04.052
Vaiśampāyana said.
Meanwhile, there arrived at that place Kṛpa, the bravest among weapon-bearers, possessing great energy and courage. That great chariot-warrior, desirous of battle, had come to fight Arjuna. (04-52-1)
Those two powerful warriors, standing in their chariots shining like the sun, ready for battle, stood there resplendent like clouds in the autumn sky. (04-52-2)
Arjuna also, wielding his renowned supreme weapon Gāṇḍīva, drew his bow and discharged many iron arrows that pierced vital points. (04-52-3)
Kṛpa cut down by hundreds and thousands those of Pārtha who had approached—those iron, blood-drinking sharp arrows.
Then Pārtha, enraged, showed various paths, and the great chariot-warrior covered all directions and regions with arrows. (04-52-5)
Pārtha, whose nature is immeasurable, like making the sky one shadow, covered Kṛpa in all directions with hundreds of arrows. (04-52-6)
He, enraged, afflicted Pārtha of unmatched vigor with sharp arrows like fire-flames, and, having swiftly cast a thousand arrows at the great-souled one, Kṛpa roared on the battlefield. (04-52-7)
Then, the hero Arjuna, swiftly shot four supreme, sharp, golden-feathered arrows from his Gāṇḍīva and pierced his (opponent's) four horses. (04-52-8)
Those horses, pierced by sharp-pointed (arrows) blazing as if by serpents, all suddenly sprang up; then Kṛpa was dislodged from his place. (04-52-9)
But seeing Gautama fallen from his place, the son of the Kurus, the destroyer of enemy heroes, did not strike him, protecting his honor. (04-52-10)
But, regaining his position, Gautama quickly pierced Savyasācin (Arjuna) with ten arrows tipped with heron-feathered shafts. (04-52-11)
Then Pārtha (Arjuna) with a sharp arrow cut his bow with one shot, and again drew away the bow from his hand. (04-52-12)
Then they struck his armor with sharp arrows piercing the vital points; but Arjuna did not harm his body. (04-52-13)
As his armor was being shed, his body appeared just like the body of a serpent at the time it casts off its slough. (04-52-14)
When the bow was broken by Arjuna, Gautama took another bow and strung it, and that appeared as if wonderful. (04-52-15)
He, the son of Kuntī, cut that also (the bow) of his (opponent) with his curved-jointed bow. Thus he cut many other bows from the hands of (the skilled) Śāradvata. The Pāṇḍava, the destroyer of enemy heroes, cut Śāradvata's (bow too). (04-52-16)
Then, having taken up a lance after his bow was broken, the mighty warrior sent it to the son of Pāṇḍu like a blazing thunderbolt. (04-52-17)
Arjuna cut that gold-adorned, meteor-like spear, which was coming through the sky, with ten arrows. Severed into ten pieces by the wise Pārtha, it fell to the ground. (04-52-18)
But there, in the midst of the arena, Kṛpa, with his bow, quickly pierced Partha (Arjuna) with ten sharp arrows. (04-52-19)
Then Pārtha (Arjuna), possessing great radiance, angrily discharged thirteen stone-tipped arrows, blazing like fire, in the midst of battle. (04-52-20)
Then he severed the yoke with one arrow, the four horses with four arrows, and with the sixth arrow, the head from the body of the charioteer. (04-52-21)
Using three arrows, he struck the triple-bamboo bow in battle; with two, the axle, the mighty warrior; and then with twelve, but with a broad-headed arrow, he cut down his banner as well. (04-52-22)
Then Phalguna (Arjuna), as if smiling, struck Kripa on the chest with the thirteenth arrow, using a shaft like a thunderbolt, being equal to Indra. (04-52-23)
He—his bow broken, his chariot lost, his horses and charioteer slain—seized his mace in hand, leapt down quickly, and hurled that mace. (04-52-24)
But that heavy mace, which had been well-adorned by Kṛpa and released, was driven back along its path by Arjuna's arrows and then returned. (04-52-25)
Then, at the urging of Śāradvata's son, the warriors, wishing for victory, showered Pārtha with volleys of arrows from all sides in the battle. (04-52-26)
Then, the son of Virāṭa turned his horses to the left and, making a double circular movement, blocked those warriors. (04-52-27)
Then, those bulls among men of great speed took away the chariotless Kṛpa from the son of Kuntī, Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna). (04-52-28)
