SECTION 56
Vaishampayana said, "At the outset, O Janamejaya a fierce wordy encounter
took place between the two heroes. With respect to that, king
Dhritarashtra, filled with grief, said this, 'Oh, fie on man, who hath
such an end! My son, O sinless one, had been the lord of eleven chamus of
troops He had all the kings under his command and had enjoyed the
sovereignty of the whole earth! Alas, he that had been so, now a warrior
proceeding to battle, on foot, shouldering his mace! My poor son, who had
before been the protector of the universe, was now himself without
protection! Alas, he had, on that occasion, to proceed on foot,
shouldering his mace! What can it be but Destiny? Alas, O Sanjaya, great
was the grief that was felt by my son now!' Having uttered these words,
that ruler of men, afflicted with great woe, became silent.
"Sanjaya said, 'Deep-voiced like a cloud, Duryodhana then roared from joy
like a bull. Possessed of great energy, he challenged the son of Pritha
to battle. When the high-souled king of the Kurus thus summoned Bhima to
the encounter, diverse portents of an awful kind became noticeable.
Fierce winds began to blow with loud noises at intervals, and a shower of
dust fell. All the points of the compass became enveloped in a thick
gloom. Thunderbolts of loud peal fell on all sides, causing a great
confusion and making the very hair to stand on end. Hundreds of meteors
fell, bursting with a loud noise from the welkin. Rahu swallowed the Sun
most untimely, O monarch! The Earth with her forests and trees shook
greatly. Hot winds blew, bearing showers of hard pebbles along the
ground. The summits of mountains fell down on the earth's surface.
Animals of diverse forms were seen to run in all directions. Terrible and
fierce jackals, with blazing mouths, howled everywhere. Loud and terrific
reports were heard on every side, making the hair stand on end. The four
quarters seemed to be ablaze and many were the animals of ill omen that
became visible. The water in the wells on every side swelled up of their
own accord. Loud sounds came from every side, without, O king, visible
creatures to utter them. Beholding these and other portents, Vrikodara
said unto his eldest brother, king Yudhishthira the just, "This Suyodhana
of wicked soul is not competent to vanquish me in battle! I shall today
vomit that wrath which I have been cherishing for a long while in the
secret recesses of my heart, upon this ruler of the Kurus like Arjuna
throwing fire upon the forest of Khandava! Today, O son of Pandu, I shall
extract the dart that lies sticking to your heart! Slaying with my mace
this sinful wretch of Kuru's race, I shall today place around your neck
the garland of Fame! Slaying this wight of sinful deeds with my mace on
the field of battle, I shall today, with this very mace of mine, break
his body into a hundred fragments! He shall not have again to enter the
city called after the elephant. The setting of snakes at us while we were
asleep, the giving of poison to us while we ate, the casting of our body
into the water at Pramanakoti, the attempt to burn us at the house of
lac, the insult offered us at the assembly, the robbing us of all our
possessions, the whole year of our living in concealment, our exile into
the woods, O sinless one, of all these woes, O best of Bharata's race, I
shall today reach the end, O bull of Bharata's line! Slaying this wretch,
I shall, in one single day, pay off all the debts I owe him! Today, the
period of life of this wicked son of Dhritarashtra, of uncleansed soul,
hath reached its close, O chief of the Bharatas! After this day he shall
not again look at his father and mother! Today, O monarch, the happiness
of this wicked king of the Kurus hath come to an end! After this day, O
monarch, he shall not again cast his eyes on female beauty! Today this
disgrace of Santanu's line shall sleep on the bare Earth, abandoning his
life-breath, his prosperity, and his kingdom! Today king Dhritarashtra
also, hearing of the fall of his son, shall recollect all those evil acts
that were born of Shakuni's brain!" With these words, O tiger among
kings, Vrikodara of great energy, armed with mace, stood for fight, like
Shakra challenging the asura Vritra. Beholding Duryodhana also standing
with uplifted mace like mount Kailasa graced with its summit, Bhimasena,
filled with wrath, once more addressed him, saying, "Recall to your mind
that evil act of thyself and king Dhritarashtra that occurred at
Varanavata! Remember Draupadi who was ill-treated, while in her season,
in the midst of the assembly! Remember the deprivation of the king
through dice by thyself and Subala's son! Remember that great woe
suffered by us, in consequence of thee, in the forest, as also in
Virata's city as if we had once more entered the womb! I shall avenge
myself of them all today! By good luck, O you of wicked soul, I see thee
today! It is for your sake that that foremost of car-warriors, the son of
Ganga, of great prowess, struck down by Yajnasena's son, sleepeth on a
bed of arrows! Drona also hath been slain, and Karna, and Shalya of great
prowess! Subala's son Shakuni, too, that root of these hostilities, hath
been slain! The wretched Pratikamin, who had seized Draupadi's tresses,
hath been slain! All your brave brothers also, who fought with great
valour, have been slain! These and many other kings have been slain
through your fault! Thee too I shall slay today with my mace! There is not
the slightest doubt in this." While Vrikodara, O monarch, was uttering
these words in a loud voice, your fearless son of true prowess answered
him, saying, "What use of such elaborate bragging? Fight me, O Vrikodara!
O wretch of your race, today I shall destroy your desire of battle! Mean
vermin as you art, know that Duryodhana is not capab le, like an
ordinary person, of being terrified by a person like thee! For a long
time have I cherished this desire! For a long time hath this wish been in
my heart! By good luck the gods have at last brought it about, a mace
encounter with thee! What use of long speeches and empty bragging, O
wicked-souled one! Accomplish these words of yours in acts. Do not tarry
at all!" Hearing these words of his, the Somakas and the other kings that
were present there all applauded them highly. Applauded by all,
Duryodhana's hair stood erect with joy and he firmly set his heart on
battle. The kings present once again cheered your wrathful son with
clapping, like persons exciting an infuriated elephant to an encounter.
The high-souled Vrikodara, the son of Pandu, then, uplifting his mace,
rushed furiously at your high-souled son. The elephants present there
trumpeted aloud and the steeds neighed repeatedly. The weapons of the
Pandavas who longed for victory blazed forth of their own accord.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 56 ---------------------
