Dhritarashtra said, "Seeing Drona's son stop at the gate of the
encampment, what, O Sanjaya, did those two mighty car-warriors, Kripa and
Kritavarma, do? Tell me this!"
Sanjaya said, "Inviting Kritavarma, as also the mighty car-warrior Kripa,
Drona's son, filled with rage, approached the gate of the camp. He there
beheld a being of gigantic frame, capable of making the very hair stand
on end, and possessed of the effulgence of the Sun or the Moon, guarding
the entrance. Round his loins was a tiger-skin dripping with blood, and
he had a black deer for his upper garment. He had for his sacred thread a
large snake. His arms were long and massive and held many kinds of
uplifted weapons. He had for his angadas a large snake wound round his
upper arm. His mouth seemed to blaze with flames of fire. His teeth made
his face terrible to behold. His mouth was open and dreadful. His face
was adorned with thousands of beautiful eyes. His body was incapable of
being described, as also his attire. The very mountains, upon beholding
him, would split into a 1,000 fragments. Blazing flames of fire seemed to
issue from his mouth and nose and ears and all those thousands of eyes.
From those blazing flames hundreds and thousands of Hrishikeshas issued,
armed with conchs and discs and maces.
Beholding that extraordinary being capable of inspiring the whole world
with terror, Drona's son, without feeling any agitation, covered him with
showers of celestial weapons. That being, however, devoured all those
shafts shot by Drona's son. Like the vadava fire devouring the waters of
the ocean, that being devoured the shafts sped by the son of Drona.
Beholding his arrowy showers prove fruitless, Ashvatthama hurled at him a
long dart blazing like a flame of fire. That dart of blazing point,
striking against that being, broke into pieces like a huge meteor at the
end of the yuga breaking and falling down from the firmament after
striking against the Sun. Ashvatthama then, without losing a moment, drew
from its sheath an excellent scimitar of the colour of the sky and endued
with a golden hilt. The scimitar came out like a blazing snake from its
hole. The intelligent son of Drona then hurled that excellent scimitar at
that being. The weapon, approaching that being, disappeared within his
body like a mongoose disappearing in its hole. Filled with rage, the son
of Drona then hurled a blazing mace of the proportions of a pole set up
in honour of Indra. The being devoured that mace also.
At last, when all his weapons were exhausted Ashvatthama, casting his
eyes around, beheld the whole firmament densely crowded with images of
Janardana. Drona's son, divested of weapons, beholding that wonderful
sight, recollected the words of Kripa, and turning pale with grief, said,
"He that listens not to the beneficial words of advising friends is
obliged to repent, being overwhelmed with calamity, even as my foolish
self for having disregarded my two well-wishers. That fool who,
disregarding the way pointed out by the scriptures, seeketh to slay his
enemies, falleth off from the path of righteousness and is lost in the
trackless wilderness of sin. One should not cast weapons upon kine,
brahmanas, kings, women, friends, one's own mother, one's own preceptor,
a weak man, an idiot, a blind man, a sleeping man, a terrified man, one
just arisen from sleep, an intoxicated person, a lunatic and one that is
heedless. The preceptors of old always inculcated this truth upon men. I
have, however, by disregarding the eternal way pointed out by the
scriptures, and by essaying to tread in a wrong path, fallen into
terrible distress. The wise have called that to be a terrible calamity
when one falls back, through fear, from a great feat after having essayed
to achieve it. I am unable, by putting forth only my skill and might, to
achieve that which I have vowed.
Human exertion is never regarded more efficacious than destiny. If any
human action that is commenced does not succeed through destiny, the
actor becomes like one who falling off from the path of righteousness, is
lost in the wilderness of sin. The sages speak of defeat as foolishness
when one having commenced an act swerves from it through fear. In
consequence of the wickedness of my essay, this great calamity has come
upon me, otherwise Drona's son would never had been forced to hold back
from battle. This being, again whom I see before me, is most wonderful!
He stands there like the uplifted rod of divine chastisement. Reflecting
even deeply, I cannot recognise who this being is. Without doubt, that
being is the terrible fruit of this sinful determination of mine that I
had essayed to achieve unrighteously. He standeth there for baffling that
determination. It seems, therefore, that in my case this falling off from
fight had been ordained by destiny. It is not for me to exert for the
accomplishment of this my purpose unless destiny becomes favourable. I
shall, therefore, at this hour, seek the protection of the puissant
Mahadeva! He will dispel this dreadful rod of divine chastisement
uplifted before me. I will take the shelter of that god, that source of
everything beneficial, the lord of Uma, otherwise called Kapardin, decked
with a garland of human skulls, that plucker of Bhaga's eyes called also
Rudra and Hara. In ascetic austerities and prowess, he far surpasses all
the gods. I shall, therefore, seek the protection of Girisha armed with
the trident."
