Chapter 55

Vaishampayana said, “Even thus, O Janamejaya, did that terrible battletake place. King Dhritarashtra, in great sorrow, said these words withreference to it:

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Beholding Rama approach that spot when themace-fight was about to happen, how, O Sanjaya, did my son fight Bhima?’

“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding the presence of Rama, thy valiant son,Duryodhana of mighty arms, desirous of battle, became full of joy. Seeingthe hero of the plough, king Yudhishthira, O Bharata, stood up and dulyhonoured him, feeling great joy the while. He gave him a seat andenquired about his welfare. Rama then answered Yudhishthira in thesesweet and righteous words that were highly beneficial to heroes, “I haveheard it said by the Rishis, O best of kings, that Kurukshetra is ahighly sacred and sin-cleansing spot, equal to heaven itself, adored bygods and Rishis and high-souled Brahmanas! Those men that cast off theirbodies while engaged in battle on this field, are sure to reside, O sire,in heaven with Shakra himself! I shall, for this, O king, speedilyproceed to Samantapanchaka. In the world of gods that spot is known asthe northern (sacrificial) altar of Brahman, the Lord of all creatures!He that dies in battle on that eternal and most sacred of spots in thethree worlds, is sure to obtain heaven!” Saying, “So be it,” O monarch,Kunti’s brave son, the lord Yudhishthira, proceeded towardsSamantapanchaka. King Duryodhana also, taking up his gigantic mace,wrathfully proceeded on foot with the Pandavas. While proceeding thus,armed with mace and clad in armour, the celestials in the welkinapplauded him, saying, “Excellent, Excellent!” The Charanas fleet as air,seeing the Kuru king, became filled with delight. Surrounded by thePandavas, thy son, the Kuru king, proceeded, assuming the tread of aninfuriated elephant. All the points of the compass were filled with theblare of conchs and the loud peals of drums and the leonine roars ofheroes. Proceeding with face westwards to the appointed spot, with thyson (in their midst), they scattered themselves on every side when theyreached it. That was an excellent tirtha on the southern side of theSarasvati. The ground there was not sandy and was, therefore, selectedfor the encounter. Clad in armour, and armed with his mace of giganticthickness, Bhima, O monarch, assumed the form of the mighty Garuda. Withhead-gear fastened on his head, and wearing an armour made of gold,licking the corners of his mouth, O monarch, with eyes red in wrath, andbreathing hard, thy son, on that field, O king, looked resplendent likethe golden Sumeru. Taking up his mace, king Duryodhana of great energy,casting his glances on Bhimasena, challenged him to the encounter like anelephant challenging a rival elephant. Similarly, the valiant Bhima,taking up his adamantine mace, challenged the king like a lionchallenging a lion. Duryodhana and Bhima, with uplifted maces, looked inthat bottle like two mountains with tall summits. Both of them wereexceedingly angry; both were possessed of awful prowess; in encounterswith the mace both were disciples of Rohini’s intelligent son, bothresembled each other in their feats and looked like Maya and Vasava. Bothwere endued with great strength, both resembled Varuna in achievements.Each resembling Vasudeva, or Rama, or Visravana’s son (Ravana), theylooked, O monarch, like Madhu and Kaitabha. Each like the other in feats,they looked like Sunda and Upasunda, or Rama and Ravana, or Vali andSugriva. Those two scorchers of foes looked like Kala and Mrityu. Theythen ran towards each other like two infuriated elephants, swelling withpride and mad with passion in the season of autumn and longing for thecompanionship of a she-elephant in her time. Each seemed to vomit uponthe other the poison of his wrath like two fiery snakes. Those twochastisers of foes cast the angriest of glances upon each other. Bothwere tigers of Bharata’s race, and each was possessed of great prowess.In encounters with the mace, those two scorchers of foes were invinciblelike lions. Indeed, O bull of Bharata’s race, inspired with desire ofvictory, they looked like two infuriated elephants. Those heroes wereunbearable, like two tigers accoutred with teeth and claws. They werelike two uncrossable oceans lashed into fury and bent upon thedestruction of creatures, or like two angry Suns risen for consumingeverything. Those two mighty car-warriors looked like an Eastern and aWestern cloud agitated by the wind, roaring awfully and pouring torrentsof rain in the rainy season. Those two high-souled and mighty heroes,both possessed of great splendour and effulgence, looked like two Sunsrisen at the hour of the universal dissolution. Looking like two enragedtigers or like two roaring masses of clouds, they became as glad as twomaned lions. Like two angry elephants or two blazing fires, those twohigh-souled ones appeared like two mountains with tall summits. With lipsswelling with rage and casting keen glances upon each other, those twohigh-souled and best of men, armed with maces, encountered each other.Both were filled with joy, and each regarded the other as a worthyopponent, and Vrikodara then resembled two goodly steeds neighing at eachother, or two elephants trumpeting at each other. Those two foremost ofmen then looked resplendent like a couple of Daityas swelling with might.Then Duryodhana, O monarch, said these proud words unto Yudhishthira inthe midst of his brothers and of the high-souled Krishna and Rama ofimmeasurable energy, ‘Protected by the Kaikeyas and the Srinjayas and thehigh-souled Pancalas, behold ye with all those foremost of kings, seatedtogether, this battle that is about to take place between me and Bhima!’Hearing these words of Duryodhana, they did as requested. Then that largeconcourse of kings sat down and was seen to look resplendent like aconclave of celestials in heaven. In the midst of that concourse themighty-armed and handsome elder brother of Keshava, O monarch, as he satdown, was worshipped by all around him. In the midst of those kings,Valadeva clad in blue robes and possessed of a fair complexion, lookedbeautiful like the moon at full surrounded in the night by thousands ofstars. Meanwhile those two heroes, O monarch, both armed with maces andboth unbearable by foes, stood there, goading each other with fiercespeeches. Having addressed each other in disagreeable and bitter words,those two foremost of heroes of Kuru’s race stood, casting angry glancesupon each other, like Shakra and Vritra in fight.”