SECTION 25
"Sanjaya said, 'Dhananjaya, with his Gandiva, frustrated the purpose of
those unreturning heroes struggling in battle and striking their foes.
The shafts shot by Arjuna, irresistible and endued with great force and
whose touch was like that of the thunder, were seen to resemble torrents
of rain poured by a cloud. That army, O chief of the Bharatas, thus
struck by Kiritin, fled away in the very sight of your son. Some deserted
their sires and brothers, others deserted their comrades. Some
car-warriors were deprived of their animals. Others lost their drivers.
Some had their poles or yokes or wheels broken, O king! The arrows of
some were exhausted. Some were seen afflicted with arrows. Some, though
unwounded, fled in a body, afflicted with fear. Some endeavoured to
rescue their sons, having lost all their kinsmen and animals. Some loudly
called upon their sires, some upon their comrades and followers. Some
fled, deserting their kinsmen, O tiger among men, and brothers and other
relatives, O monarch! Many mighty car-warriors, struck with Partha's
shafts and deeply pierced therewith, were seen to breathe hard, deprived
of their senses. Others, taking them upon their own cars, and soothing
them for a while, and resting them and dispelling their thirst by
offering them drink, once more proceeded to battle. Some, incapable of
being easily defeated in battle, deserting the wounded, once more
advanced to battle, desirous of obeying the behests of your son. Some,
having slaked their thirst or groomed their animals, and some, wearing
(fresh) armour, O chief of the Bharatas, and some, having comforted their
brothers and sons and sires, and placed them in camp, once more came to
battle. Some, arraying their cars in the order, O king, of superiors and
inferiors, advanced against the Pandavas once more for battle. Those
heroes (on their cars) covered with rows of bells, looked resplendent
like Daityas and Danavas intent on the conquest of the three worlds.
Some, advancing with precipitancy on their vehicles decked with gold,
fought with Dhrishtadyumna amid the Pandava divisions. The Pancala prince
Dhrishtadyumna, and the great car-warrior Shikhandi, and Satanika, the
son of Nakula, fought with the car-force of the enemy. The Pancala
prince, then, filled with rage and supported by a large army, rushed
against your angry troops from desire of slaying them. Then your son, O
ruler of men, sped many showers of arrows, O Bharata, at the Pancala
prince thus rushing at him. Then, O king, Dhrishtadyumna was quickly
pierced with many arrows in his arms and chest by your son fighting with
his bow. Deeply pierced therewith like an elephant with pointed lances,
that great bowman then despatched with his shafts the four steeds of
Duryodhana to the regions of death. With another broad-headed arrow he
next cut off from his trunk the head of his enemy's driver. Then that
chastiser of foes, king Duryodhana, having thus lost his car, rode on
horse-back and retreated to a spot not remote. Beholding his own army
destitute of prowess, your son, the mighty Duryodhana, O king, proceeded
to the place where Subala's son was. When the Kaurava cars were broken,
3,000 gigantic elephants encompassed those car-warriors, the five
Pandavas. Encompassed by that elephant force, O Bharata, the five
brothers looked beautiful, O tiger among men, like the planets surrounded
by the clouds. Then the mighty-armed and white-steeded Arjuna, O king, of
sureness of aim and having Krishna for his charioteer, advanced on his
car. Surrounded by those elephants huge as hills, he began to destroy
those animals with his keen and polished arrows. Each slain with a single
arrow, we beheld those huge elephants fallen or falling down, mangled by
Savyasaci. The mighty Bhimasena, himself like an infuriated elephant,
beholding those elephants, took up his formidable mace and rushed at
them, quickly jumping down from his car, like the Destroyer armed with
his club. Seeing that great car-warrior of the Pandavas with uplifted
mace, your soldiers became filled with fright and passed urine and
excreta. The whole army became agitated upon beholding Bhimasena armed
with mace. We then beheld those elephants, huge as hills, running hither
and thither, with their frontal globes split open by Bhima with his mace
and all their limbs bathed in blood. Struck with Bhima's mace, those
elephants, running off from him, fell down with cries of pain, like
wingless mountains. Beholding those elephants, many in number, with their
frontal globes split open, running hither and thither or falling down,
thy soldiers were inspired with fear. Then Yudhishthira also, filled with
wrath, and the two sons of Madri, began to slay those elephant-warriors
with arrows equipped with vulturine wings. Dhrishtadyumna, after the
defeat of the (Kuru) king in battle, and after the flight of the latter
from that spot on horse-back, saw that the Pandavas had all been
surrounded by the (Kaurava) elephants. Beholding this, O monarch,
Dhrishtadyumna, the son of the Pancala king, proceeded towards those
elephants, from desire of slaughtering them. Meanwhile, not seeing
Duryodhana in the midst of the car-force. Ashvatthama and Kripa, and
Kritavarma of the Satwata race, asked all the Kshatriyas there, saying,
'Where has Duryodhana gone?' Not seeing the king in that carnage, those
great car-warriors all thought your son to have been slain. Hence, with
sorrowful faces, they enquired after him. Some persons told them that
after the fall of his driver, he had gone to Subala's son. Other
Kshatriyas, present there, who had been exceedingly mangled with wounds,
said, "What need is there with Duryodhana? See if he is yet alive! Do you
all fight unitedly? What will the king do to you?" Other Kshatriyas, who
were exceedingly mangled, who had lost many of their kinsmen, and who
were still being afflicted with the arrows of the enemy, said these words
in indistinct tones, "Let us slay these forces by whom we are
encompassed! Behold, the Pandavas are coming hither, after having slain
the elephants!" Hearing these words of theirs, the mighty Ashvatthama,
piercing through that irresistible force of the Pancala king, proceeded
with Kripa and Kritavarma to the spot where Subala's son was. Indeed,
those heroes, those firm bowmen, leaving the car-force, repaired (in
search of Duryodhana). After they had gone away, the Pandavas, headed by
Dhrishtadyumna, advanced, O king, and began to slay their enemies.
Beholding those valiant and heroic and mighty car-warriors cheerfully
rushing towards them, your troops, amongst whom the faces of many had
turned pale, became hopeless of their lives. Seeing those soldiers of
ours almost deprived of weapons and surrounded (by the foe). I myself, O
king, having only two kinds of forces, and becoming reckless of life,
joined the five leaders of our army, and fought with the forces of the
Pancala prince, posting our men on that spot where Saradwat's son was
stationed. We had been afflicted with the shafts of Kiritin.
Nevertheless, a fierce battle took place between us and the division of
Dhrishtadyumna. At last, vanquished by the latter, all of us retreated
from that encounter. I then beheld the mighty car-warrior Satyaki rushing
against us. With four hundred cars that hero pursued me in battle. Having
escaped with difficulty from Dhrishtadyumna whose steeds had been tired,
I fell among the forces of Madhava even as a sinner falleth into hell.
There a fierce and terrible battle took place for a short while. The
mighty-armed Satyaki, having cut off my armour, became desirous of taking
me alive. He seized me while I lay down on the ground insensible. Then
within a short while that elephant-force was destroyed by Bhimasena with
his mace and Arjuna with his arrows. In consequence of those mighty
elephants, huge as hills, falling down on every side with crushed limbs,
the Pandava warriors found their way almost entirely blocked up. Then the
mighty Bhimasena, O monarch, dragging away those huge elephants, made a
way for the Pandavas to come out. Meanwhile, Ashvatthama and Kripa and
Kritavarma of the Satwata race, not seeing that chastiser of foes,
Duryodhana, amid the car-division, sought for your royal son, Abandoning
the prince of the Pancalas, they proceeded to the spot where Subala's son
was anxious to have a sight of the king during that terrible carnage.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 25 ---------------------
