Chapter 51
‘Sauti said, ‘King Janamejaya having said so, his ministers expressedtheir approbation. And the monarch then expressed his determination toperform a snake-sacrifice.
‘Sauti said, ‘King Janamejaya having said so, his ministers expressedtheir approbation. And the monarch then expressed his determination toperform a snake-sacrifice.
Vaisampayana said, “While, O great king, Duryodhana was entering (thecity), the panegyrists eulogized the prince of unfailing prowess. Andothers also eulogized that mighty bowman and foremost of kings.
“Dhritarashtra said, ‘When those divisions (of mine), O Sanjaya, werebroken and routed, and all of you retreated quickly from the field, whatbecame the state of your minds?
“Suka said, ‘I have now understood that there are two kinds of creation,viz., one commencing with Kshara (which is universal), and which is fromthe (universal) Soul. The other, consisting of the senses with theirobjects, is traceable to the puissance of the knowledge.
Sanjaya said, “During the progress, O king, of that fierce battle fraughtwith the slaughter of great heroes, Sakuni the glorious son of Suvala,rushed against the Pandavas.
“Janamejaya said, ‘Having seen his sons and grandsons with all theirfriends and followers, what, indeed, did that ruler of men, viz.,Dhritarashtra, and king Yudhishthira also, do?’
“Sauti said, ‘The snake-sacrifice then commenced according to due form.And the sacrificial priests, competent in their respective dutiesaccording to the ordinance, clad in black garments and their eyes redfrom contact with smoke, poured clarified butter into the blazing fire,uttering the appropriate mantras.
Vaisampayana continued, “Then all the artisans, the principalcounsellors, and the highly wise Vidura said unto Dhritarashtra’s son,”All the preparations for the excellent sacrifice have been made, O king;and the time also hath come, O Bharata.
“Sanjaya said, ‘Vrikodara, however, could not brook that slaughter of hisarmy. He struck Valhika with sixty and Karna with ten arrows. Drona then,desirous of slaying Bhima, quickly struck the latter, in his very vitals,many straight and whetted shafts of keen edge.
“Sanjaya said, ‘Having been first broken by Arjuna of immeasurableprowess, and owing also to the failure of Drona’s vow, in consequence ofYudhishthira having been well-protected, thy warriors were regarded asdefeated.