SECTION 26
"Sanjaya said, 'After that elephant-division had been destroyed, O
Bharata, by the son of Pandu, and while your army was being thus
slaughtered by Bhimasena in battle, beholding the latter, that chastiser
of foes, careering like the all-killing Destroyer himself in rage armed
with his club, the remnant of your unslaughtered sons, those uterine
brothers, O king, united together at that time when he of Kuru's race,
thy son Duryodhana, could not be seen, and rushed against Bhimasena. They
were Durmarshana and Srutanta and Jaitra and Bhurivala and Ravi, and
Jayatsena and Sujata and that slayer of foes, Durvishaha, and he called
Durvimochana, and Dushpradharsha and the mighty-armed Srutarvan. All of
them were accomplished in battle. Those sons of thine, uniting together,
rushed against Bhimasena and shut him up on all sides. Then Bhima, O
monarch, once more mounting on his own car, began to shoot keen shafts at
the vital limbs of your sons. Those sons of thine, covered with arrows by
Bhimasena in that dreadful battle, began to drag that warrior like men
dragging an elephant from off a cross-way. Excited with rage, Bhimasena,
quickly cutting off the head of Durmarshana with a razor-headed arrow,
felled it on the Earth. With another broad-headed arrow capable of
penetrating every armour, Bhima next slew that mighty car-warrior, thy
son Srutanta. Then with the greatest ease, piercing Jayatsena with a
cloth-yard shaft, that chastiser of foes, the son of Pandu, felled that
scion of Kuru's race from his car. The prince, O king, fell down and
immediately expired. At this, your son Srutarvan, excited with rage,
pierced Bhima with a hundred straight arrows winged with vulturine
feathers. Then Bhima, inflamed with rage, pierced Jaitra and Ravi and
Bhurivala, those three, with three shafts resembling poison or fire.
Those mighty car-warriors, thus struck, fell down from their cars, like
Kinsukas variegated with flowers in the season of spring cut down (by the
axe-man). Then that scorcher of foes, with another broad-headed arrow of
great keenness, struck Durvimochana and despatched him to Yama's abode.
Thus struck, that foremost of carwarriors fell down on the ground from
his car, like a tree growing on the summit of a mountain when broken by
the wind. The son of Pandu next struck your other two sons at the head of
their forces, Dushpradharsha and Sujata, each with a couple of arrows in
that battle. Those two foremost of car-warriors, pierced with those
shafts, fell down. Beholding next another son of thine, Durvishaha,
rushing at him, Bhima pierced him with a broad-headed arrow in that
battle. That prince fell down from his car in the very sight of all the
bowmen. Beholding so many of his brothers slain by the singlehanded Bhima
in that battle, Srutarvan, under the influence of rage, rushed at Bhima,
stretching his formidable bow decked with gold and shooting a large
number of arrows that resembled poison or fire in energy. Cutting off the
bow of Pandu's son in that dreadful battle, the Kuru prince pierced the
bowless Bhima with twenty arrows. Then Bhimasena, that mighty
car-warrior, taking up another bow, shrouded your son with arrows and
addressing him, said, "Wait, Wait!' The battle that took place between
the two was beautiful and fierce, like that which had occurred in days of
yore between Vasava and the Asura Jambha, O lord! With the keen shafts,
resembling the fatal rods of Yama, sped by those two warriors, the Earth,
the sky, and all the points of the compass, became shrouded. Then
Srutarvan, filled with rage, took up his bow and struck Bhimasena in that
battle, O king, with many arrows on his arms and chest. Deeply pierced, O
monarch, by your son armed with the bow, Bhima became exceedingly agitated
like the ocean at the full or the new moon. Filled with wrath, Bhima
then, O sire, despatched with his arrows the driver and the four steeds
of your son to Yama's abode. Beholding him carless, Pandu's son of
immeasurable soul, displaying the lightness of his hands, covered him
with winged arrows. The carless Srutarvan then, O king, took up a sword
and shield. As the prince, however, careered with his sword and bright
shield decked with a hundred moons, the son of Pandu struck off his head
from his trunk with a razor-headed arrow and felled it on the Earth. The
trunk of that illustrious warrior, rendered headless by means of that
razor-headed arrow, fell down from his car, filling the Earth with a loud
noise. Upon the fall of that hero, your troops, though terrified, rushed
in that battle against Bhimasena from desire of fighting with him. The
valiant Bhimasena, clad in mail, received those warriors rushing quickly
at him from among the unslain remnant of that ocean of troops.
Approaching him, those warriors encompassed that hero on all sides. Thus
surrounded by those warriors of thine, Bhima began to afflict them all
with keen shafts like him of a 1,000 eyes afflicting the Asuras. Having
destroyed five hundred great cars with their fences, he once more slew
seven hundred elephants in that battle. Slaying next 10,000 foot-soldiers
with his mighty shafts, as also 800 steeds, the son of Pandu looked
resplendent. Indeed, Bhimasena, the son of Kunti, having slain your sons
in battle, regarded his object achieved, O lord, and the purpose of his
birth accomplished. Thy troops, at that time, O Bharata, ventured to even
gaze at that warrior who was battling in that fashion and slaying your men
in that way. Routing all the Kurus and slaying those followers of theirs,
Bhima then slapped his armpits, terrifying the huge elephants with the
noise he produced. Then your army, O monarch, which had lost a very large
number of men, and which then consisted of a very few soldiers, became
exceedingly cheerless, O king!'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 26 ---------------------
