05.197
Vaiśampāyana spoke:
Similarly, King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti and Dharma, encouraged the warriors led by Dhrishtadyumna, O Bharata.
Then he appointed Dhrishtaketu, the valiant leader of the Cedis, Kashi, and Karushas, as the general to slay the foes.
Virata, Drupada, Yuyudhana, Shikhandi, along with the two sons of Panchala, who are great archers, Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas, were present.
The heroes, adorned with bright armors and heated earrings, anointed with ghee, appeared like fires blazing in altars. The great archers shone brilliantly like blazing planets.
Then, the king, being the best among men, appropriately honored the army and ordered the troops to march.
The son of Pandu sent forth Abhimanyu, the great warrior, along with all the sons of Draupadi, led by Dhrishtadyumna.
Yudhishthira dispatched the second division of his army, which included Bhima, Yuyudhana, Pandava, and Dhananjaya.
The sound of the delighted warriors, engaged in loading weapons, moving, and rushing around, seemed to reach the sky.
The king himself then departed, accompanied by Virata, Drupada, and other rulers of the earth.
The army led by Dhrishtadyumna, belonging to Bhima, appeared like the full and tranquil Ganga, flowing steadily.
Then the wise strategist redeployed the armies, confusing the sons of Dhritarashtra and causing their intelligence to falter.
The Pandava gathered his allies, including the sons of Draupadi, the skilled archers, Abhimanyu, Nakul, Sahadev, and all the Prabhadrakas, preparing for the battle.
There are ten thousand horses, two thousand elephants, ten thousand foot soldiers, and five hundred chariots.
Bhimasena and the invincible were first assigned the force, while Virata, Jayatsena, and the Magadha king were positioned in the middle.
The mighty sons of Draupadi, Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujas, known for their valor and great souls, wielding clubs and bows, followed Krishna and Arjuna in the middle of the formation.
The men were extremely excited and prepared for battle. Their twenty thousand banners were held by brave warriors.
Five thousand elephants and chariots moved in all directions. The heroic foot soldiers, bearing bows, swords, and maces, followed in thousands both behind and in front.
Where Yudhishthira himself was in the army, in the vast ocean of strength, there most of the kings of the earth were present.
In that place, there were thousands of elephants, tens of thousands of horses, and thousands of chariots and foot soldiers, O Bharata. It was with this support that Dhritarashtra's son, Suyodhana, engaged in battle.
Then, hundreds and thousands of other men followed, roaring, with their armies in thousands.
In that place, thousands of drums and tens of thousands of conches were joyfully played by countless men.
