Chapter 14

“Sanjaya said, ‘Then Drona, causing a great confusion in the Pandavahost, careered through it, like a conflagration consuming (a forest of)trees. Beholding that angry warrior, owning a golden car, consume theirdivisions like a raging conflagration, the Srinjayas trembled (in fear).The twang, in that battle, of the constantly stretched bow of thatwarrior of great activity was heard to resemble the roar of thethunder.[24] Fierce shafts shot by Drona, endued with great lightness ofhand, began to crush car-warriors and horsemen and elephant-warriors andfoot soldiers along with elephants and steeds. Showering his arrows asthe roaring clouds at the close of summer, assisted by the wind, pourhail-stones, he inspired fear in the hearts of the foe. Coursing (throughthe hostile ranks), O king, and agitating the troops, the mighty Dronaenhanced the unnatural fear entertained by the enemy. The gold-deckedbow, on his quickly-moving car, was repeatedly seen to resemble thelightning’s flash amid a mass of dark clouds. That hero, firm in truth,endued with wisdom, and always devoted, besides, to righteousness, causedan awful river of angry current, such as may be seen at the end of theYuga, to flow there. And that river had its source in the impetuosity ofDrona’s wrath, and it was haunted by crowds of carnivorous creatures. Andthe combatants constituted the waves that filled its entire surface. Andheroic warriors constituted the trees on its banks whose roots wereconstantly eaten away by its current. And its waters were constituted bythe blood that was shed in that battle, and cars constituted its eddies,and elephants and steeds formed its banks. And costs of mail constitutedits lilies, and the flesh of creatures the mire on its bed. And the fat,marrow, and bones (of fallen animals and men) formed the sands on itsbeach, and (fallen) head-gears its froth. And the battle itself that wasfought there constituted the canopy above its surface. And lancesconstituted the fish with which it abounded. And it was inaccessible inconsequence of the large number of (slain) men, elephants, and steeds(that fell in it). And the impetus of the shaft shot constituted itscurrent. And the slain bodies themselves constituted the timber floatingon it. And cars constituted its tortoises. And heads constituted thestones scattered on its banks and bed, and scimitars, its fish inprofusion. And cars and elephants formed its lakes. And it was deckedwith many adornments. And mighty car-warriors constituted its hundreds oflittle whirlpools. And the dust of the earth constituted its wavelets.And capable of being easily crossed by those possessed of exceedingenergy, it was incapable of being crossed by the timid. And heaps of deadbodies constituted the sand-banks obstructing its navigation. And it wasthe haunt of Kankas and vultures and other birds of prey. And it carriedaway thousands of mighty-car-warriors to the abode of Yama. And longspears constituted the snakes that infested it in profusion. And theliving combatants constituted the fowls sporting on its waters.[25] Tornumbrellas constituted its large swans. Diadems formed the (smaller) birdsthat adorned it. Wheels constituted its turtles, and maces itsalligators, and arrows its smaller fish. And it was the resort offrightful swarms of crows and vultures and jackals. And that river, Obest of kings, bore away in hundreds, to the region of the Pitris, thecreatures that were slain by Drona in battle. Obstructed by hundreds ofbodies (floating on it), the hair (of slain warriors and animals)constituted its moss and weeds. Even such was the river, enhancing thefears of the timid, that Drona caused to flow there.[26]

“And when Drona was thus grinding the hostile army hither and thither,the Pandava warriors headed by Yudhishthira rushed at that mightycar-warrior from all sides. Then seeing them thus rushing (towardsDrona), brave combatants of thy army, possessed of unyielding prowess,rushed from every side. And the battle that thereupon ensued made thehair stand on end. Sakuni, full of a hundred kinds of deceit, rushedtowards Sahadeva, and pierced the latter’s charioteer, and standard, andcar, with many keen-pointed shafts. Sahadeva, however, without being muchexcited, cutting off Sauvala’s standard and bow and car-driver and car,with sharp arrows, pierced Sauvala himself with sixty shafts. Thereupon,Suvala’s son, taking up mace, jumped down from his excellent car, andwith that mace, O king, he felled Sahadeva’s driver from the latter’scar. Then these two heroic and mighty warriors, O monarch, both deprivedof car, and both armed with mace, sported in battle like two crests ofhills. Drona, having pierced the ruler of the Panchalas with ten shafts,was, in return, pierced by the latter with many shafts. And the latterwas again pierced by Drona with a larger number of shafts. Bhimasenapierced Vivinsati with sharp arrows. The latter, however, thus pierced,trembled not, which seemed to be highly wonderful. Vivinsati then, Omonarch, suddenly deprived Bhimasena of his steeds and standard and bow.And thereupon all the troops worshipped him for that feat. The heroicBhimasena, however, brooked not that exhibition of prowess by his enemyin battle. With his mace, therefore, he slew the well-trained steeds ofVivinsati. Then the mighty Vivinsati, taking up a shield (and sword)jumped down from that car whose steeds had been slain, and rushed againstBhimasena like an infuriated elephant rushing against an infuriatedcompeer. The heroic Salya, laughing the while, pierced, as if indalliance, his own dear nephew, Nakula. with many shafts for angeringhim. The valiant Nakula, however, cutting off his uncle’s steeds andumbrella and standard and charioteer and bow in that battle, blew hisconch. Dhrishtaketu, engaged with Kripa, cut off diverse kinds of arrowsshot at him by the latter, and then pierced Kripa, with seventy arrows.And then he cut off the device of Kripa’s standard with three arrows.Kripa, however, began to oppose him with a thick shower of arrows. Andresisting him in this way, the Brahmana fought on with Dhrishtaketu.Satyaki, laughing the while, pierced Kritavarman in the centre of thechest with a long arrow. And piercing him then with seventy arrows, heonce more pierced him with many others. The Bhoja warrior, however, inreturn, pierced Satyaki with seventy arrows of keen points. Like theswiftly-coursing winds failing to move a mountain, Kritavarman was unableto move Satyaki or make him tremble. Senapati deeply struck Susarman inhis vitals. Susarman also struck his antagonist with a lance on theshoulder-joint. Virata, aided by his Matsya warriors of great energy,resisted Vikartana’s son in that battle. And that feat (of the Matsyaking) seemed highly wonderful. Even this was regarded as an act of greatvalour on the part of the Suta’s son, in that, he singly resisted thatwhole force by means of his straight shafts. King Drupada was engagedwith Bhagadatta. And the battle between those two warriors becamebeautiful to behold. That bull among men, viz., Bhagadatta, pierced kingDrupada and his driver and standard and car with many straight shafts.Then Drupada, excited with wrath, quickly pierced that mighty car-warriorin the chest with a straight shaft. Those two foremost of warriors onearth, viz., Somadatta’s son and Sikhandin, both conversant with everyweapon, encountered each other in fierce battle that made all creaturestremble with fear. The valiant Bhurisravas, O king, covered that mightycar-warrior, Yajnasena’s son Sikhandin, with a thick shower of arrows.Sikhandin, then O monarch, excited with wrath, pierced Somadatta’s sonwith ninety shafts, and caused him, O Bharata, to tremble. ThoseRakshasas of fierce deeds, viz., Hidimba’s son and Alamvusha, eachdesirous of vanquishing the other, battled most wonderfully. Both capableof creating a hundred illusions, both swelling with pride, battled witheach other most wonderfully, relying on their powers of illusion, andeach desirous of vanquishing the other. The fierce Chekitana battled withAnuvinda. They coursed on the field, disappearing at times, and causinggreat wonder. Lakshmana fought fiercely with Kshatradeva, even as Vishnu,O monarch, in days of old, with the (Asura) Hiranyaksha. With his fleetsteeds and upon his car duly equipped, Paurava, O king, roared atAbhimanyu. Endued with great might, Paurava then rushed at Abhimanyu,desirous of battle. Then that chastiser of foes, viz., Abhimanyu foughtfiercely with that foe. Paurava covered Subhadra’s son with a thickshower of arrows. Thereupon, Arjuna’s son felled his antagonist’sstandard and umbrella and bow on earth.[27] Then piercing Paurava withseven arrows, Subhadra’s son pierced the latter’s driver and steeds withfive arrows. Gladdening his troops thus, he then repeatedly roared like alion. Then Arjuna’s son quickly fixed an arrow on his bow-string that wascertain to take away Paurava’s life. Beholding however, that arrow offrightful mien fixed on Abhimanyu’s bow-string, Haridika’s son, with twoshafts, cut off that bow and arrow. Then that slayer of hostile heroes,viz., Subhadra’s son, throwing aside that broken bow, took up a brightsword and a shield. Whirling with great speed that shield decked withmany stars, and whirling that sword also, he coursed on the field,exhibiting his prowess. Whirling them before him, and whirling them onhigh, now shaking them and now jumping up himself, from the manner of hishandling those weapons, it seemed that (with him) there is no differencebetween that offensive and that defensive weapons. Jumping suddenly thenupon the shafts of Paurava’s car, he roared aloud. Mounting next upon hiscar, he seized Paurava by the hair, and slaying meanwhile with a kick,the latter’s driver, he felled his standard with a stroke of his sword.And as regards Paurava himself, Abhimanyu raised him up, like the Garudaraising a snake from the bottom of the sea agitating the waters.Thereupon, all the kings beheld Paurava (standing helpless) withdishevelled hair, and looking like an ox deprived of its senses while onthe point of being slain by a lion. Beholding Paurava thus prostrated,placed under the control of Arjuna’s son, and dragged helplessly,Jayadratha was unable to brook it. Taking up a sword as also a shieldthat bore the device of a peacock and was decked with a hundred bells ofsmall size suspended in rows, Jayadratha jumped down from his car with aloud roar. Then Subhadra’s son (Abhimanyu), beholding the ruler of theSindhus, let Paurava alone, and leaping up like a hawk from the latter’scar, quickly alighted on the earth. The lances and aves and scimitarshurled by his foes–Arjuna’s son cut off by means of his sword or wardedoff by his shield. Thus showing unto all the warriors the strength of hisown arms the mighty [and heroic] Abhimanyu, once more upraising his largeand heavy sword as also his shield,[28] proceeded towardsVriddhakshatra’s son who was a sworn foe of his (Abhimanyu’s) father,like a tiger proceeding against an elephant. Approaching they cheerfullyattacked each other with their swords like a tiger and a lion with theirclaws and teeth. And none could notice any difference between those twolions among men as regards the whirl-strokes, and descent of their swordsand shields.[29] And as regards the descent and the whiz of their swords,and the warding off of each other’s blows, it seemed there was nodistinction between the two. Coursing, beautifully in outward and inwardtracks, those two illustrious warriors seemed to be like two wingedmountains. Then Jayadratha struck on the shield of the renowned Abhimanyuwhen the latter stretched his sword for making a pass at him. Then, OBharata, Jayadratha’s large sword sticking into Abhimanyu’s shieldcovered with golden plate, broke, as the ruler of the Sindhus attemptedto draw it off forcibly. Seeing his sword broken, Jayadratha hastilyretreated six steps and was seen within a twinkle of the eye to bemounted on his own car. Then Arjuna’s son also, that combat with thesword being over, ascended his own excellent car. Many kings, then, ofthe Kuru army, uniting together, surrounded him on all sides. The mightyson of Arjuna, however, eyeing Jayadratha, whirled his sword and shield,and uttered a loud shout. Having vanquished the ruler of the Sindhus,Subhadra’s son, that slayer of hostile heroes, then began to scorch thatdivision of the Kaurava army like Sun scorching the world. Then in thatbattle Salya hurled at him a fierce dart made wholly of iron, decked withgold, and resembling a blazing flame of fire. Thereupon, Arjuna’s son,jumping up, caught hold of that dart, like Garuda catching a mighty snakefalling from above. And having seized it thus, Abhimanyu unsheathed hissword. Witnessing the great activity and might of that warrior ofimmeasurable energy, all the kings together uttered a leonine shout. Thenthat slayer of hostile heroes, viz., the son of Subhadra, hurled with themight of his arms at Salya himself that very dart of great effulgence,decked with stones of lapis lazuli. Resembling a snake that has recentlycast off its slough, that dart, reaching Salya’s car slew the latter’sdriver and felled him from his niche of the vehicle. Then Virata andDrupada, and Dhristaketu, and Yudhishthira, and Satyaki, and Kekaya, andBhima, and Dhrishtadyumna, and Sikhandin, and the twins (Nakula andSahadeva), and the five sons of Draupadi, all exclaimed, ‘Excellent!Excellent!’ And diverse kinds of sounds due to the shooting of arrows,and many leonine shouts, arose there, gladdening the unretreating son ofArjuna. Thy sons, however, could not brook those indications of thevictory of their foe. Then all of them suddenly surrounded Subhadra’s sonand covered him, O king, with showers of arrows like the clouds pouringrain on the mountain-breast. Then that slayer of foes, viz., Artayani(Salya), wishing good of thy sons, and remembering the overthrow of hisown driver, rushed in rage against Subhadra’s son.'”