Chapter 182

“Sanjaya said, ‘Thus addressed by Vyasa, the heroic king Yudhishthira thejust refrained, O bull of Bharata’s race, from himself seeking to slayKarna. In consequence, however of the slaughter of Ghatotkacha by theSuta’s son that night, the king became filled with grief and anger.Beholding thy vast host held in check by Bhima, Yudhishthira, addressingDhrishtadyumna, said, ‘Resist the Pot-born! O scorcher of foes, thouhadst, clad in mail, and armed with bow and arrows and scimitar, sprungfrom fire, for the destruction of Drona! Cheerfully rush thou to battle,thou needst have no fear. Let also Janamejaya and Sikhandin andDurmukha’s son and Yasodhara, rush in wrath against the Pot-born on everyside. Let Nakula and Sahadeva and the sons of Draupadi and thePrabhadrakas, and Drupada and Virata with their sons and brothers, andSatyaki and the Kaikeyas and the Pandavas and Dhananjaya, rush with speedagainst Bharadwaja’s son, from desire of slaying him. Let also all ourcar-warriors and all the elephants and horses we have, and all ourfoot-soldiers, overthrow the mighty car-warrior Drona in battle.’ Thusordered by the illustrious son of Pandu, all of them rushed impetuouslyagainst the Pot-born from desire of slaughtering him. Drona, however,that foremost of all wielders of arms, received in battle all thosePandava warriors thus rushing towards him suddenly with great force andperseverance. The king Duryodhana, desiring to protect Drona’s life,rushed, filled with wrath, against the Pandavas, with great force andperseverance. Then commenced the battle between the Kurus and thePandavas who roared at each other. The animals of both hosts as also thewarriors were all tired. The great car-warriors also, O king, with eyesclosing in sleep and worn out with exertion in battle, knew not what todo. That night of nine hours, so terrible and awful[242] and sodestructive of creatures, appeared to them to be everything.[243] Whilethey were being thus slain and mangled by one another, and while sleepsat heavy on their eyes, it became midnight. All the Kshatriyas becamecheerless. Thy troops, as also those of the toe, had no more weapons andarrows. Passing the time thus (most of), the warriors (of both armies)endued with modesty and energy and observant of the duties of theirorder, din not abandon their divisions. Others, blind with sleep,abandoning their weapons, laid themselves down. Some laid themselves downon the backs of elephants, some on cars, and some on horseback, OBharata! Blind with sleep, they became perfectly motionless, O king.Other warriors (that were yet awake) in that battle, despatched these toYama’s abode. Others, deprived of their senses, and dreaming in sleep,slew themselves, that is, their own comrades, as also foes. Indeed, thesefought in that dreadful battle, uttering various exclamations. Manywarriors, O monarch, of our army, desirous of continuing the fight withthe foe, stood with eyes drowsy with sleep. Some brave warriors, duringthat terrible hour of darkness, though blind with sleep, yet glidingalong the field, slew one another in that battle. Many amongst the foe,entirely stupefied by slumber, were slain without their being conscious(of the strokes that launched them into eternity). Beholding thiscondition of the soldiers, O bull among men, Vibhatsu in a very loudvoice, said these words: all of you, with your animals, are worn out withexertion and blind with sleep. Ye warriors, ye are enveloped in darknessand with dust. Therefore, if ye like, ye may rest. Indeed, here, on thefield of battle close your eyes for a while. Then when the moon willrise, ye Kurus and Pandavas, ye may again, having slept and taken rest,encounter each other for the sake of heaven.’ Hearing these words of thevirtuous Arjuna, the virtuous warriors (of the Kuru army) assented to thesuggestion, and addressing one another, loudly said, ‘O Karna, O Karna, Oking Duryodhana, abstain from the fight. The Pandava host hath ceased tostrike us.’ Then at those words of Phalguna, uttered loudly by him, thePandava army as also thine, O Bharata, abstained from battle. Indeed,these noble words of Partha were highly applauded by the gods, thehigh-souled Rishis, and all the gladdened soldiers. Applauding those kindwords, O Bharata, all the troops, O king, worn out with exertion, laid-themselves down for sleep, O bull of Bharata’s race. Then that army ofthine, O Bharata, happy at the prospect of rest and sleep, sincerelyblessed Arjuna saying, ‘In thee are the Vedas as also all weapons! Inthee are intelligence and prowess! In thee, O mighty armed one, arerighteousness and compassion for all creatures, O sinless one! And sincewe have been comforted by thee, we wish thy good, O Partha! Letprosperity be to thee! Soon do thou get, O hero, those objects that aredear to thy heart!’ Blessing him thus, O tiger among men, those greatcar-warriors, overcome with sleep, became silent, O monarch! Some laidthemselves down on horseback, some on the car-boxes, some on the necks ofelephants, and some on the bare ground. Many men, with their weapons andmaces and swords and battle axes and lances and with their armours on,laid themselves down for sleep, apart from one another. Elephants, heavywith sleep, made the earth cool with the breath of their nostrils, thatpassed through their snake-like trunks spotted with dust. Indeed, theelephants, as they breathed on the ground, looked beautiful like hillsscattered (on the field of battle) over whose breasts hissed giganticsnakes. Steeds, in trappings of gold and with manes mingling with theiryokes, stamping their hoofs made even grounds uneven. Thus every one, Oking, slept there with the animal he rode. Thus steeds and elephants andwarriors, O bull of Bharata’s race, very much worn out with exertion,slept, abstaining from battle. That slumbering host, deprived of senseand sunk in sleep, then looked like a wonderful picture drawn on canvasby skilful artists. Those Kshatriyas, decked in ear-rings and endued withyouth, with limbs mangled by shafts, and immersed in sleep, having laidthemselves down on the coronal globes of elephants, looked as if theywere lying on the deep bosom of beautiful ladies. Then the moon, thatdelighter of eye and lord of lilies, of hue white as the checks of a.beautiful lady, rose, adorning the direction presided over by Indra.[244]Indeed, like a lion of the Udaya hills, with rays constituting his manesof brilliant yellow, he issued out of his cave in the east, tearing topieces the thick gloom of night resembling an extensive herd ofelephants.[245] That lover of all assemblage of lilies (in the world),bright as the body of Mahadeva’s excellent bull, full-arched and radiantas Karna’s bow, and delightful and charming as the smile on the lips of abashful bride, bloomed in the firmament.[246] Soon, however, that divinelord having the hare for his mark showed himself shedding brighter raysaround. Indeed, the moon, after this seemed to gradually emit a brighthalo of far-reaching light that resembled the splendour of gold. Then therays of that luminary, dispelling the darkness by their splendour, slowlyspread themselves over all the quarters, the welkin, and the earth. Soon,therefore, the world became illuminated. The unspeakable darkness thathad hidden everything quickly fled away. When the world was thusilluminated into almost daylight by the moon, amongst the creatures thatwander at night, some continued to roam about and some abstained. Thathost, O king, awakened by the rays of the sun. Indeed, that sea of troopswas awakened by the rays of the moon bloomed (into life) like anassemblage of lotuses expanded by the rays of the sun. Indeed, that seaof troops was awakened by the risen moon like the ocean swelling up inagitated surges at the rise of that luminary. Then, O king, the battleonce more commenced on earth, for the destruction of the earth’spopulation, between men that desired to attain to heaven.'”