Chapter 125

“Sanjaya said, ‘After the son of Pandu had crossed that car-force, thepreceptor Drona, smiling the while, covered him with showers of arrows,desirous of checking his course. Stupefying thy force then with hispowers of illusion, and drinking, as it were, those shafts shot from thebow of Drona, Bhimasena rushed against those brothers (viz., thy sons).Then many kings, that were all great bowmen, urged by thy sons, rushingimpetuously, began to surround him. Encompassed by them, O Bharata, Bhimasmiling the while and uttering a leonine roar, took up and hurled at themwith great force a fierce mace destructive of hostile ranks. That mace ofadamantine strength, hurled like Indra’s thunder by Indra himself,crushed, O king, thy soldiers in battle. And it seemed to fill, O king,the whole earth with loud noise. And blazing forth in splendour, thatfierce mace inspired thy sons with fear. Beholding that mace of impetuouscourse and endued with lightning flashes, coursing towards them, thywarriors fled away, uttering frightful cries. And at the unbearablesound, O sire, of that fierce mace, many men fell down where they stood,and many car-warriors also fell down from their cars. Slaughtered byBhimasena armed with the mace, thy warriors fled away in fear frombattle, like the deer attacked by a tiger. The son of Kunti, routing inbattle those valorous foes of his, impetuously crossed that force likeGaruda of beautiful feathers.

“While Bhimasena, that leader of leaders of car-divisions, was engaged insuch carnage, Bharadwaja’s son, O king, rushed at him. And Drona,checking Bhima by means of his arrowy showers, suddenly uttered a leonineroar that inspired the Pandavas with fear. The battle that took placebetween Drona and the high-souled Bhima was, O king, furious and terribleand resembled the encounter between the gods and the Asuras of old.Heroic warriors by hundreds and thousands in that battle slain by thekeen shafts shot from the bow of Drona. The son of Pandu then, jumpingdown from his car shut his eyes, O king, and rushed on foot with greatspeed towards the car of Drona. Indeed, as a bovine bull easily bears aheavy shower of rain, even so that tiger among men, viz., Bhima, borethat arrowy downpour from Drona’s bow. Struck in that battle, o sire, byDrona, the mighty Bhima, seizing Drona’s car by the shaft, threw it downwith great force. Thus thrown down in battle, O king, Drona, however,quickly mounting another car, proceeded towards the gate of the array,his driver urging his steeds at that time with great speed. That feat, Othou of Kuru’s race, achieved by Bhimasena, seemed exceedingly wonderful.The mighty Bhima, then, mounting upon his own car, rushed impetuouslytowards the army of thy son. And he crushed the Kshatriyas in battle,like a tempest crushing rows of trees. Indeed, Bhima proceeded, resistingthe hostile warriors like the mountain resisting the surging sea. Comingthen upon the Bhoja-troops that were protected by the son of Hridika,Bhimasena, O king, ground it greatly, and passed through it. Frighteningthe hostile soldiers with the sound of his palms, O sire, Bhimavanquished them all like a tiger vanquishing a herd of bovine bulls.Passing through the Bhoja division and that of the Kamvojas also, andcountless tribes of Mlecchas too, who were all accomplished in fight, andbeholding that mighty car-warriors, Satyaki, engaged in fight, Bhimasena,the son of Kunti, O monarch proceeded resolutely and with great speed,desirous of having a sight of Dhananjaya. Transgressing all thy warriorsin that battle, the son of Pandu then sighted the mighty car-warriorArjuna engaged in the fight. The valiant Bhima, that tiger among men,beholding Arjuna putting forth his prowess for the slaughter of the rulerof the Sindhus, uttered a loud shout, like, O monarch, the clouds roaringin the season of rains. Those terrible shouts of the roaring Bhimasenawere, O thou of Kuru’s race, heard by both Arjuna and Vasudeva in themidst of the battle. Both those heroes, simultaneously hearing that shoutof the mighty Bhima, repeatedly shouted from desire of beholdingVrikodara Then Arjuna uttering loud roar, and Madhava also doing thesame, careered in battle like a couple of roaring bulls. Hearing thenthat roar of Bhimasena, as also that of Phalguna armed with the bow,Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, O king, became highly gratified. Andking Yudhishthira, hearing those sounds of Bhima and Arjuna, had hisgrief dispelled. And the lord Yudhishthira repeatedly wished success toDhananjaya in battle.

“While the fierce Bhima was thus roaring, the mighty-armed Yudhishthira,the son of Dharma, that foremost of virtuous men, smilingly reflected awhile and thus worded the thoughts that inspired his heart, ‘O Bhima,thou hast truly sent me the message. Thou hast truly obeyed the commandsof thy superior. They, O son of Pandu, can never have victory that havethee for their foe. By good luck it is that Dhananjaya, capable ofshooting the bow with (even) his left hand, still liveth. By good luck,the heroic Satyaki also, of prowess incapable of being baffled, is safeand sound. By good luck, it is that I hear both Vasudeva and Dhananjayauttering these roars. He who having vanquished Sakra himself in battle,had gratified the bearer of sacrificial libations, that slayer of foes,viz., Phalguna, by good luck, still liveth in this battle. He, relyingupon the might of whose arms all of us are alive, that slayer of hostilearmies, Phalguna, by good luck, liveth still. He by whom with the aid ofa single bow the Nivatakavachas were vanquished, those Danavas, that is,that were incapable of being defeated by the very gods, he, viz., Partha,by good luck, liveth still. He who had vanquished in Matsya’s city allthe Kauravas assembled together for seizing Virata’s kine, that Partha,by good luck, liveth still. He who, by the might of his arms, slewfourteen thousands of Kalakeyas, that Partha, by good luck, liveth still.He who, for Duryodhana’s sake, had vanquished, by the energy of hisweapons, the mighty king of the Gandharvas, that Partha, by good luck,liveth still. Decked with diadem and garlands (of gold), endued withgreat strength, having white steeds (yoked to his car) and Krishnahimself for his charioteer, that Phalguna, always dear to me, by goodluck, liveth still. Burning with grief on account of the death of hisson, endeavouring to achieve a most difficult feat, and even now seekingto slaughter Jayadratha, alas, he that hath made that vow, viz.,Dhananjaya, will he succeed in slaying the ruler of the Sindhus inbattle? After he, protected by Vasudeva, will have accomplished that vowof his, shall I behold that Arjuna again, before the sun sets? Shall theruler of the Sindhus who is devoted to Duryodhana’s welfare, slain byPhalguna, gladden his foes? Shall king Duryodhana, beholding the ruler ofthe Sindhus slain in battle make peace with us? Beholding his brotherslain in battle by Bhimasena shall the wicked Duryodhana make peace withus? Beholding other great warriors lying prostrate on the surface of theearth, shall wicked Duryodhana give way to remorse? Shall not ourhostilities cease with the single sacrifice of Bhishma? Shall thatSuyodhana, make peace with us for saving the remnant (of what is stillleft to him and us)? Diverse reflections of this kind passed through themind of king Yudhishthira who was overwhelmed with compassion. Meanwhile,the battle (between the Pandavas and the Kauravas) raged furiously.'”