Chapter 150

“Sanjaya said, ‘That elephant force of thine, O king, swelling withmight, fought everywhere, prevailing over the Pandava force. Resolved togo to the other world, the Panchalas and the Kauravas fought with oneanother for admission into the swelling domains of Yama. Brave warriors,encountering brave rivals, pierced one another with arrows and lances anddarts, and quickly despatched one another unto Yama’s abode. Dreadful wasthe battle that took place between car-warriors and car-warriors whostruck one another and caused a fierce flow of blood. Infuriatedelephants, encountering infuriated compeers, afflicted one another withtheir tusks. Horsemen, solicitous of glory, pierced and cut down horsemenin that terrific melee with spears and darts and battle-axes.Foot-soldiers also O mighty-armed one, in hundreds, armed with weapons,repeatedly rushed against one another with resolute courage, O scorcherof foes! So great was the confusion that the Panchalas and the Kuruscould only be distinguished from each other by the tribal, the family,and the personal names we heard them utter. The warriors, despatching oneanother to the other world with arrows and darts and axes, careeredfearlessly on the field. With thousands of arrows, however, O king, shotby the combatants the ten points were no longer illuminated as before inconsequence of the Sun having set. While the Pandavas were thus fighting,O Bharata, Duryodhana, O king, penetrated into the midst of their host.Filled with great wrath at the slaughter of the ruler of Sindhus, andresolved to lay down his life, he penetrated into the hostile army.Filling the earth with the rattle of his car-wheels and causing her totremble therewith, thy son approached the Pandava host. Terrific was theclash that took place between him and them, O Bharata, causing atremendous carnage of troops. Like the sun himself at midday scorchingeverything with his rays, thy son scorched the hostile host with hisarrowy showers.[189] The Pandavas became incapable of even looking attheir brother (Duryodhana). Despairing of vanquishing their foes, theyset their hearts on flying away from the field. Slaughtered by thyillustrious son, armed with the bow, by means of his gold-winged arrowsof blazing points, the Panchalas ran away in all directions. Afflictedwith those keen shafts, the Pandava troops began to fall down on theground. Indeed, the Pandavas had never succeeded in achieving such a featin battle as was then achieved by thy royal son, O monarch! The Pandavahost was crushed and ground by an elephant.[190] As, again, an assemblageof lotuses becomes shorn of its beauty when the water (over which itgrows) is dried up by the sun and the wind, even so became the Pandavahost being dried up by thy son, O Bharata, the Panchalas, with Bhimasenathen with ten shafts, and each of the sons of Madri with three, andVirata and Drupada each with six, and Sikhandin with a hundred, andDhrishtadyumna with seventy, and Yudhishthira with seven, and theKaikeyas and the Chedis with innumerable keen shafts, and Satwata withfive, and each of the (five) sons of Draupadi with three, and Ghatotkachaalso with a few, he uttered a leonine shout. Cutting off hundreds ofother warriors and the bodies of elephants and steeds in that greatbattle by means of his fierce shafts, he behaved like the Destroyerhimself in rage slaying created beings.[191] While engaged, however, inthus slaughtering his foes, his bow, the back of whose staff wasornamented with gold, Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, O sire, cut offinto three parts with a pair of broad-headed shafts. And Yudhishthirapierced Duryodhana himself with ten keen arrows shot with great force.Piercing through Duryodhana’s vital limbs, those passed out and enteredthe earth in a continuous line. The troops that stood around thenencompassed Yudhishthira, like the celestials encompassing Purandara forthe slaughter of Vritra. Then king Yudhishthira, O sire, who is incapableof being easily defeated, shot at thy son in that battle a fierce shaft.Deeply pierced therewith, Duryodhana sat down on his excellent car. Thena loud noise arose from among the Panchala troops. Even this, O monarch,was that tremendous uproar, viz., ‘The king is slain!’ The fierce whizzof arrows also was heard there, O Bharata. Then Drona quickly showedhimself there in that battle. Meanwhile, Duryodhana recovering hissenses, had firmly grasped the bow. He then rushed towards the royal sonof Pandu saying, ‘Wait, Wait.’ Then the Panchalas also solicitous ofvictory, began to advance with speed. Desirous of rescuing the Kuruprince, Drona received them all. And the preceptor began to destroy themlike the bright-rayed maker of day destroying tempest-tossed clouds.Then, O king, there occurred a fierce battle, fraught with immensecarnage, between thine and theirs encountering one another from desire offight.'”