partha. Beholding his troops flying away
afflicted with the fear of Bhimasena Duryodhana then, with cries of "Oh!"
and "Alas!" addressed his driver, saying, "If I take up my post at the
rear of the army, armed with my bow, Partha then will never be able to
transgress me. Urge the steeds, therefore, with speed. When I will put
forth my valour in battle, Dhananjaya the son of Kunti will not venture
to transgress me like the ocean never venturing to transgress its
continents. Today, slaying Arjuna with 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, so becoming a hero and an
honourable man, his driver slowly urged those steeds adorned with
trappings of gold. At that time many brave warriors deprived of elephants
and steeds and cars, and 25,000 foot-soldiers, O sire, proceeded slowly
(for battle). Then Bhimasena, filled with wrath, and Dhrishtadyumna the
son of Prishata, encompassing those troops with the assistance of four
kinds of forces, destroyed them with shafts. All of them fought
vigorously with Bhima and Prishata's son. Many amongst them challenged
the two Pandava heroes, mentioning their names. Surrounded by them in
battle, Bhima became enraged with them. Quickly descending from his car,
he began to fight, armed with his mace. Relying on the might of his own
arms, Vrikodara the son of Kunti, who was on his car, observant of the
rules of fair fight, did not fight with those foes who were on the
ground. Armed then with that heavy mace of his that was made entirely of
iron and adorned with gold and equipped with a sling, and that resembled
the Destroyer himself as he becomes at the end of Yuga, Bhima slew them
all like Yama slaughtering creatures with his club. Those foot-soldiers,
excited with great rage, having lost their friends and kinsmen, were
prepared to throw away their lives, and rushed in that battle towards
Bhima like insects towards a blazing fire. Indeed, those warriors, filled
with rage and invincible in battle, approaching Bhimasena, suddenly
perished like living creatures at the glance of the Destroyer. Armed with
sword and mace, Bhima careered like a hawk and slaughtered those 25,000
warriors of thine. Having slain that brave division, the mighty Bhima, of
prowess incapable of being baffled, once more stood, with Dhrishtadyumna
before him. Meanwhile, Dhananjaya of great energy proceeded towards the
car-division (of the Kurus). The twin sons of Madri and the mighty
car-warrior Satyaki, all endued with great strength, cheerfully rushed
against Shakuni with great speed from desire of slaying him. Having slain
with keen shafts the numerous cavalry of Shakuni, those Pandava heroes
quickly rushed against Shakuni himself, whereupon a fierce battle was
fought there. Then Dhananjaya, O king, penetrated into the midst of the
car-division of the Kauravas, stretching his bow Gandiva celebrated over
the three worlds. Beholding that car having white steeds yoked unto it
and owning Krishna for its driver coming towards them, with Arjuna as the
warrior on it, your troops fled away in fear. Deprived of cars and steeds
and pierced with shafts from every side, 25,000 foot-soldiers proceeded
towards Partha and surrounded him. Then that mighty car-warrior amongst
the Pancalas (Dhrishtadyumna) with Bhimasena at his head, speedily slew
that brave division and stood triumphant. The son of the Pancala king,
the celebrated Dhrishtadyumna, was a mighty bowman possessed of great
beauty and a crusher of large bands of foes. At sight of Dhrishtadyumna
unto whose car were yoked steeds white as pigeons and whose standard was
made of a lofty Kovidara, the troops fled away in fear. The celebrated
sons of Madri, with Satyaki among them, engaged in the pursuit of the
Gandhara king who was quick in the use of weapons, speedily appeared to
our view. Chekitana and the (five) sons of Draupadi, O sire, having slain
a large number of your troops, blew their conchs. Beholding all the troops
flying away with their faces from the field, those (Pandava) heroes
pursued and smote them like bulls pursuing vanquished bulls. Then the
mighty Savyasaci, the son of Pandu, beholding a remnant of your army still
keeping their ground, became filled with rage, O king. Suddenly, O
monarch, he shrouded that remnant of your forces with arrows. The dust,
however, that was then raised enveloped the scene, in consequence of
which we could not see anything. Darkness also spread over the scene, and
the field of battle was covered with arrows. Thy troops, O monarch, then
fled away in fear on all sides. When his army was thus broken, the Kuru
king, O monarch, rushed against both friends and foes. Then Duryodhana
challenged all the Pandavas to battle, O chief of Bharata's race, like
the Asura Vali in days of yore challenging all the celestials. The
Pandavas then, uniting together and filled with rage, upbraiding him
repeatedly and shooting diverse weapons, rushed against the roaring
Duryodhana. The latter, however, fearlessly smote his foes with shafts.
The prowess that we then saw of your son was exceedingly wonderful, since
all the Pandavas together were unable to transgress him. At this time
Duryodhana beheld, staying at a little distance from him, his troops,
exceedingly mangled with shafts, and prepared to fly away. Rallying them
then, O monarch, your son, resolved on battle and desirous of gladdening
them, addressed those warriors, saying, "I do not see that spot on plain
or mountain whither, if you fly, the Pandavas will not slay you. What is
the use then in flight? The Pandava army hath now been reduced to a small
remnant. The two Krishnas have been exceedingly mangled. If all of us
make a stand here, we are certain to have victory. If, however, you fly
away, breaking your array, the Pandavas, pursuing your sinful selves,
will slay all of you. Death in battle, therefore, is for our good. Death
in the field of battle while engaged in fight according to Kshatriya
practices is pleasant. Such death produces no kind of grief. By
encountering such a death, a person enjoys eternal happiness in the other
world. Let all the Kshatriyas assembled here listen to me. It were better
that they should even submit to the power of the angry Bhimasena than
that they should abandon the duties practised by them from the days of
their ancestors. There is no act more sinful for a Kshatriya than flight
from battle. You Kauravas, there is not a better path to heaven than the
duty of battle. The warrior acquires in a day regions of bliss (in the
other world) that take many long years for others to acquire." Fulfilling
those words of the king, the great Kshatriya car-warriors once more
rushed against the Pandavas, unable to endure their defeat and firmly
resolved to put forth their prowess. Then commenced a battle once more,
that was exceedingly fierce, between your troops and the enemy, and that
resembled the one between the gods and the Asuras. Thy son Duryodhana
then, O monarch, with all his troops, rushed against the Pandavas headed
by Yudhishthira.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 3 ---------------------
