Chapter 168

“Bhishma said, ‘This thy maternal uncle Sakuni is, O king, equal to asingle Ratha. Having caused the (present) hostilities (to break out) withthe sons of Pandu, he will fight. There is no doubt in this. His troopsare irresistible when rushing to battle. Armed with various kinds ofweapons in abundance, in speed, they are equal to the very wind. Themighty bowman (Aswatthaman) who is Drona’s son surpasseth all bowmen.Acquainted with all modes of warfare, and of unbaffled weapons, he is aMaharatha. Like the wielder of Gandiva, the shafts of this warrior, shotfrom his bow, proceed in a continuous line, touching one another. If hewishes it, this Maharatha is capable of consuming the three worlds.Engaged in austerities in his hermitage, he hath, by these, increasedboth his fury and energy. Possessed of great intelligence, he hath beenfavoured by Drona with (the gift of all) celestial weapons. There is,however, O bull of Bharata’s race, one great defect in him, inconsequence of which, O best of kings, I do not regard him either as aRatha or a Maharatha. This regenerate man is exceedingly fond of living,life being very dear to him. Amongst the warriors of both armies there isno one who can be regarded as his peer. On even a single car he canannihilate the very army of the celestials. Possessed of a strong frame,he can split the very mountains by the flaps of his bow-string, strikingagainst the leathern fence on his left arm. Endued with innumerablequalities, this smiter of fierce effulgence will wander (over the fieldof battle), incapable of being withstood like Yama himself, mace in hand.Resembling the fire at the end of the Yuga as regards his fury, possessedof leonine neck, and endued with great lustre, Aswatthaman willextinguish the embers of this battle between the Bharata’s. His father(Drona) is endued with great energy, and though aged, is still superiorto many young men. He will achieve great feats in battle. I have no doubtof this. Staying immovably (on the field), he will consume Yudhishthira’stroops. The Pandava army will play the part of the dry grass and fuel inwhich that fire will originate, while the impetus of his own weapons willbe the wind for fanning it into a (mighty) flame. This bull among men, isa leader of bands of car-warriors. The son of Bharadwaja will achievefierce feats for thy good! The preceptor of all Kshatriyas of royallineage, the venerable preceptor, will exterminate the Srinjayas.Dhananjaya, however, is dear to him. This mighty bowman, therefore,remembering his own celebrated and highly meritorious services aspreceptor, will never be able to slay Partha who is capable of achievinggreat feats without any trouble. O hero, Drona always boasteth of thenumerous accomplishments of Partha. Indeed, Bharadwaja looketh on himwith greater affection than on his own son. Endued with great prowess, hecan, on a single car, beat in battle, by means of his celestial weapons,all the gods, Gandharvas, and human beings united together. That tigeramong kings, is, O monarch, one of thy Maharathas. Capable of breakingthe car-ranks of hostile heroes, he, in my judgment, is one of thyforemost of car-warriors. Afflicting the ranks of the enemy at the headof his own large force, he will consume the Panchalas like fire consuminga heap of dry grass. Possessed of true fame, prince Vrihadvala is equalto single Ratha. He, O monarch, will roam amid thy enemy’s troops likeDeath himself. His troops, O king of kings, accoutred in various kinds ofmail and armed with diverse kinds of weapons, will wander on the field,slaying all the warriors opposed to them. Vrishasena, the son of Karna,is one of thy foremost of car-warriors and is a Maharatha. That foremostof mighty men will consume the troops of thy enemy. Endued with greatenergy, Jalasandha, O king, is one of thy foremost of Rathas. Born inMadhu’s race, that slayer of hostile heroes, is prepared to cast away hisvery life in battle. Skilled in battle, that mighty-armed warrior,scattering the enemy’s ranks before him, will fight in battle mounted oncar or from the elephant’s back. That best of kings, O monarch, is in myjudgment, a Ratha. He will, in fierce battle, cast away for thy sake hisvery life with all, his troops possessed of great prowess and acquaintedwith all the modes of warfare, he will, O king, fight fearlessly with thyfoes in battle. Never retreating from battle, brave, and resembling Yamahimself, Vahlika, O king, is in my judgment, an Atiratha. Rushing to theencounter he never cometh back. Indeed, he will slay hostile warriors inbattle like the Wind-god himself. That router of hostile car-ranks, thatcar-warrior of wonderful feats in battle, commander of thy forces,Satyavan is, O king, a Maharatha. He never cherisheth grief at theprospect of battle. Confounding those warriors that stand in the way ofhis car, he falleth upon them. Always displaying his prowess against theenemy, that best of men will, for thy sake, in fierce press of battle,achieve all that a good Kshatriya should. Thai chief of Rakshasas,Alambhusha, of cruel deeds, is a Maharatha. Remembering his oldhostilities (with the Pandavas), he will commit great execution among thefoe. He is the best of Rathas amongst all the Rakshasa-warriors.Possessing powers of illusion, and firm in enmity, he will wanderfiercely on the field. The ruler of Pragjyotisha, the brave Bhagadatta ofexceeding prowess, is the foremost of those holding the elephant hook,and is skilled also in fighting from a car. An encounter took placebetween him and the wielder of Gandiva for days together, O king, eachdesirous of victory over the other. Then Bhagadatta, O son of Gandhari,who regarded Indra as his friend, made friendship with (Indra’s son) thehigh-souled Pandava. Skilled in fight from the elephant’s neck, this kingwill fight in battle, like Vasava among the celestials, fighting from hisAiravata.'”