Chapter 32
“Sanjaya said, ‘Of fierce deeds in battle and above all fatigue, asproved by their feats, five sons of Pandu, with Krishna, are incapable ofbeing resisted by the very gods. In righteousness, in deeds, in lineage,in intelligence, in achievements, in fame, in prosperity, there neverwas, and there never will be, another man so endued as Yudhishthira.Devoted to truth and righteousness, and with passions under control, kingYudhishthira, in consequence of his worship of the Brahmans and, diverseother virtues of similar nature, is always in the enjoyment of Heaven.The Destroyer himself at the end of the Yuga, Jamadagni’s valiant son(Rama), and Bhimasena on his car,–these three, O king, are spoken of asequal. Of Partha, the wielder of Gandiva, who always achieveth his vowsin battle, I do not see a proper parallel on earth. Reverence forsuperiors, keeping counsels, humility, self-restraint, beauty of person,and bravery–these six–are ever present in Nakula. In knowledge ofscriptures, gravity, sweetness of temper, righteousness and prowess, theheroic Sahadeva is equal to the Aswins themselves. All those noblequalities that are in Krishna, all those that are in the Pandavas, allthat assemblage of qualities was to be found in Abhimanyu alone. Infirmness, he was equal to Yudhishthira, and in conduct to Krishna; infeats, he was the equal to Bhimasena of terrible deeds, in beauty ofperson, in prowess, and in knowledge of scriptures he was the equal toDhananjaya. In humility, he was equal to Sahadeva and Nakula.’
“Dhritarashtra said, ‘I desire, O Suta, to hear in detail, how theinvincible Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra, hath been slain on the fieldof battle.’
“Sanjaya continued, ‘Be still, O king! Bear thy grief that is sounbearable. I shall speak to thee of the great slaughter of thy kinsmen.
“The preceptor, O king, had formed the great circular array. In it wereplaced all the kings (of our side) that are each equal to Sakra himself.At the entrance were stationed all the princes possessed of solareffulgence. All of them had taken oaths (about standing by one another).All of them had standards decked with gold. All of them were attired inred robes, and all had red ornaments. All of them had red banners and allwere adorned with garlands of gold, smeared with sandal-paste and otherperfumed unguents; they were decked with floral wreaths. In a body theyrushed towards Arjuna’s son, desirous of battle. Firm bowmen, all theynumbered ten thousand. Placing thy handsome grandson, Lakshmana, at theirhead, all of them, sympathising with one another in joy and grief, andemulating one another in feats of courage, desiring to excel one another,and devoted to one another’s good, they advanced to battle. Duryodhana, Omonarch, was stationed in the midst of his forces. And the king wassurrounded by the mighty car-warriors, Karna, Duhsasana, and Kripa, andhad a white umbrella held over his head. And fanned with yak tails, helooked resplendent like the chief of the celestials. And at the head ofthat army was the commander Drona looking like the rising sun.[62] Andthere stood the ruler of the Sindhus, of great beauty of person, andimmovable like the cliff of Meru. Standing by the side of the ruler ofthe Sindhus and headed by Aswatthaman, were, O king, thy thirty sons,resembling the very gods. There also on Jayadratha’s flank, were thosemighty car-warriors, viz., the ruler of Gandhara, i.e., the gamester(Sakuni), and Salya, and Bhurisrava. Then commenced, the battle, fierce,and making the hairs stand on their ends, between thy warriors and thoseof the foe. And both sides fought, making death itself the goal.'”
