Chapter 79

Sanjaya said, “Then Abhimanyu, accompanied by Bhimasena pursuing thysons, afflicted them all. Then the mighty car-warriors of thy army,including Duryodhana and others, beholding Abhimanyu and Bhimasena unitedwith Prishata’s son in the midst of the (Kauravas) troops, took up theirbows, and borne by their fleet steeds rushed to the spot where thosewarriors were. And on that afternoon, O king, a dreadful conflict tookplace between the mighty combatants of thy army and those of the foe, OBharata. And Abhimanyu, having, in that fierce battle, slain the steedsof Vikarna, pierced the latter with five and twenty small arrows. Thenthat mighty car-warrior, Vikarna, abandoning that car whose steeds hadbeen slain, mounted on the resplendent car, O king, of Chitrasena. Thenthus stationed on the same car, viz., those two brothers of Kuru’s race,the son of Arjuna covered, O Bharata, with showers of arrows. ThenDurjaya and Vikarna pierced Abhimanyu with five shafts made wholly ofiron. Abhimanyu however, shook not in the least but stood firm like themountain Meru. Dussasana in that battle, O sire, fought with the fiveKekaya brothers. All these, O great king, seemed exceedingly wonderful.The sons of Draupadi, excited with rage, resisted Duryodhana in thatbattle. And each of them, O king, pierced thy son with three shafts. Thyson also, invincible in battle, pierced each of the sons of Draupadi, Omonarch, with sharp shafts. And pierced by them (in return) and bathed inblood, he shone like a hill with rillets of water mixed with red-chalk(gliding down its breast). And the mighty Bhishma also, in that battle, Oking, afflicted the Pandava army like a herdsman belabouring his herd.Then, O monarch, the twang of Gandiva was heard, of Partha, who wasengaged in slaughtering the foe on the right of the army.

And in that part of the field headless trunks stood up by thousands,amongst the troops, O Bharata, of both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Andthe field of battle resembled an ocean whose water was blood, and whoseeddies were the shafts (shot by the combatants). And the elephantsconstituted the islands of that ocean, and the steeds its waves. And carsconstituted the boats by which brave men crossed it. And many bravecombatants, with arms cut off, divested of armour, and hideouslymutilated, were seen lying there in hundreds and thousands. And with thebodies of infuriate elephants deprived of life and bathed in blood, thefield of battle. O Bharata, looked as if strewn with hills. And thewonderful sight we saw there, O Bharata, was that neither in their armynor in thine was a single person that was unwilling to fight. And thus, Omonarch, did those brave warriors, of both thy army and the Pandavas,fight, seeking glory and desirous of victory.”