The Sanskrit Epics

by Delphi Classics

  “‘Then royal Drupada advanced against him at the head of a mighty division. The encounter between those two old men at the heads of their respective forces became terrible like that between two mighty leaders, with rent temples, of two elephantine herds. Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, with their troops encountered Virata, the ruler of Matsyas at the head of his forces, like Indra and Agni in days of old encountering the (Asura) Vali. That awful encounter between the Matsyas and the Kekayas, in which steeds and car-warriors and elephants fought most fearlessly, resembled that between the gods and the Asuras in days of old. Bhutakarman, otherwise called Sabhapati, kept away from Drona. Nakula’s son Satanika, as the latter advanced, scattering showers of arrows. Then the heir of Nakula, with three broad-headed shafts of great sharpness, deprived Bhutakarman of both his arms and head in that battle. Vivinsati resisted the heroic Sutasoma of great prowess, as the latter advanced towards Drona, scattering showers of arrows. Sutasoma, however, excited with wrath, pierced his uncle Vivinsati with straight arrows, and cased in mail, stood ready for the combat. Bhimaratha, (brother of Duryodhana), with six sharp shafts of great swiftness and made wholly of iron, despatched Salwa along with his steeds and charioteer to Yama’s abode. Chitrasena’s son, O king, opposed thy (grand) son Srutakarman as the latter came, borne by steeds, looking like peacocks. Those two grandsons of thine, both difficult of being vanquished in battle, and each desirous of slaying the other, fought vigorously for the success of the objects of their respective sires. Beholding Prativindhya staying at the van of that dreadful battle, Drona’s son (Aswatthaman), desirous of protecting the honour of his sire, resisted the former with his shafts. Prativindhya, then, excited with rage pierced Aswatthaman, bearing on his standard the device of a lion’s tail and staying in battle for the sake of his father, with many sharp shafts. The (eldest) son of Draupadi then scattered over Drona’s son showers of arrows, like a sower, O bull among men, scattering seeds on the soil at the sowing season.48 The son of Duhsasana resisted the mighty car-warrior Srutakirti, the son of Arjuna by Draupadi, as the latter was rushing towards Drona. That son of Arjuna, however, who was equal to Arjuna himself, cutting off the former’s bow and standard and charioteer with three broad-headed arrows of great sharpness, proceeded against Drona. Duryodhana’s son, Lakshmana, resisted the slayer of the Patachcharas, — him, that is, O king, who is regarded by both the armies as the bravest of the brave. The latter, however, cutting off both the bow and the standard of Lakshmana, and showering upon him many arrows, flared up with splendour. The youthful Vikarna of great wisdom resisted Sikhandin, the youthful son of Yajnasena, as the latter advanced in that battle. Yajnasena’s son then covered the former with showers of arrows. Thy mighty son Vikarna, baffling those arrowy showers, looked resplendent on the field of battle. Angada resisted with showers of arrows the heroic Uttamaujas in that battle as the latter rushed towards Drona. That encounter between those two lions among men became frightful, and it filled both them and the troops with great zeal. The great bowman Durmukha, endued with great might, resisted with his shafts the heroic Purujit as the latter proceeded towards Drona. Purujit struck Durmukha between his eye-brows with a long shaft. Thereupon, Durmukha’s face looked beautiful like a lotus with its stalk. Karna resisted with showers of arrows the five Kekaya brothers, owning red standards, as they proceeded towards Drona. Scorched with the arrowy showers of Karna, those five brothers covered Karna with their arrows. Karna, in return, repeatedly covered them with showers of arrows. Covered with arrows, neither Karna nor the five brother could be seen with their steeds, charioteers, standards, and cars. Thy sons, Durjaya, Jaya, and Vijaya, resisted Nila, and the ruler of the Kasis, and Jayatsena, three against. And the combat between those warriors deepened and gladdened the hearts of the spectators like those between a lion, a tiger, and a wolf on the one side and a bear, a buffalo, and a bull on the other. The brothers Kshemadhurti and Vrihanta mangled Satyaki of the Satwata race with their keen arrows, as the latter proceeded against Drona. The battle between those two on one side and Satyaki on the other became exceedingly wonderful to behold, like that between a lion and two mighty elephants with rent temples in the forest. The king of the Chedis, excited with wrath, and shooting many warriors, kept away from Drona, king Amvashtha, that hero who always delighted in battle. Then king Amvashtha pierced his antagonist with a long arrow capable of penetrating into the very bones. Thereupon, the latter, with bow and arrow loosened from his grasp, fell down from his car on the ground. The noble Kripa, son of Saradwata, with many small arrows resisted Vardhakshemi of the Vrishni race who was the embodiment of wrath (in battle). They that looked at Kripa, son of Saradwata, with many small arrows, resisted Vardhakshemi of the Vrishni race who was the embodiment of wrath (in battle). They that looked at Kripa and Vardhakshemi, those heroes conversant with every mode of warfare, thus engaged in encountering each other, became so absorbed in it that they could not attend to anything else. Somadatta’s son, for enhancing the glory of Drona, resisted king Manimat of great activity as the latter came to fight. Then Manimat quickly cut off the bowstring, the standard, the banner, the charioteer and the umbrella of Somadatta’s son and caused them to fall down from the latter’s car.49 The son of Somadatta then, bearing the device of the sacrificial stake on his standard, that slayer of foes, quickly jumping down from his car, cut off with his large swords, his antagonist with his steeds, charioteer, standard, and car. Re-ascending then upon his own car, and taking up another bow, and guiding his steeds himself, he began, O monarch, to consume the Pandava host. Vrishasena (the son of Karna), competent for the feat, resisted with showers of arrows king Pandava who was rushing to battle like Indra himself following the Asuras for smiting them. With maces and spiked bludgeons, and swords and axes and stones, short clubs and mallets, and discs, short arrows and battle-axes with dust and wind, and fire and water, and ashes and brick-bats, and straw and trees, afflicting and smiting, and breaking, and slaying and routing the foe, and hurling them on the hostile ranks, and terrifying them therewith, came Ghatotkacha, desirous of getting at Drona. The Rakshasa Alambhusha, however, excited with rage, encountered him with diverse weapons and diverse accoutrements of war. And the battle that took place between those two foremost of Rakshasas resembled that which took place in days of old between Samvara and the chief of the celestials. Thus blessed be thou, took place hundreds of single combats between car-warriors and elephants, and steeds and foot-soldiers of thy army and theirs in the midst of the dreadful general engagement. Indeed, such a battle was never seen or heard of before as that which then took place between those warriors that were bent upon Drona’s destruction and protection. Indeed, many were the encounters that were then seen on all parts of field, some of which were terrible, some beautiful, and some exceedingly fierce, O lord.’”

  SECTION XXIV

  “DHRITARASHTRA SAID, ‘WHEN the troops were thus engaged and thus proceeded against one another in separate divisions, how did Partha and the warriors of my army endued with great activity fight? What also did Arjuna do towards the car-warriors of the Samsaptakas? And what, O Sanjaya, did the Samsaptakas, in their turn, do to Arjuna?’

  “Sanjaya said, ‘When the troops were thus engaged and proceeded against one another, thy son Duryodhana himself rushed against Bhimasena, leading his elephant division. Like an elephant encountering an elephant, like a bull encountering a bull, Bhimasena, summoned by the king himself, rushed against that elephant division of the Kaurava army. Skilled in battle and endued with great might of arms, Pritha’s son, O sire, quickly broke that elephant division. These elephants, huge as hills, and with ichor trickling down from every part of their bodies, were mangled and forced to turn back by Bhimasena with his arrows. Indeed, as the wind, when it riseth, driveth away gathering masses of clouds, so did that son of Pavana rout that elephant force of the Kauravas. And Bhima, shooting his arrows at those elephants, looked resplendent like the risen sun, striking everything in the world with his rays. Those elephant
s, afflicted with the shafts of Bhima, became covered with blood and looked beautiful like masses of clouds in the welkin penetrated with the rays of the sun. Then Duryodhana, excited with wrath, pierced with the sharp shafts that son of the Wind-god who was causing such a slaughter among his elephants. Then Bhima, with eyes red in wrath, desirous of despatching the king to Yama’s abode, pierced him speedily with many sharp shafts. Then Duryodhana, mangled all over with arrows and excited with rage, pierced Bhima, the son of Pandu, with many shafts endued with the effulgence of solar rays, smiling the while. Then the son of Pandu, with a couple of broad-headed arrows, quickly cut off Duryodhana’s bow as also his standard, bearing the device of a jewelled elephant, decked with diverse gems. Beholding Duryodhana thus afflicted, O sire, by Bhima, the ruler of the Angas on his elephant came there for afflicting the son of Pandu. Thereupon, Bhimasena deeply pierced with a long arrow that prince of elephants advancing with loud roars, between its two frontal globes. That arrow, penetrating through its body, sank deep in the earth. And at this the elephants fell down like a hill riven by the thunder. While the elephant was falling down, the Mleccha king also was falling down it. But Vrikodara, endued with great activity, cut off his head with a broad-headed arrow before his antagonist actually fell down. When the heroic ruler of the Angas fell, his divisions fled away. Steeds and elephants and car-warriors struck with panic, crushed the foot-soldiers as they fled.

  “‘When those troops, thus broken, fled away in all directions, the ruler of the Pragjyotishas then advanced against Bhima, upon his elephant.50 With its two (fore) legs and trunk contracted, filled with rage, and with eyes rolling, that elephant seemed to consume the son of Pandu (like a blazing fire). And it pounded Vrikodara’s car with the steed yoked thereto into dust. Then Bhima ran forward and got under the elephant’s body, for he knew the science called Anjalikabedha. Indeed, the son of Pandu fled not. Getting under the elephant’s body, he began to strike it frequently with his bare arms. And he smote that invincible elephant which was bent upon slaying him. Thereupon, the latter began to quickly turn round like a potter’s wheel. Endued with the might of ten thousand elephants, the blessed Vrikodara, having struck that elephant thus, came out from under Supratika’s body and stood facing the latter. Supratika then, seizing Bhima by its trunk, threw him down by means of its knees. Indeed, having seized him by the neck, that elephant wished to slay him. Twisting the elephant’s trunk, Bhima freed himself from its twine, and once more got under the body of that huge creature. And he waited there, expecting the arrival of a hostile elephant of his own army. Coming out from under the beast’s body, Bhima then ran away with great speed. Then a loud noise was heard, made by all the troops, to the effect, “Alas, Bhima hath been slain by the elephant!” The Pandava host, frightened by that elephant, suddenly fled away, O king, to where Vrikodara was waiting. Meanwhile, king Yudhishthira, thinking Vrikodara to have been slain, surrounded Bhagadatta on all sides, aided by the Panchalas. Having surrounded him with numerous cars, king Yudhishthira that foremost of car-warriors, covered Bhagadatta with keen shafts by hundreds and thousands. Then Bhagadatta, that king of the mountainous regions, frustrating with his iron hook that shower of arrows, began to consume both the Pandavas and the Panchalas by means of that elephant of his. Indeed, O monarch, the feat that we then beheld, achieved by old Bhagadatta with his elephant, was highly wonderful. Then the ruler of the Dasarnas rushed against the king of the Pragjyotisha, on a fleet elephant with temporal sweat trickling down, for attacking Supratika in the flank. The battle then that took place between those two elephants of awful size, resembled that between two winged mountains overgrown with forests in days of old. Then the elephant of Bhagadatta, wheeling round and attacking the elephant of the king of the Dasarnas, ripped open the latter’s flank and slew it outright. Then Bhagadatta himself with seven lances bright as the rays of the sun, slew his (human) antagonist seated on the elephant just when the latter was about to fall down from his seat. Piercing king Bhagadatta then (with many arrows), Yudhishthira surrounded him on all sides with a large number of cars. Staying on his elephant amid car-warriors encompassing him all around, he looked resplendent like a blazing fire on a mountain-top in the midst of a dense forest. He stayed fearlessly in the midst of those serried cars ridden by fierce bowmen, all of whom showered upon him their arrows. Then the king of the Pragjyotisha, pressing (with his toe) his huge elephant, urged him towards the car of Yuyudhana. That prodigious beast, then seizing the car of Sini’s grandson, hurled it to a distance with great force. Yuyudhana, however, escaped by timely flight. His charioteer also, abandoning the large steeds of the Sindhu breed, yoked unto that car, quickly followed Satyaki and stood where the latter stopped. Meanwhile the elephant, quickly coming out of the circle of cars, began to throw down all the kings (that attempted to bar his course). These bulls among men, frightened out of their wits by that single elephant coursing swiftly, regarded it in that battle as multiplied into many. Indeed, Bhagadatta, mounted on that elephant of his, began to smite down the Pandavas, like the chief of the celestials mounted on Airavata smiting down the Danavas (in days of old).51 As the Panchalas fled in all directions, loud and awful was the noise that arose amongst them, made by their elephants and steeds. And while the Pandava troops were thus destroyed by Bhagadatta, Bhima, excited with rage, once more rushed against the ruler of the Pragjyotisha. The latter’s elephant then frightened the steeds of advancing Bhima by drenching them with water spouted forth from its trunk, and thereupon those animals bore Bhima away from the field. Then Kriti’s son, Ruchiparvan, mounted on his car, quickly rushed against Bhagadatta, scattering showers of arrows and advancing like the Destroyer himself. Then Bhagadatta, that ruler of the hilly regions, possessed of beautiful limbs, despatched Ruchiparvan with a straight shaft to Yama’s abode.52 Upon the fall of the heroic Ruchiparvan, Subhadra’s son and the sons of Draupadi, and Chekitana, and Dhrishtaketu, and Yuyutsu began to afflict the elephant. Desiring to slay that elephant, all those warriors, uttering loud shouts, began to pour their arrows on the animals, like the clouds drenching the earth with their watery down-pour. Urged then by its skilful rider with heel, hook, and toe the animal advanced quickly with trunk stretched, and eyes and cars fixed. Treading down Yuyutsu’s steeds, the animal then slew the charioteer. Thereupon, O king, Yuyutsu, abandoning his car, fled away quickly. Then the Pandava warriors, desirous of slaying that prince of elephants, uttered loud shouts and covered it quickly with showers of arrows. At this time, thy son, excited with rage, rushed against the car of Subhadra’s son. Meanwhile, king Bhagadatta on his elephant, shooting shafts on the foe, looked resplendent like the Sun himself scattering his rays on the earth. Arjuna’s son then pierced him with a dozen shafts, and Yuyutsu with ten, and each of the sons of Draupadi pierced him with three shafts and Dhrishtaketu also pierced him with three. That elephant then, pierced with these shafts, shot with great care, looked resplendent like a mighty mass of clouds penetrated with the rays of the sun. Afflicted with those shafts of the foe, that elephant then, urged by its riders with skill and vigour, began to throw hostile warriors on both his flanks. Like a cowherd belabouring his cattle in the forest with a goad, Bhagadatta repeatedly smote the Pandava host. Like the cawing of quickly retreating crows when assailed by hawks, a loud and confused noise was heard among the Pandava troops who fled away with great speed. That prince of elephants, struck by its rider with hook, resembled, O king, a winged mountain of old. And it filled the hearts of the enemy with fear, like to what merchants experience at sight of the surging sea.53 Then elephants and car-warriors and steeds and kings, flying away in fear, made, as they fled, a loud and awful din that, O monarch, filled the earth and sky and heaven and the cardinal and subsidiary directions in that battle. Mounted on that foremost of elephants, king Bhagadatta penetrated the hostile army like the Asura Virochana in days of old into the celestial host in battle well-protected by the gods. A violent wind began to blow; a dusty cloud covered the sky and the troops; and
people regarded that single elephant as multiplied into many, coursing all over the field.’”

  SECTION XXV

  “SANJAYA SAID, ‘THOU askest me about the feats of Arjuna in battle. Listen, O thou of mighty arms, to what Partha achieved in the fight. Beholding the risen dust and hearing the wail of the troops when Bhagadatta was performing great feats on the field, the son of Kunti addressed Krishna and said “O slayer of Madhu, it seems that the ruler of the Pragjyotishas hath, on his elephant, with great impetuosity, advanced to battle. This loud din that we hear must be due to him. Well-versed in the art of grinding and battling from the back of an elephant, and not inferior to Indra himself in battle, he, I think, is the foremost of all elephant-warriors in the world.54 His elephant, again, is the foremost of elephants, without a rival to encounter it in battle. Possessed of great dexterity and above all fatigue, it is, again, impervious to all weapons. Capable of bearing every weapon and even the touch of fire, it will, O sinless one, alone destroy the Pandava force today. Except us two, there is none else capable of checking that creature. Go quickly, therefore, to that spot where the ruler of the Pragjyotishas is. Proud in battle, in consequence of the strength of his elephant, and arrogant in consequence of his age, I will this very day send him as a guest to the slayer of Vala.” At these words of Arjuna, Krishna began to proceed to the place where Bhagadatta was breaking the Pandava ranks. While Arjuna was proceeding towards Bhagadatta, the mighty Samsaptaka car-warriors, numbering fourteen thousand, made up of ten thousand Gopalas or Narayanas who used to follow Vasudeva, returning to the field, summoned him to battle. Beholding the Pandava host broken by Bhagadatta, and summoned on the other hand by the Samsaptakas, Arjuna’s heart was divided in twain. And he began to think, “Which of these two acts will be better for me to do today, to return from this spot for battling with Samsaptakas or to repair to Yudhishthira?” Reflecting with the aid of his understanding, O perpetuator of Kuru’s race, Arjuna’s heart, at last, was firmly fixed on the slaughter of the Samsaptakas. Desirous of alone slaughtering in battle thousands of car-warriors, Indra’s son (Arjuna) having the foremost of apes on his banner, suddenly turned back. Even this was what both Duryodhana and Karna had thought of for achieving the slaughter of Arjuna. And it was for this that they had made arrangements for the double encounter. The son of Pandu allowed his heart to waver this side and that, but, at last, resolving to slay those foremost of warriors, viz., the Samsaptakas, he baffled the purpose of his enemies.55 Then mighty Samsaptakas car-warriors, O king, shot at Arjuna thousands of straight arrows. Covered with those arrows, O monarch, neither Kunti’s son Partha, nor Krishna, otherwise called Janardana, nor the steeds, nor the car, could be seen. Then Janardana became deprived of his senses and perspired greatly. Thereupon, Partha shot the Brahma weapon and nearly exterminated them all. Hundreds upon hundreds of arms with bows and arrows and bowstrings in grasp, cut off from trunks, and hundreds upon hundreds of standards and steeds and charioteers and car-warriors, fell down on the ground. Huge elephants, well-equipped and resembling foremost hills over-grown with woods or masses of clouds, afflicted with Partha’s shafts and deprived of riders, fell down on the earth. Many elephants again, with riders on their backs, crushed by means of Arjuna’s shafts, fell down, deprived of life, shorn of the embroidered cloths on their backs, and with their housings torn. Cut off by Kiritin with his broad-headed arrows, countless arms having swords and lances and rapiers for their nails or having clubs and battle-axes in grasp, fell down on the earth. Heads also, beautiful, O king, as the morning sun or the lotus or the moon, cut off by Arjuna with his arrows, dropped down on the ground. While Phalguni in rage was thus engaged in slaying the foe with diverse kinds of well-adorned and fatal shafts, that host seemed to be ablaze. Beholding Dhananjaya crushing that host like an elephant crushing lotus-stalks, all creatures applauded him, saying, “Excellent, Excellent!” Seeing that feat of Partha resembling that of Vasava himself, Madhava wondered much and, addressing him with joined hands, said, “Verily, O Partha, I think that this feat which thou hast achieved, could not be performed by Sakra, or Yama, or the Lord of treasures himself. I see that thou hast today felled in battle hundreds and thousands of mighty Samsaptaka warriors an together.” Having slain the Samsaptakas then, — that is, who were engaged in battle, — Partha addressed Krishna, saying, “Go towards Bhagadatta.”’”