Chapter 23

“Gandhari said, There lies Shalya, the maternal uncle himself of Nakula,slain in battle, O sire, by the pious and virtuous Yudhishthira! He usedeverywhere, O bull among men, to boast of his equality with thee! Thatmighty car-warrior, the ruler of the Madras, now lieth, deprived of life.When he accepted the drivership of Karnas car in battle, he sought todamp the energy of Karna for giving victory to the sons of Pandu! Alas,alas, behold the smooth face of Shalya, beautiful as the moon, andadorned with eyes resembling the petals of the lotus, eaten away bycrows! There, the tongue of that king, of the complexion of heated gold,rolling out of his mouth, is, O Krishna, being eaten away by carnivorousbirds! The ladies of the royal house of Madra, uttering loud wails ofwoe, are sitting around the body of that king, that ornament ofassemblies, deprived of life by Yudhishthira! Those ladies are sittingaround that fallen hero like a herd of she-elephants in their seasonaround their leader sunk in a slough. Behold the brave Shalya, that giverof protection, that foremost of car-warriors, stretched on the bed ofheroes, his body mangled with shafts. There, king Bhagadatta of greatprowess, the ruler of a mountainous kingdom, the foremost of all wieldersof the elephant-hook, lieth on the ground, deprived of life. Behold thegarland of gold that he still wears on his head, looketh resplendent.Though the body is being eaten away by beasts of prey, that garland stilladorns the fair locks on his head. Fierce was the battle that took placebetween this king and Partha, making the very hair stand on end, likethat between Shakra and the Asura Vritra. This mighty-armed one, havingfought Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, and having reduced him to greatstraits, was at last slain by his antagonist. He who had no equal onearth in heroism and energy, that achiever of terrible feats in battle,Bhishma, lieth there, deprived of life. Behold the son of Shantanu, OKrishna, that warrior of solar effulgence, stretched on the earth, likethe Sun himself fallen from the firmament at the end of the yuga. Havingscorched his foes with the fire of his weapons in battle, that valiantwarrior, that Sun among men, O Keshava, hath set like the real Sun atevening. Behold that hero, O Krishna, who in knowledge of duty was equalto Devapi himself, now lying on a bed of arrows, so worthy of heroes.Having spread his excellent bed of barbed and unbarbed arrows, that herolieth on it like the divine Skanda on a clump of heath. Indeed, the sonof Ganga lieth, resting his head on that excellent pillow, consisting ofthree arrows,–becoming complement of his bed–given him by the wielderof gandiva. For obeying the command of his sire, this illustrious onedrew up his vital seed. Unrivalled in battle, that son of Shantanu lieththere, O Madhava! Of righteous soul and acquainted with every duty, bythe aid of his knowledge relating to both the worlds, that hero, thoughmortal, is still bearing his life like an immortal. When Shantanus sonlieth today, struck down with arrows, it seems that no other person isalive on earth that possesseth learning and prowess that is competent toachieve great feats in battle. Truthful in speech, this righteous andvirtuous hero, solicited by the Pandavas, told them the means of his owndeath. Alas, he who had revived the line of Kuru that had become extinct,that illustrious person possessed of great intelligence, hath left theworld with all the Kurus in his company. Of whom, O Madhava, will theKurus enquire of religion and duty after that bull among men, Devavrata,who resembles a god, shall have gone to heaven? Behold Drona, thatforemost of brahmanas, that preceptor of Arjuna, of Satyaki, and of theKurus, lying on the ground! Endued with mighty energy, Drona, O Madhava,was as conversant with the four kinds of arms as the chief of thecelestials or Shukra of Bhrigus race. Through his grace, Vibhatsu the sonof Pandu, hath achieved the most difficult feats. Deprived of life, henow lies on the ground. Weapons refused to come (at last) at his bidding.Placing him at their head, the Kauravas had challenged the Pandavas. Thatforemost of all wielders of weapons was at last mangled with weapons. Ashe careered in battle, scorching his foes in every direction, his courseresembled that of a blazing conflagration. Alas, deprived of life, he nowlieth on the ground, like an extinguished fire. The handle of the bow isyet in his grasp. The leathern fences, O Madhava, still encase hisfingers. Though slain, he still looketh as if alive. The four Vedas, andall kinds of weapons, O Keshava, did not abandon that hero even as thesedo not abandon the Lord Prajapati himself. His auspicious feet, deservingof every adoration and adored as a matter of fact by bards and eulogistsand worshipped by disciples, are now being dragged by jackals. Deprivedof her senses by grief, Kripi woefully attendeth, O slayer of Madhu, onthat 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 allwielders of weapons, lying on the ground. Many brahmacaris, with mattedlocks on their head, are attending upon the body of Drona that is casedin armour rent through and through, O Keshava, with the shafts ofDhrishtadyumna. The illustrious and delicate Kripi, cheerless andafflicted, is endeavouring to perform the last rites on the body of herlord slain in battle. There, those reciters of Samas, having placed thebody of Drona on the funeral pyre and having ignited the fire with duerites, are singing the three (well-known) Samas. Those brahmacaris, withmatted locks on their heads, have piled the funeral pyre of that brahmanawith bows and darts and car-boxes, O Madhava! Having collected diverseother kinds of shafts, that hero of great energy is being consumed bythem. Indeed, having placed him on the pyre, they are singing andweeping. Others are reciting the three (well-known) Samas that are usedon such occasions. Consuming Drona on that fire, like fire in fire, thosedisciples of his of the regenerate class are proceeding towards the banksof the Ganga, along the left side of the pyre and having placed Kripi attheir head!”