SECTION 18
"Sanjaya said, 'After the slaughter of Shalya, O king, the followers of
the Madra king, numbering seventeen hundred heroic car-warriors,
proceeded for battle with great energy. Duryodhana riding upon an
elephant gigantic as a hill, with an umbrella held over his head, and
fanned the while with yak-tails, forbade the Madraka warriors, saying,
"Do not proceed, Do not proceed!" Though repeatedly forbidden by
Duryodhana, those heroes, desirous of slaying Yudhishthira, penetrated
into the Pandava host. Those brave combatants, O monarch, loyal to
Duryodhana, twanging their bows loudly, fought with the Pandavas.
Meanwhile, hearing that Shalya had been slain and that Yudhishthira was
afflicted by the mighty car-warriors of the Madrakas devoted to the
welfare of the Madraka king, the great car-warrior Partha came there,
stretching his bow Gandiva, and filling the Earth with the rattle of his
car. Then Arjuna, and Bhima, and the two sons of Madri by Pandu, and that
tiger among men, Satyaki, and the (five) sons of Draupadi, and
Dhrishtadyumna, and Shikhandi, and the Pancalas and the Somakas, desirous
of rescuing Yudhishthira, surrounded him on all sides. Having taken their
places around the king, the Pandavas, those bulls among men, began to
agitate the hostile force like Makaras agitating the ocean. Indeed, they
caused your army to tremble like a mighty tempest shaking the trees. Like
the great river Ganges agitated by a hostile wind, the Pandava host, O
king, once more became exceedingly agitated. Causing that mighty host to
tremble, the illustrious and mighty car-warriors (the Madrakas), all
shouted loudly, saying, "Where is that king Yudhishthira? Why are not his
brave brothers, the Pandavas, to be seen here? What has become of the
Pancalas of great energy as also of the mighty car-warrior Shikhandi?
Where are Dhrishtadyumna and the grandson of Sini and those great
car-warriors, the (five) sons of Draupadi?" At this, those mighty
warriors, the sons of Draupadi, began to slaughter the followers of the
Madra king who were uttering those words and battling vigorously. In that
battle, some amongst your troops were seen slain by means of their lofty
standards. Beholding, however, the heroic Pandavas, the brave warriors of
thy army, O Bharata, though forbidden by your son, still rushed against
them. Duryodhana, speaking softly, sought to prevent those warriors from
fighting with the foe. No great car-warrior, however, amongst them obeyed
his behest. Then Shakuni, the son of the Gandhara king, possessed of
eloquence, O monarch, said unto Duryodhana these words, "How is this that
we are standing here, while the Madraka host is being slaughtered before
our eyes? When thou, O Bharata, are here, this does not look well! The
understanding made was that all of us should fight unitedly! Why then, O
king, dost you tolerate our foes when they are thus slaying our troops?"
"'Duryodhana said, "Though forbidden by me before, they did not obey my
behest. Unitedly have these men penetrated in the Pandava host!"
"'Shakuni said, "Brave warriors, when excited with rage in battle, do not
obey the command of their leaders. It does not behove you to be angry
with those men. This is not the time to stand indifferently. We shall,
therefore, all of us, united together with our cars and horses and
elephants, proceed, for rescuing those great bowmen, the followers of the
Madra king! With great care, O king, we shall protect one another."
Thinking after the manner of Shakuni, all the Kauravas then proceeded to
that place where the Madras were. Duryodhana also, thus addressed (by his
maternal uncle) proceeded, encompassed by a large force, against the foe,
uttering leonine shouts and causing the Earth to resound with that noise.
"Slay, pierce, seize, strike, cut off!" These were the loud sounds that
were heard then, O Bharata, among those troops. Meanwhile the Pandavas,
beholding in that battle the followers of the Madra king assailing them
unitedly, proceeded against them, arraying themselves in the form called
Madhyama. Fighting hand to hand, O monarch, for a short while those
heroic warriors, the followers of the Madra king, were seen to perish.
Then, while we were proceeding, the Pandavas, united together and endued
with great activity, completed the slaughter of the Madrakas, and, filled
with delight, uttered joyous shouts. Then headless forms were seen to
arise all around. Large meteors seemed to fall down from the sun's disc.
The Earth became covered with cars and broken yokes and axles and slain
car-warriors and lifeless steeds. Steeds fleet as the wind, still
attached to yokes of cars (but without drivers to guide them) were seen
to drag car-warriors, O monarch, hither and thither on the field of
battle. Some horses were seen to drag cars with broken wheels, while some
ran on all sides, bearing after them portions of broken cars. Here and
there also were seen steeds that were hampered in their motions by their
traces. Car-warriors, while falling down from their cars, were seen to
drop down like denizens of heaven on the exhaustion of their merits. When
the brave followers of the Madra king were slain, the mighty car-warriors
of the Parthas, those great smiters, beholding a body of horse advancing
towards them, rushed towards it with speed from desire of victory.
Causing their arrows to whiz loudly and making diverse other kinds of
noise mingled with the blare of their conchs, those effectual smiters
possessed of sureness of aim, shaking their bows, uttered leonine roars.
Beholding then that large force of the Madra king exterminated and seeing
also their heroic king slain in battle, the entire army of Duryodhana
once more turned away from the field. Struck, O monarch, by those firm
bowmen, the Pandavas, the Kuru army fled away on all sides, inspired with
fear.'
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 18 ---------------------
