Chapter 75

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘In that awful and fathomless encounter of thePandavas and the Srinjayas with the warriors of my army, when Dhananjaya,O sire, proceeded for battle, how, indeed, did the fight occur?’

“Sanjaya said, ‘The innumerable divisions of the Pandava army, deckedwith lofty standards and swelling (with pride and energy) and unitedtogether in battle, began to roar aloud, drums and other instrumentsconstituting their mouth, like masses of clouds at the close of summeruttering deep roars. The battle that ensued resembled a baneful showerout of season, cruel and destructive of living creatures. Huge elephantswere its clouds; weapons were the water they were to pour; the peal ofmusical instruments, the rattle of car-wheels, and the noise of palms,constituted their roar; diverse weapons decked with gold formed theirflashes of lightning; and arrows and swords and cloth-yard shafts andmighty weapons constituted their torrents of rain. Marked by impetuousonsets blood flowed in streams in that encounter. Rendered awful byincessant strokes of the sword, it was fraught with a great carnage ofKshatriyas. Many car-warriors, united together, encompassed onecar-warrior and despatched him to Yama’s presence. Or, one foremost ofcar-warriors despatched a single adversary, or one despatched manyadversaries united together. Again, some one car-warrior despatched toYama’s abode some one adversary along with his driver and steeds. Someone rider, with a single elephant, despatched many car-warriors andhorsemen. Similarly, Partha, with clouds of shafts, despatched largenumber of cars with drivers and steeds, of elephants and horses withtheir riders, and of foot-soldiers, belonging to the enemy. Kripa andShikhandi encountered each other in that battle, while Satyaki proceededagainst Duryodhana. And Srutasravas was engaged with Drona’s son, andYudhamanyu with Citrasena. The great Srinjaya car-warrior Uttamauja wasengaged with Karna’s son Sushena, while Sahadeva rushed against Shakuni,the king of the Gandharas, like a hungry lion against a mighty bull. Theyouthful Satanika, the son of Nakula, rushed against the youthfulVrishasena, the son of Karna, shooting showers of shafts. The heroic sonof Karna struck that son of the princess of Pancala with many arrows.Conversant with all modes of warfare, Madri’s son Nakula, that bull amongcar-warriors, assailed Kritavarma. The king of the Pancalas,Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Yajnasena, attacked Karna, the commander ofthe Kaurava army, with all his forces. Duhshasana, O Bharata, with theswelling host of the samsaptakas forming a portion of the Bharata army,fiercely attacked in that battle Bhima, that foremost of warriors ofirresistible impetuosity. The heroic Uttamauja, putting forth hisstrength struck the son of Karna and cut off his head which fell down onthe earth, filling the earth and the welkin with a loud noise. Beholdingthe head of Sushena lying on the ground, Karna became filled with grief.Soon, however, in rage he cut off the steeds, the car, and the standard,of his son’s slayer with many keen shafts. Meanwhile Uttamauja, piercingwith his keen shafts and cutting off with his bright sword the steeds ofKripa and those warriors also that protected Kripa’s sides, quicklyascended the car of Shikhandi. Beholding Kripa deprived of his car,Shikhandi who was on his vehicle, wished not to strike him with hisshafts. The son of Drona then, covering with his own the car of Kripa,rescued the latter like a bull sunk in a mire. Meanwhile Bhima, the sonof the Wind-god clad in golden mail, began to scorch with his keen arrowsthe troops of thy sons like the mid-day sun scorching everything in thesummer season.'”