Chapter 35

“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding his army routed by Subhadra’s son ofimmeasurable energy, Duryodhana, filled with rage, himself proceededagainst the former. Seeing the king turn back towards Subhadra’s son inbattle, Drona, addressing all the (Kaurava) warriors, said, ‘Rescue theking.[65] Before us, in our very sight, the valiant Abhimanyu is slayingall he aims at. Rush ye, therefore, speedily against him, without fearand protect the Kuru king.’ Then many grateful and mighty warriors,having Duryodhana’s good at heart, and always graced with victory,inspired with fear, surrounded thy son. And Drona, and Drona’s son, andKripa and Karna and Kritavarman and Suvala’s son, Vrihadvala, and theruler of the Madras, and Bhuri, and Bhurisravas, and Sala, and Pauravaand Vrishasena, shooting sharp shafts, checked Subhadra’s son by means ofthose arrowy showers. Confounding him with those showers of shafts, theyrescued Duryodhana. The son of Arjuna, however, brooked not that act ofsnatching a morsel from his mouth. Covering those mighty car-warriors,their charioteers, and steeds with thick showers of arrows and causingthem to turn back, the son of Subhadra uttered a leonine roar. Hearingthat roar of his, resembling that of a lion hungering after prey, theseangry car-warriors, headed by Drona, brooked it not. Encompassing him onall sides, O sire, with a large body of cars they shot at him showers ofdiverse kinds of arrows. The grandson, however, cut them off in thewelkin (before any of them could reach him) by means of sharp shafts, andthen pierced all of them with his shafts. That feat of his seemedexceedingly wonderful. Provoked by him thus by means of those shafts ofhis that resembled snakes of virulent poison, they surrounded thatunretreating son of Subhadra, desirous of slaying him. That sea of(Kaurava) troops, however, O bull of Bharata’s race, the son of Arjunasingly held in check by means of his shafts, like the continent resistingthe surging ocean. And among those heroes thus fighting with and strikingone another, viz., Abhimanyu and his man on one side and all thosewarriors together on the other, none turned back from the field. In thatdreadful and fierce battle, Duhsaha pierced Abhimanyu with nine shafts.And Duhsasana pierced him with a dozen; and Saradwata’s son Kripa, withthree. And Drona pierced him with seventeen shafts, each resembling asnake of virulent poison. And Vivinsati, pierced him with seventy shafts,and Kritavarman with seven. And Vrihadvala pierced him with eight, andAswatthaman with seven shafts. And Bhurisrava pierced him with threeshafts and the ruler of the Madras with six. And Sakuni pierced him withtwo, and king Duryodhana with three shafts. The valiant Abhimanyu,however, O king, seemingly dancing on his car, pierced each of thosewarriors in return with three shafts. Then Abhimanyu, filled with rage inconsequence of thy sons’ endeavouring to frighten him thus, displayed thewonderful strength he had acquired from culture and practice. Borne byhis well-broken steeds, endued with the speed of Garuda or the Wind, andthoroughly obedient to the behests of him who held their reins, hequickly checked the heir of Asmaka. Staying before him, the handsome sonof Asmaka, endued with great might, pierced him with ten shafts andaddressing him, said, ‘Wait, Wait.’ Abhimanyu then, with ten shafts, cutoff the former’s steeds and charioteer and standard and two arms and bowand head, and caused them to fall down on the earth, smiling the while.After the heroic ruler of the Asmakas had thus been slain by the son ofSubhadra, the whole of his force wavered and began to fly away from thefield. Then Karna and Kripa, and Drona and Drona’s son, and the ruler ofthe Gandharas, and Sala and Salya, and Bhurisravas and Kratha, andSomadatta, and Vivinsati, and Vrishasena, and Sushena, and Kundavedhin,and Pratardana, and Vrindaraka and Lalithya, and Pravahu, andDrighalochana, and angry Duryodhana, showered their arrows upon him. ThenAbhimanyu, excessively pierced by those great bowmen with their straightshafts, shot shafts at Karna which was capable of piercing through everyarmour and body. That shaft, piercing through Karna’s coat of mail andthen his body, entered the earth like a snake piercing through ananthill. Deeply pierced, Karna felt great pain and became perfectlyhelpless. Indeed, Karna began to tremble in that battle like a hillduring an earthquake. Then with three other shafts of great sharpness,the mighty son of Arjuna, excited with rage, slew those three warriors,viz., Sushena, Drighalochana, and Kundavedhin. Meanwhile, Karna(recovering from the shock) pierced Abhimanyu with five and twentyshafts. And Aswatthaman struck him with twenty, and Kritavarman withseven. Covered all over with arrows, that son of Sakra’s son, filled withrage, careered over the field. And he was regarded by all the troops asYama’s self armed with the noose. He then scattered over Salya, whohappened to be near him thick showers of arrows. That mighty-armedwarrior then uttered loud shouts, frightening thy troops therewith.Meanwhile, Salya, pierced by Abhimanyu accomplished in weapons, withstraight shafts penetrating into his very vitals, sat down on the terraceof his car and fainted away. Beholding Salya thus pierced by thecelebrated son of Subhadra, all the troops fled away in the very sight ofBharadwaja’s son. Seeing that mighty-armed warrior, viz., Salya, thuscovered with shafts of golden wings, thy army fled away like a head ofdeer attacked by a lion. And Abhimanyu glorified by the Pitris, the gods,and Charanas, and Siddhas, as also by diverse classes of creatures on theearth, with praises about (his heroism and skill in) battle, lookedresplendent like a sacrificial fire fed with clarified butter.'”