SECTION 27
"Sanjaya said, 'Duryodhana, O king, and your son Sudarsa, the only two of
thy children yet unslain, were at that time in the midst of the (Kaurava)
cavalry. Beholding Duryodhana staying in the midst of the cavalry,
Devaki's son (Krishna) said unto Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, "A large
number of our foes, kinsmen that had received our protection, have been
slain. There, that bull of Sini's race is returning, having taken Sanjaya
captive! Both Nakula and Sahadeva, O Bharata, are fatigued, having fought
with the wretched Dhartarashtras and their followers! Those three, Kripa
and Kritavarma and the mighty car-warrior Ashvatthama, have left
Duryodhana's side and taken up their position elsewhere! Having slain
Duryodhana's troops, the Pancala prince stayeth yonder, endued with great
beauty, in the midst of the Prabhadrakas. There, O Partha, Duryodhana
stayeth in the midst of his cavalry, with the umbrella held over his head
and himself flinging his glances all around! Having rearrayed the
(remnant of his) army, he stayeth in the midst of his forces. Slaying
this one with your keen shafts, you mayst achieve all your objects! As
long as these troops do not fly away beholding thee, in their midst and
witnessing also the destruction of their elephant-force, do thou, O
chastiser of foes, endeavour to slay Duryodhana! Let somebody go to the
Pancala prince and ask him to come hither. The (Kaurava) troops are all
tired, O sire! The sinful Duryodhana will never succeed in escaping!
Having slain a large number of your troops in battle, the son of
Dhritarashtra wears a proud aspect as if he believes that the Pandavas
have been vanquished! Beholding his own troops afflicted and slain by the
Pandavas, the Kuru king will certainly come to battle for his own
destruction!" Thus addressed by Krishna, Phalguna replied unto him,
saying. "Almost all the sons of Dhritarashtra, O giver of honours, have
been slain by Bhima! Only these two are yet alive! They, however, O
Krishna, shall also meet with destruction today! Bhishma hath been slain,
Drona hath been slain, Karna, otherwise called Vaikartana, hath been
slain! Shalya, the king of the Madras, hath been slain, and Jayadratha
also, O Krishna, hath been slain! Only five hundred horses from the
remnant of the troops of Shakuni, the son of Subala, and of cars, only
two hundred still remain, O Janardana! Of elephants there remain only a
hundred that are formidable, and of foot only 3,000! There remain also
Ashvatthama and Kripa and the ruler of the Trigartas and Uluka and
Kritavarma of the Satwata race. These, O Madhava, form the remnant of
Duryodhana's force! Truly, there is no escape from death for anybody on
Earth! Although such a tremendous carnage hast taken place, behold,
Duryodhana is still alive! Today king Yudhishthira, however, will be
freed from all his foes! None amongst the enemy will escape me, I ween!
Even if they be more than men, O Krishna, I shall yet slay all those
warriors today, however, furious in battle, if only they do not fly away
from the field! Filled with wrath in today's battle, I shall, by slaying
the prince of Gandhara with my keen shafts, dispel that sleeplessness
which the king has suffered from for a long time! I shall win back all
those valuable possessions which Subala's son, of wicked conduct, won
from us at the gambling match in the assembly! Hearing of the slaughter
of their husbands and sons at the hands of the Pandavas in battle, all
the ladies of the city called after the elephant will utter loud wails!
Today, O Krishna, our task will be ended! Today Duryodhana shall abandon
all his blazing prosperity, as also his life-breath. Thou mayest take the
foolish son of Dhritarashtra to be dead, O you of Vrishni's race, if, O
Krishna, he does not today fly away from the battle to be waged by me!
Those steeds are incapable of enduring the twang of my bow and the slaps
of my palms! Proceed thither, O Krishna, for I will slay them!" Thus
addressed by Pandu's son of great force of mind, he of Dasarha's race
urged his steeds, O king, towards the division of Duryodhana. Beholding
that force (within which Duryodhana was), three mighty car-warriors
prepared themselves for assailing it, for Bhimasena and Arjuna and
Sahadeva, O sire, together proceeded against it with loud leonine roars
from desire of slaying Duryodhana. Beholding those three warriors rushing
quickly together with uplifted bows, Subala's son proceeded towards that
spot against those Pandava foes. Thy son Sudarsana rushed against
Bhimasena. Susarman and Shakuni encountered Kiritin. Thy son Duryodhana
on horse-back proceeded against Sahadeva. Then your son, O ruler of men,
with great speed and care, forcibly struck Sahadeva's head with a lance.
Thus assailed by your son, Sahadeva sat down on the terrace of his car,
all his limbs bathed in blood and himself sighing like a snake. Regaining
his senses then, O king, Sahadeva, filled with rage, covered Duryodhana
with keen arrows. Kunti's son, Dhananjaya, otherwise called Partha,
putting forth his prowess, cut off the heads of many brave combatants on
horse-back. Indeed, Partha, with many arrows, destroyed that (cavalry)
division. Having felled all the steeds, he then proceeded against the
cars of the Trigartas. At this, the great car-warriors of the Trigartas,
uniting together, covered Arjuna and Vasudeva with showers of shafts.
Assailing Satyakarman with a razor-headed arrow, the son of Pandu,
possessed of great fame, cut off his adversary's car-shafts. With another
razor-headed arrow, O lord, whetted on stone, that celebrated hero,
smiling the while, cut off his antagonist's head adorned with bright
gold. He next attacked Satyeshu in the sight of all the warriors, like a
hungry lion, O king, in the forest, attacking a deer. Having slain him,
Partha pierced Susarman with three arrows and then slew all those
car-warriors adorned with ornaments of gold. He then proceeded against
Susarman the ruler of Prashthala with great speed, vomiting the virulent
poison of his wrath cherished for many long years. Covering him first, O
bull of Bharata's race, with a hundred arrows, Arjuna then slew all the
steeds of that bowman. Fixing then on his bowstring a mighty arrow that
resembled the rod of Yama, Partha, smiling the while, quickly sped it at
Susarman, aiming it at him. Sped by that bowman blazing with wrath, that
arrow, reaching Susarman, pierced through his heart in that battle.
Deprived of life, O monarch, Susarman fell down on the Earth, gladdening
all the Pandavas and paining all your warriors. Having slain Susarman in
that battle, Partha then, with his shafts, despatched the five and thirty
sons of that king, all of whom were great car-warriors, to Yama's abode.
Slaying next all the followers of Susarman with his keen arrows, the
mighty car-warrior, Arjuna, proceeded against the remnant of the Bharata
host. Bhima, in that battle, filled with rage, O ruler of men, made thy
son Sudarsana invisible with his arrows, and smiling the while, cut off
from his antagonist's trunk his head with a razor-headed arrow of great
sharpness. Deprived of life, the prince fell down on the Earth. Upon the
fall of that (Kuru) hero, his followers encompassed Bhima in that battle,
shooting showers of whetted arrows at him. Vrikodara, however, with his
keen arrows, whose touch resembled that of Indra's thunder, covered that
force around him. Within a very short time, Bhima slew them all, O bull
of Bharata's race! Whilst they were being thus exterminated, many Kaurava
leaders of great might, O Bharata, approached Bhima and began to fight
with him. The son of Pandu, O king, covered all of them with his arrows.
Similarly, your warriors, O monarch, covered the great car-warriors of the
Pandavas with dense showers of arrows from every side. All the warriors
then, of both sides, thus engaged in battle with one another, became
exceedingly agitated. Struck by one another, the combatants of both
armies, O king, began to fall down, wailing aloud for their (deceased)
kinsmen.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 27 ---------------------
