Chapter 88

Sanjaya said, “Having passed the night in sound steep, those rulers ofmen, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, once more proceeded to battle. Andwhen the troops of both armies were about to proceed to the field, greatwas the uproar heard there, resembling the loud uproar of the oceanitself. Then king Duryodhana, and Chitrasena, and Vivinsati, and thatforemost of car-warriors, viz., Bhishma and Bharadwaja’s son possessed ofgreat prowess,–those mighty car-warriors, clad in mail and unitingtogether, O King, formed with great care the array of the Kauravasagainst the Pandavas. Having formed that mighty array fierce as the oceanand having for its billows and current its steeds and elephants, thy sireBhishma, the son of Santanu, then, O king, proceeded in the van of thewhole army, supported by the Malavas, and the inhabitants of the southerncountries, and the Avantis. Next to him was the valiant son ofBharadwaja, accompanied by the Pulindas, the Paradas, and theKshudraka-Malavas. Next to Drona was the valiant Bhagadatta. O king,firmly resolved on fight, accompanied by the Magadhas, the Kalingas, andthe Pisachas. Behind Bhagadatta was Vrihadvala the king of the Kosalasaccompanied by the Melakas, the Tripuras, and the Chichilas. Next toVrihadvala was the brave Trigarta, the ruler of the Prasthala,accompanied by a large number of the Kamvojas, and by Yavanas inthousands. Next to the ruler of the Trigartas, O Bharata, proceeded thatmighty hero, viz., the son of Drona, uttering leonine roars and fillingthe earth with those shouts. Next to Drona’s son proceeded kingDuryodhana with the whole army, surrounded by his uterine brothers.Behind Duryodhana proceeded Kripa the son of Saradwat. It was thus thatthat mighty array, resembling the very ocean, advanced (to battle). Andstandards and white umbrellas, O lord, and beautiful bracelets and costlybows shed their effulgence there. And beholding that mighty array of thyforces, that great car-warrior Yudhishthira, speedily addressed thegeneralissimo (of his forces), viz., Prishata’s son saying, ‘Behold, Ogreat bowman, that array, already formed, resembling the ocean. Do thoualso, O son of Prishata, form without delay thy counter-array. (Thusaddressed), the heroic son of Prishata, O great king, formed thatterrible array called Sringataka that is destructive of all hostilearrays. At the horns were Bhimasena and that mighty car-warrior, viz.,Satyaki, with many thousands of cars as also of horse and infantry. Nextto them was that foremost of men, (viz., Arjuna) of white steeds andhaving Krishna for his charioteer.[427] In the centre were kingYudhishthira and the twin sons of Pandu by Madri. Other royal bowmen,conversant with the science of arrays, with their troops, filled up thatarray. In the rear were ordered Abhimanyu, and that mighty car-warrior,Virata, and the sons of Draupadi and the Rakshasa Ghatotkacha. Thus, OBharata, having formed their mighty array, the heroic Pandavas waited onthe field, longing for battle and desirous of victory. And the loud noiseof drums mingling with the blare of conches and leonine roars and shouts(of the combatants) and the slapping of their armpits, became terribleand filled all the points of the compass. Then those brave warriors,approaching one another for battle, looked at one another, O king, withwinkless eyes. Then O ruler of men, the warriors, first challenging eachother by name, engaged with each other.[428] Then commenced a fierce andterrible battle between thy troops and those of the foe striking oneanother. And in that battle, O Bharata, whetted shafts fell in showerslike terrible snakes with mouths wide open. And polished darts ofimpetuous force, washed with oil, O king, shone like the effulgentflashes of lightning from the clouds. And maces decked with gold andattached to bright slings were seen to fall all over the field,resembling beautiful crests of hills. And sabres of the colour of theclear (blue) sky, O Bharata, and shields of bull’s hides and decked witha hundred moons, as they fell everywhere over the field, O king, lookedbeautiful. And as the two armies, O king, were engaged in battle witheach other, they looked resplendent like the celestial and the demoniachosts battling with each other. All around they rushed against oneanother in battle. Foremost of royal car-warriors, impetuously dashingagainst car-warriors in that dreadful battle, fought on, with the yokesof their cars entangled with those of their adversaries. And, O bull ofBharata’s race, all over the field flashes of fire mixed with smoke weregenerated, in consequence of friction, in the tusks of battlingelephants. And combatants on the backs of elephants, struck with lances,were seen all around to fall down like blocks (loosened) from crests ofhills.[429] And brave foot-soldiers, battling with their bare arms orwith lances, and striking one another, looked exceedingly beautiful. Andthe warriors of the Kaurava and the Pandava hosts, coming upon oneanother in that conflict, despatched one another with diverse kinds ofshafts to the abode of Yama. Then Bhishma, the son of Santanu, filling(the air) with the rattle of his car, and depriving the foe of his sensesby the twang of his bow, rushed against the Pandavas in battle. Thecar-warriors of the Pandavas, too, headed by Dhrishtadyumna, utteringfierce shouts, rushed at him, firmly resolved on fight. Then commenced, OBharata, a battle between the infantry, car-warriors, and elephants, oftheirs and thine, in which the combatants became all entangled with oneanother.”