Chapter 58

“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding that fight thus raging between those twoforemost heroes of Kuru’s race, Arjuna said unto Vasudeva, “Between thesetwo, who, in thy opinion, is superior? Who amongst them hath what merit?Tell me this, O Janardana.”

“‘Vasudeva said, “The instruction received by them hath been equal.Bhima, however, is possessed of greater might, while the son ofDhritarashtra is possessed of greater skill and hath laboured more. If hewere to fight fairly, Bhimasena will never succeed in winning thevictory. If, however, he fights unfairly he will be surely able to slayDuryodhana. The Asuras were vanquished by the gods with the aid ofdeception. We have heard this. Virochana was vanquished by Shakra withthe aid of deception. The slayer of Vala deprived Vritra of his energy byan act of deception. Therefore, let Bhimasena put forth his prowess,aided by deception! At the time of the gambling, O Dhananjaya, Bhimavowed to break the thighs of Suyodhana with his mace in battle. Let thiscrusher of foes, therefore, accomplish that vow of his. Let him withdeception, slay the Kuru king who is full of deception. If Bhima,depending upon his might alone, were to fight fairly, king Yudhishthirawill have to incur great danger. I tell thee again, O son of Pandu,listen to me. It is through the fault of king Yudhishthira alone thatdanger hath once more overtaken us! Having achieved great feats by theslaughter of Bhishma and the other Kurus, the king had won victory andfame and had almost attained the end of the hostilities. Having thusobtained the victory, he placed himself once more in a situation of doubtand peril. This has been an act of great folly on the part ofYudhishthira, O Pandava, since he hath made the result of the battledepend upon the victory or the defeat of only one warrior! Suyodhana isaccomplished, he is a hero; he is again firmly resolved. This old verseuttered by Usanas hath been heard by us. Listen to me as I recite it tothee with its true sense and meaning! ‘Those amongst the remnant of ahostile force broken flying away for life, that rally and come back tothe fight, should always be feared, for they are firmly resolved and havebut one purpose! Shakra himself, O Dhananjaya, cannot stand before themthat rush in fury, having abandoned all hope of life. This Suyodhana hadbroken and fled. All his troops had been killed. He had entered thedepths of a lake. He had been defeated and, therefore, he had desired toretire into the woods, having become hopeless of retaining his kingdom.What man is there, possessed of any wisdom, that would challenge such aperson to a single combat? I do not know whether Duryodhana may notsucceed in snatching the kingdom that had already become ours! For fullthirteen years he practised with the mace with great resolution. Evennow, for slaying Bhimasena, he jumpeth up and leapeth transversely! Ifthe mighty-armed Bhima does not slay him unfairly, the son ofDhritarashtra will surely remain king!” Having heard those words of thehigh-souled Keshava, Dhananjaya struck his own left thigh before the eyesof Bhimasena. Understanding that sign, Bhima began to career with hisuplifted mace, making many a beautiful circle and many a Yomaka and otherkinds of manoeuvres. Sometimes adopting the right mandala, sometimes theleft mandala, and sometimes the motion called Gomutraka, the son of Pandubegan to career, O king, stupefying his foe. Similarly, thy son, Omonarch, who was well conversant with encounters with the mace, careeredbeautifully and with great activity, for slaying Bhimasena. Whirlingtheir terrible maces which were smeared with sandal paste and otherperfumed unguents, the two heroes, desirous of reaching the end of theirhostilities, careered in that battle like two angry Yamas. Desirous ofslaying each other, those two foremost of men, possessed of greatheroism, fought like two Garudas desirous of catching the same snake.While the king and Bhima careered in beautiful circles, their macesclashed, and sparks of fire were generated by those repeated clashes.Those two heroic and mighty warriors struck each other equally in thatbattle. They then resembled, O monarch, two oceans agitated by thetempest. Striking each other equally like two infuriated elephants, theirclashing maces produced peals of thunder. During the progress of thatdreadful and fierce battle at close quarters, both those chastisers offoes, while battling, became fatigued. Having rested for a while, thosetwo scorchers of foes, filled with rage and uplifting their maces, oncemore began to battle with each other. When by the repeated descents oftheir maces, O monarch, they mangled each other, the battle they foughtbecame exceedingly dreadful and perfectly unrestrained. Rushing at eachother in that encounter, those two heroes, possessed of eyes like thoseof bulls and endued with great activity, struck each other fiercely liketwo buffaloes in the mire. All their limbs mangled and bruised, andcovered with blood from head to foot, they looked like a couple ofKinsukas on the breast of Himavat. During the progress of the encounter,when, Vrikodara (as a ruse) seemed to give Duryodhana an opportunity, thelatter, smiling a little, advanced forward. Well-skilled in battle, themighty Vrikodara, beholding his adversary come up, suddenly hurled hismace at him. Seeing the mace hurled at him, thy son, O monarch, movedaway from that spot at which the weapon fell down baffled on the earth.Having warded off that blow, thy son, that foremost one of Kuru’s race,quickly struck Bhimasena with his weapon. In consequence of the largequantity of blood drawn by that blow, as also owing to the violenceitself of the blow, Bhimasena of immeasurable energy seemed to bestupefied. Duryodhana, however, knew not that the son of Pandu was soafflicted at that moment. Though deeply afflicted, Bhima sustainedhimself, summoning all his patience. Duryodhana, therefore, regarded himto be unmoved and ready to return the blow. It was for this that thy sondid not then strike him again. Having rested for a little while, thevaliant Bhimasena rushed furiously, O king, at Duryodhana who wasstanding near. Beholding Bhimasena of immeasurable energy filled withrage and rushing towards him, thy high-souled son, O bull of Bharata’srace, desiring to baffle his blow, set his heart on the manoeuvre calledAvasthana. He, therefore, desired to jump upwards, O monarch, forbeguiling Vrikodara. Bhimasena fully understood the intentions of hisadversary. Rushing, therefore, at him, with a loud leonine roar, hefiercely hurled his mace at the thighs of the Kuru king as the latter hadjumped up for baffling the first aim. That mace, endued with the force ofthe thunder and hurled by Bhima of terrible feats, fractured the twohandsome thighs of Duryodhana. That tiger among men, thy son, after histhighs had been broken by Bhimasena, fell down, causing the earth to echowith his fall. Fierce winds began to blow, with loud sounds at repeatedintervals. Showers of dust fell. The earth, with her trees and plants andmountains, began to tremble. Upon the fall of that hero who was the headof all monarchs on earth, fierce and fiery winds blew with a loud noiseand with thunder falling frequently. Indeed, when that lord of earthfell, large meteors were seen to flash down from the sky. Bloody showers,as also showers of dust, fell, O Bharata! These were poured by Maghavat,upon the fall of thy son! A loud noise was heard, O bull of Bharata’srace, in the welkin, made by the Yakshas, and the Rakshasas and thePisachas. At that terrible sound, animals and birds, numbering inthousands, began to utter more frightful noise on every side. Thosesteeds and elephants and human beings that formed the (unslain) remnantof the (Pandava) host uttered loud cries when thy son fell. Loud alsobecame the blare of conchs and the peal of drums and cymbals. A terrificnoise seemed to come from within the bowels of the earth. Upon the fallof thy son, O monarch, headless beings of frightful forms, possessed ofmany legs and many arms, and inspiring all creatures with dread, began todance and cover the earth on all sides. Warriors, O king, that stood withstandards or weapons in their arms, began to tremble, O king, when thyson fell. Lakes and wells, O best of kings, vomited forth blood. Riversof rapid currents flowed in opposite directions. Women seemed to looklike men, and men to look like women at that hour, O king, when thy sonDuryodhana fell! Beholding those wonderful portents, the Pancalas and thePandavas, O bull of Bharata’s race, became filled with anxiety. The godsand the Gandharvas went away to the regions they desired, talking, asthey proceeded, of that wonderful battle between thy sons. Similarly theSiddhas, and the Charanas of the fleetest course, went to those placesfrom which they had come, applauding those two lions among men.”