Chapter 26

“Sanjaya said, ‘Kripa, O king, resisted Dhrishtadyumna in battle, like aSarabha in the forest resisting a proud lion. Checked by the mighty sonof Gautama, Prishata’s son, O Bharata, could not advance even one step.Beholding Gautama’s car in front of Dhrishtadyumna’s, all creatures wereinspired with fright and regarded the latter’s destruction to be at hand.Car-warriors and horsemen, becoming very cheerless, said, “Without doubt,this foremost of men, Sharadvata’s son of mighty energy and greatintelligence and versed in celestial weapon, is filled with rage at thedeath of Drona. Will Dhrishtadyumna today escape from the hands ofGautama? Will this vast army escape today this great danger? Will notthis brahmana slay all of us together? The form that he has assumedtoday, even like that of the Destroyer himself, shows that he will todayact after the manner of Drona himself. The preceptor Gautama, endued withgreat lightness of hands, is ever victorious in battle. Possessing aknowledge of weapons, he is endued with great energy and filled withrage.” Diverse speeches like these, uttered by the warriors of both thearmies were, O monarch, heard there as those two heroes encountered eachother. Drawing deep breath in rage, Sharadvata’s son Kripa, O king, beganto afflict the son of Prishata in all his vital limbs while the latterstood inactive. Struck in that battle by the illustrious Gautama,Dhrishtadyumna, greatly stupefied, knew not what to do. His driver then,addressing him said, “It is not all right with thee, O son of Prishata.Never before have I seen such a calamity overtake thee in battle. It is alucky chance, it seems, that these shafts, capable of penetrating thevery vitals, sped by that foremost of brahmanas aiming at thy vitallimbs, are not striking thee. I will presently cause the car to turnback, like the current of a river dashed back by the sea. I think thatbrahmana, by whom thy prowess hath been annihilated, is incapable ofbeing slain by thee.” Thus addressed, Dhrishtadyumna, O king, slowlysaid, “My mind becometh stupefied, O sire, and perspiration covereth mylimbs. My body trembles and my hair stands on end. Avoiding that brahmanain battle, proceed slowly to where Arjuna is, O charioteer; arrived atthe presence of either Arjuna or Bhimasena, prosperity may be mine. Eventhis is my certain conviction.” Then, O monarch, the charioteer, urgingthe steeds, proceeded to the spot where the mighty bowman Bhimasena wasbattling with thy troops. Beholding the car, O sire, of Dhrishtadyumnaspeedily moving away from that spot, Gautama followed it, shootinghundreds of shafts. And that chastiser of foes also repeatedly blew hisconch. Indeed, he routed the son of Prishata like Indra routing theDanava Namuci.

“‘The invincible Shikhandi, the cause of Bhishma’s death, was in thatbattle, resisted by Hridika’s son who smiled repeatedly as he fought withthe former. Shikhandi, however, encountering the mighty car-warrior ofthe Hridikas, struck him with five keen and broad-headed shafts at theshoulder-joint. Then the mighty car-warrior Kritavarma filled with rage,pierced his foe with sixty winged arrows. With a single arrow then, hecut off his bow, laughing the while. The mighty son of Drupada, filledwith wrath, took up another bow, and addressing the son of Hridika, said,”Wait, Wait.” Then, O monarch, Shikhandi sped at his foe ninety shafts ofgreat impetuosity, all equipped with golden wings. Those shafts, however,all recoiled from Kritavarma’s armour. Seeing those shafts recoil andscattered on the surface of the Earth, Shikhandi cut off Kritavarma’s bowwith a keen razor-headed arrow. Filled with wrath he struck the bowlessson of Hridika, who then resembled a hornless bull, in the arms and thechest, with eighty arrows. Filled with rage but torn and mangled withshafts, Kritavarma vomited blood through his limbs like a jar disgorgingthe water with which it is filled. Bathed in blood, the Bhoja king lookedbeautiful like a mountain, O king, streaked with streams of liquefied redchalk after a shower. The puissant Kritavarma then, taking up another bowwith a string and an arrow fixed thereon, struck Shikhandi in hisshoulder-joint. With those shafts sticking to his shoulder-joint,Shikhandi looked resplendent like a lordly tree with its spreadingbranches and twigs. Having pierced each other, the two combatants werebathed in blood, and resembled a couple of bulls that have gored eachother with their horns Carefully exerting themselves to slay each other,those two mighty car-warriors moved in a 1,000 circles with theirrespective cars on that arena. Then Kritavarma, O king, in thatencounter, pierced the son of Prishata with seventy shafts all of whichwere equipped with wings of gold and whetted on stone. The ruler of theBhojas then, that foremost of smiters, sped with great activity aterrible and fatal shaft at his foe. Struck therewith, Shikhandi quicklyswooned away. Overcome with stupefaction, he supported himself by seizinghis flag-staff. The driver then of that foremost of car-warriors speedilybore him away from the fight. Scorched with the shaft of Hridika’s son hedrew breath upon breath repeatedly. After the defeat of the heroic son ofDrupada, O lord, the Pandava army, slaughtered on all sides, fled awayfrom the field.”