SECTION 23
"Gandhari said, There lies Shalya, the maternal uncle himself of Nakula,
slain in battle, O sire, by the pious and virtuous Yudhishthira! He used
everywhere, O bull among men, to boast of his equality with thee! That
mighty car-warrior, the ruler of the Madras, now lieth, deprived of life.
When he accepted the drivership of Karnas car in battle, he sought to
damp the energy of Karna for giving victory to the sons of Pandu! Alas,
alas, behold the smooth face of Shalya, beautiful as the moon, and
adorned with eyes resembling the petals of the lotus, eaten away by
crows! There, the tongue of that king, of the complexion of heated gold,
rolling out of his mouth, is, O Krishna, being eaten away by carnivorous
birds! The ladies of the royal house of Madra, uttering loud wails of
woe, are sitting around the body of that king, that ornament of
assemblies, deprived of life by Yudhishthira! Those ladies are sitting
around that fallen hero like a herd of she-elephants in their season
around their leader sunk in a slough. Behold the brave Shalya, that giver
of protection, that foremost of car-warriors, stretched on the bed of
heroes, his body mangled with shafts. There, king Bhagadatta of great
prowess, the ruler of a mountainous kingdom, the foremost of all wielders
of the elephant-hook, lieth on the ground, deprived of life. Behold the
garland of gold that he still wears on his head, looketh resplendent.
Though the body is being eaten away by beasts of prey, that garland still
adorns the fair locks on his head. Fierce was the battle that took place
between this king and Partha, making the very hair stand on end, like
that between Shakra and the Asura Vritra. This mighty-armed one, having
fought Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, and having reduced him to great
straits, was at last slain by his antagonist. He who had no equal on
earth in heroism and energy, that achiever of terrible feats in battle,
Bhishma, lieth there, deprived of life. Behold the son of Shantanu, O
Krishna, that warrior of solar effulgence, stretched on the earth, like
the Sun himself fallen from the firmament at the end of the yuga. Having
scorched his foes with the fire of his weapons in battle, that valiant
warrior, that Sun among men, O Keshava, hath set like the real Sun at
evening. Behold that hero, O Krishna, who in knowledge of duty was equal
to Devapi himself, now lying on a bed of arrows, so worthy of heroes.
Having spread his excellent bed of barbed and unbarbed arrows, that hero
lieth on it like the divine Skanda on a clump of heath. Indeed, the son
of Ganga lieth, resting his head on that excellent pillow, consisting of
three arrows,--becoming complement of his bed--given him by the wielder
of gandiva. For obeying the command of his sire, this illustrious one
drew up his vital seed. Unrivalled in battle, that son of Shantanu lieth
there, O Madhava! Of righteous soul and acquainted with every duty, by
the aid of his knowledge relating to both the worlds, that hero, though
mortal, is still bearing his life like an immortal. When Shantanus son
lieth today, struck down with arrows, it seems that no other person is
alive on earth that possesseth learning and prowess that is competent to
achieve great feats in battle. Truthful in speech, this righteous and
virtuous hero, solicited by the Pandavas, told them the means of his own
death. Alas, he who had revived the line of Kuru that had become extinct,
that illustrious person possessed of great intelligence, hath left the
world with all the Kurus in his company. Of whom, O Madhava, will the
Kurus enquire of religion and duty after that bull among men, Devavrata,
who resembles a god, shall have gone to heaven? Behold Drona, that
foremost of brahmanas, that preceptor of Arjuna, of Satyaki, and of the
Kurus, lying on the ground! Endued with mighty energy, Drona, O Madhava,
was as conversant with the four kinds of arms as the chief of the
celestials or Shukra of Bhrigus race. Through his grace, Vibhatsu the son
of Pandu, hath achieved the most difficult feats. Deprived of life, he
now lies on the ground. Weapons refused to come (at last) at his bidding.
Placing him at their head, the Kauravas had challenged the Pandavas. That
foremost of all wielders of weapons was at last mangled with weapons. As
he careered in battle, scorching his foes in every direction, his course
resembled that of a blazing conflagration. Alas, deprived of life, he now
lieth on the ground, like an extinguished fire. The handle of the bow is
yet in his grasp. The leathern fences, O Madhava, still encase his
fingers. Though slain, he still looketh as if alive. The four Vedas, and
all kinds of weapons, O Keshava, did not abandon that hero even as these
do not abandon the Lord Prajapati himself. His auspicious feet, deserving
of every adoration and adored as a matter of fact by bards and eulogists
and worshipped by disciples, are now being dragged by jackals. Deprived
of her senses by grief, Kripi woefully attendeth, O slayer of Madhu, on
that Drona who hath been slain Drupadas son. Behold that afflicted lady,
fallen upon the Earth, with dishevelled hair and face hanging down. Alas,
she attendeth in sorrow upon her lifeless lord, that foremost of all
wielders of weapons, lying on the ground. Many brahmacaris, with matted
locks on their head, are attending upon the body of Drona that is cased
in armour rent through and through, O Keshava, with the shafts of
Dhrishtadyumna. The illustrious and delicate Kripi, cheerless and
afflicted, is endeavouring to perform the last rites on the body of her
lord slain in battle. There, those reciters of Samas, having placed the
body of Drona on the funeral pyre and having ignited the fire with due
rites, are singing the three (well-known) Samas. Those brahmacaris, with
matted locks on their heads, have piled the funeral pyre of that brahmana
with bows and darts and car-boxes, O Madhava! Having collected diverse
other kinds of shafts, that hero of great energy is being consumed by
them. Indeed, having placed him on the pyre, they are singing and
weeping. Others are reciting the three (well-known) Samas that are used
on such occasions. Consuming Drona on that fire, like fire in fire, those
disciples of his of the regenerate class are proceeding towards the banks
of the Ganga, along the left side of the pyre and having placed Kripi at
their head!"
