Chapter 154

“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding the sons of Drupada, as also those ofKuntibhoja, and Rakshasas too in thousands, slain by the son of Drona,Yudhishthira and Bhimasena, and Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, andYuyudhana, uniting together, set their hearts firmly on battle. ThenSomadatta, once more filled with rage upon beholding Satyaki in thatbattle, covered the latter, O Bharata, with a dense shower of arrows.Then took place a battle, fierce and exceedingly wonderful to behold,between thy warriors and those of the foe, both parties being solicitousof victory. Fighting on behalf of Satyaki, Bhima pierced the Katirava.hero with ten shafts. Somadatta, however, in return, pierced that herowith a hundred arrows. Then Satwata, filled with rage, pierced with tenkeen shafts, endued with the force of the thunder, that old warriorafflicted with grief on account of the death of his son, and who was,besides, endued with every estimable virtue like Yayati, the son ofNahusha. Having pierced him with great force, he struck him once morewith seven arrows. Then, fighting for the sake of Satyaki, Bhimasenahurled at the head of Somadatta a new, hard and terrible Parigha. Satyakialso filled with rage, shot at Somadatta’s chest, in that battle, anexcellent shaft, keen and equipped with goodly wings and resembling fireitself in splendour. The Parigha and the shaft, both terrible, fellsimultaneously upon the body of the heroic Somadatta. That mightycar-warrior, thereupon, fell down. Beholding his son (Somadatta) thusfallen into a swoon, Valhika rushed at Satyaki scattering showers ofarrows like a cloud in season. Then Bhima, for Satyaki’s sake, afflictedthe illustrious Valhika with nine shafts and pierced him therewith at thevan of battle. Then the mighty-armed son of Pratipa, Valhika, filled withgreat fury, hurled a dart at the chest of Bhima, like Purandara himselfhurling the thunder. Struck therewith, Bhima trembled (on his car) andswooned away. The mighty warrior then, recovering his senses, hurled amace at his opponent. Hurled by the son of Pandu, that mace snatched awaythe head of Valhika, who, thereupon, fell down lifeless on the earth,like a tree struck down by lightning. Upon the slaughter of that bullamong men, viz., the heroic Valhika, ten of thy sons, each of whom wasequal unto Rama, the son of Dasaratha, in prowess, began to afflictBhima. They were Nagadatta, and Dridharatha, and Viravahu, and Ayobhuja,and Dridha, and Suhasta, and Viragas and Pramatha, and Ugrayayin.Beholding them Bhimasena became filled with rage. He then took up anumber of arrows, each capable of bearing a great strain. Aiming at eachof them one after another, he sped those arrows at them, striking each inhis vital part. Pierced therewith, they fell down from their cars,deprived of energy and life, like tall trees from mountain cliffs brokenby a tempest. Having with those ten shafts slain those ten sons of thine,Bhima shrouded the favourite son of Karna with showers of arrows. Thenthe celebrated Vrikaratha, brother of Karna, pierced Bhima with manyarrows. The mighty Pandava, however, soon disposed of him effectually.Slaying next, O Bharata, seven car-warriors among thy brother-in-law,with his shafts, the heroic Bhima pressed Satachandra down into theearth. Unable to bear the slaughter of the mighty car-warriorSatachandra, Sakuni’s brothers, viz., the heroic Gavaksha and Sarabha andBibhu, and Subhaga, and Bhanudatta, those five mighty car-warriors,rushing towards Bhimasena, attacked him with their keen shafts. Thusattacked with those shafts, like a mountain with torrents of rain.'[208]Bhima slew those five mighty kings with five shafts of his. Beholdingthose heroes slain many great kings began to waver.

“Then Yudhishthira, filled with wrath, began to destroy thy ranks, in thesight, O sinless one, of the Pot-born (Drona) and of thy sons. Indeed,with his shafts, Yudhishthira began to despatch to the regions of Yamathe Amvashthas, the Malavas, the brave Trigartas and the Sivis. Andcutting off the Abhishahas, the Surasenas, the Valhikas, and the Vasatis,he caused the earth to be miry with flesh and blood. And he alsodespatched within a trice, by means of many shafts, to Yama’s domains,the Yaudheyas, the Malavas, and large numbers, O king, of the Madrakas.Then a loud uproar arose in the vicinity of Yudhishthira’s car, amidwhich was heard, ‘Slay’, Seize’, ‘Capture’, Pierce’, Cut into pieces’!Beholding him thus slaying and routing thy troops, Drona, urged on by thyson, shrouded Yudhishthira with showers of shafts. Drona filled withgreat wrath, struck Yudhishthira with the Vayavya weapon. The son ofPandu, however, baffled that celestial weapon with a similar weapon ofhis own. Seeing his weapon baffled, the son of Bharadwaja, filled withgreat wrath and desirous of slaying the son of Pandu, sped atYudhishthira diverse celestial weapons such as the Varuna, the Yamya, theAgneya, the Tvashtra, and the Savitra. The mighty-armed Pandava, however,conversant with morality, fearlessly baffled all those weapons of thePot-born that were hurled or in course of being hurled at him. Then thePot-born, striving to accomplish his vow and desirous also for thy son’sgood, to slay the son of Dharma, invoked into existence, O Bharata, theAindra and the Prajapatya weapons. Then that foremost one of Kuru’s race,Yudhishthira, of the gait of the elephant or the lion, of broad chest andlarge and red eyes, and endued with energy scarcely inferior (to that ofDrona) invoked into existence the Mahendra weapon. With that he baffledthe weapon of Drona. Seeing all his weapons baffled, Drona, filled withwrath and desirous of accomplishing the destruction of Yudhishthira,invoked into existence the Brahma weapon. Enveloped as we then were by athick gloom, we could not observe what passed. All creatures also, Omonarch, were filled with great fright. Beholding the Brahma weaponuplifted, Kunti’s son, Yudhishthira, O king, baffled it with a Brahmaweapon of his own. Then, all the foremost warriors applauded those twobulls among men, viz., Drona and Yudhishthira, those great bowmenacquainted with every mode of warfare. Abandoning Yudhishthira, Dronathen, with eyes red as copper in rage, began to consume the division ofDrupada with the Vayavya weapon. Oppressed by Drona, the Panchalas fledaway from fear, in the very sight of Bhimasena and of the illustriousPartha. Then the diadem-decked (Arjuna) and Bhimasena, checking thatflight of their troops, suddenly encountered that hostile force with twolarge throngs of cars. Vibhatsu, attacking the right and Vrikodara theleft, Bharadwaja’s son was encountered, with two mighty showers ofshafts. Then the Kaikeyas, the Srinjayas, and the Panchalas of greatenergy followed the two brothers, O king, accompanied by the Matsyas andthe Satwatas. Then the Bharata host, slaughtered by the diadem-decked(Arjuna) and overcome with sleep and darkness, began to break. Drona, andthy son himself, endeavoured to rally them. The combatants, however, Oking, were incapable of being then checked in their flight.'”