SECTION 58
"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding that fight thus raging between those two
foremost heroes of Kuru's race, Arjuna said unto Vasudeva, "Between these
two, who, in your opinion, is superior? Who amongst them hath what merit?
Tell me this, O Janardana."
"'Vasudeva said, "The instruction received by them hath been equal.
Bhima, however, is possessed of greater might, while the son of
Dhritarashtra is possessed of greater skill and hath laboured more. If he
were to fight fairly, Bhimasena will never succeed in winning the
victory. If, however, he fights unfairly he will be surely able to slay
Duryodhana. The Asuras were vanquished by the gods with the aid of
deception. We have heard this. Virochana was vanquished by Shakra with
the aid of deception. The slayer of Vala deprived Vritra of his energy by
an act of deception. Therefore, let Bhimasena put forth his prowess,
aided by deception! At the time of the gambling, O Dhananjaya, Bhima
vowed to break the thighs of Suyodhana with his mace in battle. Let this
crusher of foes, therefore, accomplish that vow of his. Let him with
deception, slay the Kuru king who is full of deception. If Bhima,
depending upon his might alone, were to fight fairly, king Yudhishthira
will have to incur great danger. I tell you again, O son of Pandu,
listen to me. It is through the fault of king Yudhishthira alone that
danger hath once more overtaken us! Having achieved great feats by the
slaughter of Bhishma and the other Kurus, the king had won victory and
fame and had almost attained the end of the hostilities. Having thus
obtained the victory, he placed himself once more in a situation of doubt
and peril. This has been an act of great folly on the part of
Yudhishthira, O Pandava, since he hath made the result of the battle
depend upon the victory or the defeat of only one warrior! Suyodhana is
accomplished, he is a hero; he is again firmly resolved. This old verse
uttered by Usanas hath been heard by us. Listen to me as I recite it to
thee with its true sense and meaning! 'Those amongst the remnant of a
hostile force broken flying away for life, that rally and come back to
the fight, should always be feared, for they are firmly resolved and have
but one purpose! Shakra himself, O Dhananjaya, cannot stand before them
that rush in fury, having abandoned all hope of life. This Suyodhana had
broken and fled. All his troops had been killed. He had entered the
depths of a lake. He had been defeated and, therefore, he had desired to
retire into the woods, having become hopeless of retaining his kingdom.
What man is there, possessed of any wisdom, that would challenge such a
person to a single combat? I do not know whether Duryodhana may not
succeed in snatching the kingdom that had already become ours! For full
thirteen years he practised with the mace with great resolution. Even
now, for slaying Bhimasena, he jumpeth up and leapeth transversely! If
the mighty-armed Bhima does not slay him unfairly, the son of
Dhritarashtra will surely remain king!" Having heard those words of the
high-souled Keshava, Dhananjaya struck his own left thigh before the eyes
of Bhimasena. Understanding that sign, Bhima began to career with his
uplifted mace, making many a beautiful circle and many a Yomaka and other
kinds of manoeuvres. Sometimes adopting the right mandala, sometimes the
left mandala, and sometimes the motion called Gomutraka, the son of Pandu
began to career, O king, stupefying his foe. Similarly, your son, O
monarch, who was well conversant with encounters with the mace, careered
beautifully and with great activity, for slaying Bhimasena. Whirling
their terrible maces which were smeared with sandal paste and other
perfumed unguents, the two heroes, desirous of reaching the end of their
hostilities, careered in that battle like two angry Yamas. Desirous of
slaying each other, those two foremost of men, possessed of great
heroism, fought like two Garudas desirous of catching the same snake.
While the king and Bhima careered in beautiful circles, their maces
clashed, and sparks of fire were generated by those repeated clashes.
Those two heroic and mighty warriors struck each other equally in that
battle. They then resembled, O monarch, two oceans agitated by the
tempest. Striking each other equally like two infuriated elephants, their
clashing maces produced peals of thunder. During the progress of that
dreadful and fierce battle at close quarters, both those chastisers of
foes, while battling, became fatigued. Having rested for a while, those
two scorchers of foes, filled with rage and uplifting their maces, once
more began to battle with each other. When by the repeated descents of
their maces, O monarch, they mangled each other, the battle they fought
became exceedingly dreadful and perfectly unrestrained. Rushing at each
other in that encounter, those two heroes, possessed of eyes like those
of bulls and endued with great activity, struck each other fiercely like
two buffaloes in the mire. All their limbs mangled and bruised, and
covered with blood from head to foot, they looked like a couple of
Kinsukas on the breast of Himavat. During the progress of the encounter,
when, Vrikodara (as a ruse) seemed to give Duryodhana an opportunity, the
latter, smiling a little, advanced forward. Well-skilled in battle, the
mighty Vrikodara, beholding his adversary come up, suddenly hurled his
mace at him. Seeing the mace hurled at him, your son, O monarch, moved
away from that spot at which the weapon fell down baffled on the earth.
Having warded off that blow, your son, that foremost one of Kuru's race,
quickly struck Bhimasena with his weapon. In consequence of the large
quantity of blood drawn by that blow, as also owing to the violence
itself of the blow, Bhimasena of immeasurable energy seemed to be
stupefied. Duryodhana, however, knew not that the son of Pandu was so
afflicted at that moment. Though deeply afflicted, Bhima sustained
himself, summoning all his patience. Duryodhana, therefore, regarded him
to be unmoved and ready to return the blow. It was for this that your son
did not then strike him again. Having rested for a little while, the
valiant Bhimasena rushed furiously, O king, at Duryodhana who was
standing near. Beholding Bhimasena of immeasurable energy filled with
rage and rushing towards him, your high-souled son, O bull of Bharata's
race, desiring to baffle his blow, set his heart on the manoeuvre called
Avasthana. He, therefore, desired to jump upwards, O monarch, for
beguiling Vrikodara. Bhimasena fully understood the intentions of his
adversary. Rushing, therefore, at him, with a loud leonine roar, he
fiercely hurled his mace at the thighs of the Kuru king as the latter had
jumped up for baffling the first aim. That mace, endued with the force of
the thunder and hurled by Bhima of terrible feats, fractured the two
handsome thighs of Duryodhana. That tiger among men, your son, after his
thighs had been broken by Bhimasena, fell down, causing the earth to echo
with his fall. Fierce winds began to blow, with loud sounds at repeated
intervals. Showers of dust fell. The earth, with her trees and plants and
mountains, began to tremble. Upon the fall of that hero who was the head
of all monarchs on earth, fierce and fiery winds blew with a loud noise
and with thunder falling frequently. Indeed, when that lord of earth
fell, large meteors were seen to flash down from the sky. Bloody showers,
as also showers of dust, fell, O Bharata! These were poured by Maghavat,
upon the fall of your son! A loud noise was heard, O bull of Bharata's
race, in the welkin, made by the Yakshas, and the Rakshasas and the
Pisachas. At that terrible sound, animals and birds, numbering in
thousands, began to utter more frightful noise on every side. Those
steeds and elephants and human beings that formed the (unslain) remnant
of the (Pandava) host uttered loud cries when your son fell. Loud also
became the blare of conchs and the peal of drums and cymbals. A terrific
noise seemed to come from within the bowels of the earth. Upon the fall
of your son, O monarch, headless beings of frightful forms, possessed of
many legs and many arms, and inspiring all creatures with dread, began to
dance and cover the earth on all sides. Warriors, O king, that stood with
standards or weapons in their arms, began to tremble, O king, when thy
son fell. Lakes and wells, O best of kings, vomited forth blood. Rivers
of rapid currents flowed in opposite directions. Women seemed to look
like men, and men to look like women at that hour, O king, when your son
Duryodhana fell! Beholding those wonderful portents, the Pancalas and the
Pandavas, O bull of Bharata's race, became filled with anxiety. The gods
and the Gandharvas went away to the regions they desired, talking, as
they proceeded, of that wonderful battle between your sons. Similarly the
Siddhas, and the Charanas of the fleetest course, went to those places
from which they had come, applauding those two lions among men."
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 58 ---------------------
