Chapter 20

“Sanjaya said, ‘Having passed the night, that mighty car-warrior viz.,Bharadwaja’s son, addressed Suyodhana, O monarch, saying, ‘I amthine![33] I have made arrangements for Partha’s encounter with theSamsaptaka.’[34] After Partha went out for slaying the Samsaptakas, Dronathen, at the head of his troops arrayed for battle, proceeded, O chief ofthe Bharatas, for seizing king Yudhishthira the just. Seeing that Dronahad arrayed his forces in the form of a Garuda, Yudhishthira disposed histroops in counter array in the form of a semi-circle. In the mouth ofthat Garuda was the mighty car-warrior Drona himself. And its head wasformed by king Duryodhana, surrounded by his uterine brothers. AndKritavarman and the illustrious Kripa formed the two eyes of that Garuda.And Bhutasarman, and Kshemasarman, and the valiant Karakaksha, and theKalingas, the Singhalas, the Easterners, the Sudras, the Abhiras, theDaserakas, the Sakas, the Yavanas, the Kamvojas, the Hangsapadas, theSurasenas, the Daradas, the Madras, and the Kalikeyas, with hundreds andthousands of elephants, steeds, cars, and foot-soldiers were stationed atits neck. And Bhurisravah. and Salya, and Somadatta, and Valhika, theseheroes, surrounded by a full Akshauhini, took up their position in theright wing. And Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, and Sudakshina, the rulerof the Kamvojas, stationed themselves in the left wing at the head,however, of Drona’s son Aswatthaman. In the back (of that Garuda) werethe Kalingas, the Amvashthas, the Magadhas, the Paundras, the Madrakas,the Gandharas, the Sakunas, the Easterners, the Mountaineers, and theVasatis. In the tail stood Vikartana’s son Karna, with his sons, kinsmenand friends, and surrounded by a large force raised from diverse realms,Jayadratha, and Bhimaratha, and Sampati, and the Jays, and the Bhojas,and Bhuminjaya, and Vrisha, and Kratha, and the mighty ruler of theNishadhas, all accomplished in battle, surrounded by a large host andkeeping the region of Brahma before their eyes, stood, O king, in theheart of that array. That array, formed by Drona, in consequence of itsfoot-soldiers, steeds, cars and elephants, seemed to surge like thetempest-tossed ocean (as it advanced to battle). Warriors, desirous ofbattle, began to start out from the wings and sides of that array, likeroaring clouds charged with lightning rushing from all sides (in thewelkin) at summer. And in the midst of that army, the ruler of thePragjyotishas, mounted on his duly equipped elephant, looked resplendent,O king, like the rising sun. Decked, O monarch, in garlands of flower,and with a white umbrella held over his head, he looked like the fullmoon when in conjunction with the constellation Krittika. And blind withthe wine-like exudation, the elephant, looking like a mass of blackantimony, shone like a huge mountain washed by mighty clouds (with theirshowers). And the ruler of the Pragjyotishas was surrounded by manyheroic kings of the hilly countries, armed with diverse weapons, likeSakra himself surrounded by the celestials. Then Yudhishthira, beholdingthat superhuman array incapable of being vanquished by foes in battle,addressed Prishata’s son, saying, ‘O lord, O thou that ownest steedswhite as pigeons, let such measures be adopted that I may not be taken aprisoner by the Brahmana.’

“Dhrishtadyumna said, ‘O thou of excellent vows, never shalt thou beplaced under the power of Drona, however much may he strive. Even I shallcheck Drona today with all his followers. As long as I am alive, O thouof Kuru’s race, it behoveth thee not to feel any anxiety. Under nocircumstances will Drona be able to vanquish me in battle.’

“Sanjaya continued, ‘Having said these words, the mighty son of Drupadaowning steeds of the hue of pigeons, scattering his shafts, rushedhimself at Drona. Beholding that (to him) evil omen in the form ofDhrishtadyumna stationed before him, Drona soon became exceedinglycheerless. Beholding this, that crusher of foes, viz., thy son Durmukha,desirous of doing what was agreeable to Drona, began to resistDhrishtadyumna. Then a terrible and a fierce battle took place, OBharata, between the brave son of Prishata and thy son, Durmukha. ThenPrishata’s son, quickly covering Durmukha, with a shower of arrows,checked Bharadwaja’s son also with a thick arrowy downpour. BeholdingDrona checked, thy son Durmukha quickly rushed at Prishata’s son andconfounded him with clouds of arrows of diverse kinds. And while theprince of the Panchalas and that foremost one of Kuru’s race were thusengaged in battle, Drona consumed many sections of Yudhishthira’s host.As a mass of clouds is dispersed in different directions by the wind,even so was Yudhisthira’s host, in many parts of the field, scattered byDrona. For only a short while did that battle look like an ordinarycombat. And then, O king, it became an encounter of infuriated persons inwhich no consideration was shown for anybody. And the combatants could nolonger distinguish their own men from the foe. And the battle raged on,the warriors being guided by inferences and watch-words. Upon the gems ontheir headgears, upon their necklaces and other ornaments, and upon theircoats of mail, rays of light like those of the Sun seemed to fall andplay. And cars and elephants and steeds, decked with streaming banners,seemed in that battle to resemble masses of clouds with flocks of cranesunder them. And men slew men, and steeds of fiery metal slew steeds, andcar-warriors slew car-warriors and elephants slew elephants. And soon afierce and terrible encounter took place between elephants with tallstandards on their backs and mighty compeers (rushing against them). Allin consequence of those huge creatures rubbing their bodies against thoseof hostile compeers and tearing one another (with their tusks), firesmixed with smoke were generated there by (such) friction of countlesstusks with tusks. Shorn of the standards (on their backs), thoseelephants, in consequence of the fires caused by their tusks, looked likemasses of clouds in the welkin charged with lightning. And the earth,strewn with elephants dragging (hostile compeers) and roaring and fallingdown, looked beautiful like the autumnal sky overspread with clouds. Andthe roars of those elephants while they were being slaughtered withshowers of shafts and lances, sounded like the roll of clouds in therainy season. And some huge elephants, wounded with lances and shafts,became panic-stricken. And others amongst those creatures, left the fieldwith loud cries.[35] And some elephants there, struck by others withtheir tusks, uttered fierce yells of distress that resounded like theroll of the all-destroying clouds at the end of the Yuga. And some,turned back by huge antagonists, returned to the charge, urged on bysharp hooks. And crushing hostile ranks, they began to kill all who camein their way. And elephant-drivers, attacked by elephant-drivers witharrows and lances, fell down from the backs of their beasts, theirweapons and hooks being loosened from their hands. And many elephants,without riders on their backs, wandered hither and thither like cloudstorn from mightier masses, and then fell down, encountering one another.And some huge elephants, bearing on their backs slain and fallenwarriors, or those whose weapons had fallen down, wandered in alldirections singly.[36] And in the midst of that carnage, some elephantsattacked, or in course of being attacked with lances, swords and battleaxes, fell down in course of that awful carnage, uttering sounds ofdistress. And the earth, suddenly struck with the falling bodies, huge ashills, of those creatures all around trembled and emitted sounds. Andwith those elephants slain along with their riders and lying all aboutwith the standards on their backs, the earth looked beautiful as ifstrewn with hills. And the drivers on the backs of many elephants, withtheir breasts pierced by car-warriors with broad-headed shafts in thatbattle, fell down, their lances and hooks loosened from their grasp. Andsome elephants, struck with long shafts, uttered crane like cries and ranin all directions, crushing friends and foes by trampling them to death.And covered with countless bodies of elephants and steeds andcar-warriors, the earth, O king, became miry with flesh and blood. Andlarge cars with wheels and many without wheels, crushed by the points oftheir tusks, were thrown up by elephants, with the warriors mounted onthem. Cars were seen deprived of warriors. And riderless steeds andelephants ran in all directions, afflicted with wounds. And there fatherslew his son, and son slew his sire, for the battle that took place wasexceedingly fierce and nothing could be distinguished. Men sankankle-deep in the gory mire and looked like tall trees whose lower partswere swallowed up in a blazing forest-conflagration. And robes and coatsof mail and umbrellas and standards having been dyed with blood,everything seemed to be bloody on the field. Large bodies of slainsteeds, of cars, and of men, were again cut into fragments by the rollingof car-wheels. And that sea of troops having elephants for its current,and slain men for its floating moss and weeds, and cars for its fierce,eddies, looked terribly grim. Warriors, having steeds and elephants fortheir large vessels, and desirous of victory as their wealth, plungedinto that sea, and instead of sinking in it endeavoured to deprive theirenemies of their senses. When all the warriors, each bearing particularsigns, were covered with arrowy showers, there was none amongst them lostheart, though all were deprived of their signs. In that fierce and awfulbattle, Drona confounding the senses of his foes, (at last) rushed atYudhishthira.'”