Chapter 77

“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing the roars of cars and the leonine shouts (of thewarriors) in battle, Arjuna addressed Govinda, saying, “Urge the steedsto greater speed.” Hearing these words of Arjuna, Govinda said unto him,”I am proceeding with great speed to the spot where Bhima is stationed.”Then many lions among men (belonging to the Kaurava army), excited withwrath and accompanied by a large force of cars and horse and elephantsand foot-soldiers and making the earth resound with the whizz of theirarrows, the rattle of their car wheels, and the tread of their horses’hoofs, advanced against Jaya (Arjuna) as the latter proceeded forvictory, borne by his steeds white as snow or conchs and decked intrappings of gold and pearls and gems like the chief of the celestials ingreat wrath proceeding, armed with the thunder, against (the asura)Jambha for slaying him. Between them and Partha, O sire, occurred a greatbattle destructive of body, life, and sin, like the battle between theasuras and the god Vishnu, that foremost of victors for the sake of thethree worlds. Alone, Partha, decked with diadem and garlands, cut off themighty weapons sped by them, as also their heads and arms in diverseways, with his razor-faced and crescent-shaped and broad-headed arrows ofgreat keenness. Umbrellas, and yak-tails for fanning, and standards, andsteeds, and cars, and bands of foot-soldiers, and elephants, fell down onthe earth, mutilated in diverse ways, like a forest broken down by atempest. Huge elephants, decked in caparisons of gold and equipped withtriumphal standards and warriors (on their backs), looked resplendent, asthey were pierced with shafts of golden wings, like mountains ablaze withlight. Piercing elephants and steeds and cars with excellent shaftsresembling Vasava’s thunder, Dhananjaya proceeded quickly for theslaughter of Karna, even as Indra in days of yore for riving (the asura)Vala. Then that tiger among men, that mighty-armed chastiser of foes,penetrated into thy host like a makara into the ocean. Beholding the sonof Pandu, thy warriors, O king, accompanied by cars and foot-soldiers anda large number of elephants and steeds, rushed against him. Tremendouswas the din made by them as they advanced against Partha, resembling thatmade by the waters of the ocean lashed into fury by the tempest. Thosemighty car-warriors, resembling tigers (in prowess) all rushed in thatbattle against that tiger among men, abandoning all fear of death.Arjuna, however, routed the troops of those leaders of the Kurus as theyadvanced, shooting at him showers of weapons, like a tempest driving offmasses of congregated clouds. Those great bowmen, all skilled in smiting,united together and proceeded against Arjuna with a large number of carsand began to pierce him with keen shafts. Then Arjuna, with his shafts,despatched to Yama’s abode several thousands of cars and elephants andsteeds. While those great car-warriors in that battle were thus struckwith shafts sped from Arjuna’s bow, they were filled with fear and seemedto disappear one after another from their cars. In all, Arjuna, with hissharp arrows, slew four hundred of those heroic car-warriors exertingthemselves vigorously in battle. Thus struck in that battle with sharpshafts of diverse kinds, they fled away on all sides, avoiding Arjuna.Tremendous was the uproar made at the van of the army by those warriorsas they broke and fled, like that made by the surging sea when it breaksupon a rock. Having routed with his arrows that army struck with fright,Pritha’s son Arjuna then proceeded, O sire, against the division of theSuta’s son. Loud was the noise with which Arjuna faced his foes, likethat made by Garuda in days of yore when swooping down for snakes.Hearing that sound, the mighty Bhimasena, desirous as he had been ofobtaining a sight of Partha, became filled with joy. As soon as thevaliant Bhimasena heard of Partha’s arrival, he began, O monarch, togrind thy troops, reckless of his very life. Possessed of prowess equalto that of the wind, the valiant Bhima, the son of the Wind-god, began tocareer in that battle like the wind itself. Afflicted by him, O monarch,thy army, O king, began to reel like a wrecked vessel on the bosom of thesea. Displaying his lightness of hands, Bhima began to cut and manglethat host with his fierce arrows and despatch large numbers to the abodeof Yama. Beholding on that occasion the superhuman might of Bhima, OBharata, like that of the Destroyer at the end of the Yuga, thy warriorsbecame filled with fright. Seeing his mightiest soldiers thus afflictedby Bhimasena, O Bharata, king Duryodhana addressed all his troops andgreat bowmen, O bull of Bharata’s race, commanding them to slay Bhima inthat battle, since upon Bhima’s fall he would regard the Pandava troopsalready exterminated. Accepting that command of thy son, all the kingsshrouded Bhima with showers of shafts from every side. Innumerableelephants, O king, and men inspired with desire of victory, and cars, andhorse, O monarch, encompassed Vrikodara. Thus encompassed by those bravewarriors on all sides, O king, that hero, that chief of Bharata’s race,looked resplendent like the Moon surrounded by the stars. Indeed, as theMoon at full within his corona looks beautiful, even so that best of men,exceedingly handsome, looked beautiful in that battle. All those kings,with cruel intent and eyes red in wrath, inflicted upon Vrikodara theirarrowy downpours, moved by the desire of slaying him. Piercing thatmighty host with straight shafts, Bhima came out of the press like a fishcoming out of a net, having slain 10,000 unretreating elephants, 200,200men, O Bharata, and 5,000 horses, and a hundred car-warriors. Havingslaughtered these, Bhima caused a river of blood to flow there. Bloodconstituted its water, and cars its eddies; and elephants were thealligators with which it teemed. Men were its fishes, and steeds itssharks, and the hair of animals formed its woods and moss. Arms loppedoff from trunks formed its foremost of snakes. Innumerable jewels andgems were carried along by the current. Thighs constituted its gravels,and marrow its mire. And it was covered with heads forming its rocks. Andbows and arrows constituted the rafts by which men sought to cross thatterrible river, and maces and spiked bludgeons formed its snakes. Andumbrellas and standards formed its swans, and head-gears its foam.Necklaces constituted its lotuses, and the earthy dust that arose formedits waves. Those endued with noble qualities could cross it with ease,while those that were timid and affrighted found it exceedingly difficultto cross. Warriors constituting its crocodiles and alligators, it rantowards the region of Yama. Very soon, indeed, did that tiger among mencause that river to flow. Even as the terrible Vaitarani is difficult ofbeing crossed by persons of unrefined souls, that bloody river, terribleand enhancing the fears of the timid, was difficult to cross. Thitherwhere that best of car-warriors, the son of Pandu, penetrated, thither hefelled hostile warriors in hundreds and thousands. Seeing those featsachieved in battle by Bhimasena, Duryodhana, O monarch, addressingShakuni, said, “Vanquish, O uncle, the mighty Bhimasena in battle. Uponhis defeat the mighty host of the Pandavas may be regarded as defeated.”Thus addressed, O monarch, the valiant son of Subala, competent to wagedreadful battle, proceeded, surrounded by his brothers. Approaching inthat battle Bhima of terrible prowess, the heroic Shakuni checked himlike the continent resisting the ocean. Though resisted with keen shafts,Bhima, disregarding them all, proceeded against the sons of Subala. ThenShakuni, O monarch, sped a number of cloth-yard shafts equipped withwings of gold and whetted on stone, at the left side of Bhima’s chest.Piercing through the armour of the high-souled son of Pandu, those fierceshafts, O monarch, equipped with feathers of Kankas and peacocks, sunkdeep into his body. Deeply pierced in that battle, Bhima, O Bharata,suddenly shot at Subala’s son a shaft decked with gold. The mightyShakuni however, that scorcher of foes, O king, endued with greatlightness of hands, cut off into seven fragments that terrible arrow asit coursed towards him. When his shaft fell down on the earth, Bhima, Oking, became highly enraged, and cut off with a broad-headed arrow thebow of Subala’s son with the greatest ease. The valiant son of Subalathen, casting aside that broken bow, quickly took up another and six andten broad-headed arrows. With two of those straight and broad-headedarrows, O monarch, he struck Bhima himself, with one he cut off Bhima’sstandard, and with two, his umbrella. With the remaining four, the son ofSubala pierced the four steeds of his antagonist. Filled with rage atthis, the valiant Bhima, O monarch, hurled in that battle a dart made ofiron, with its staff adorned with gold. That dart, restless as the tongueof a snake, hurled from Bhima’s arms, speedily fell upon the car of thehigh-souled son of Subala. The latter then, filled with wrath, O monarch,took up that same gold-decked dart and hurled it back at Bhimasena.Piercing through the left arm of the high-souled son of Pandu, it felldown on the earth like lightning flashed down from the sky. At this, theDhartarashtras, O monarch, set up a loud roar all around. Bhima, however,could not bear that leonine roar of his foes endued with great activity.The mighty son of Pandu then, quickly taking up another stringed bow, ina moment, O monarch, covered with shafts the soldiers of Subala’s son inthat battle, who were fighting reckless of their very lives. Having slainhis four steeds, and then his driver, O king, Bhima of great prowess nextcut off his antagonist’s standard with a broad-headed arrow withoutlosing a moment. Abandoning with speed that steedless car, Shakuni, thatforemost of men, stood on the ground, with his bow ready drawn in hishands, his eyes red like blood in rage, and himself breathing heavily. Hethen, O king, struck Bhima from every side with innumerable arrows. Thevaliant Bhima, baffling those shafts, cut off Shakuni’s bow in rage andpierced Shakuni himself, with many keen arrows. Deeply pierced by hispowerful antagonist, that scorcher of foes, O king, fell down on theearth almost lifeless. Then thy son, O monarch, seeing him stupefied,bore him away from battle on his car in the very sight of Bhimasena. Whenthat tiger among men, Shakuni was thus taken up on Duryodhana’s car, theDhartarashtra troops, turning their faces from battle, fled away on allsides inspired with fear on that occasion of great terror due toBhimasena. Upon the defeat of Subala’s son, O king, by that great bowman,Bhimasena, thy son Duryodhana, filled with great fright, retreated, borneaway by his fleet steeds, from regard for his maternal uncle’s life.Beholding the king himself turn away from the battle, the troops, OBharata, fled away, from the encounters in which each of them had beenengaged. Seeing all the Dhartarashtra troops turn away from battle andfly in all directions, Bhima rushing impetuously, fell upon them,shooting many hundreds of shafts. Slaughtered by Bhima, the retreatingDhartarashtras, O king, approaching the spot where Karna was, once morestood for battle, surrounding him. Endued with great might and greatenergy, Karna then became their refuge. Finding Karna, O bull ofBharata’s race, thy troops became comforted and stood cheerfully, relyingupon one another, like shipwrecked mariners, O tiger of men, in theirdistressful plight, when at last they reach an island. They then, oncemore, making death itself their goal, proceeded against their foes forbattle.'”