06.043
Core and Pancharatra: The duet battle takes place among the prominent warriors on both sides.
Sanjaya said:
In the forenoon, O lord of men, the fierce battle began, marked by the gruesome mutilation of the bodies of kings.
The Kurus and the Pandavas, eager for victory in battle, roared like lions, their sound echoing through the sky and the earth.
There was a tumultuous noise with the sounds of drums and conches. The lion-like roars of the heroes echoed back.
O best of the Bharatas, there were sounds of shields being struck, the twanging of bowstrings, the footsteps of foot soldiers, and the loud noises of horses.
The strikes of goads and hooks, the clashing of weapons, and the ringing of bells as the elephants charged at each other created a cacophony.
In that tumultuous and hair-raising sound, the noise of the chariot arose, resembling the sound of thunder.
They, with cruel intent and having forsaken their lives, advanced towards the Pāṇḍavas, all with their flags raised high.
Bhishma, the son of Śantanu, himself rushed towards Arjuna, holding a formidable bow that resembled the rod of time, in the battlefield.
Arjuna, with his radiant presence, took up the famous Gandiva bow and charged towards Bhishma at the forefront of the battle.
Both Bhishma and Arjuna, fierce warriors among the Kurus, sought to kill each other. However, in the battle, Bhishma, having struck Arjuna, remained unshaken, as did Arjuna when he faced Bhishma, O king.
Satyaki, the great archer, confronted Kritavarma, and a fierce and terrifying battle ensued between them.
Satyaki and Kritavarma fiercely attacked each other with dreadful arrows, causing harm to one another.
Those two mighty warriors, covered in arrows, shone brightly like kinshuka trees blossoming in the spring.
Abhimanyu, the great archer, engaged in battle with Brihadbala. Then, the king of Kosala, O lord of the people, struck down the flag of Subhadra's son and also brought down his charioteer in the battle.
The son of Subhadra, in his anger, struck Brihadbala with nine arrows after the charioteer had fallen, O great king.
Then, the enemy crusher, using two yellow arrows, cut down the flag and the charioteer. O king, in their anger, they fiercely attacked each other with sharp arrows.
Bhimasena engaged in battle with your proud and arrogant son Duryodhana, the great chariot-warrior, driven by enmity.
The two mighty warriors, both esteemed as tigers among men and leaders of the Kurus, engaged in a fierce battle, showering arrows upon each other on the battlefield.
Upon seeing those great souls, accomplished and skilled in warfare, all beings were struck with wonder, O Bharata.
Duhshasana advanced towards Nakul, the great chariot-warrior, and struck him with numerous sharp arrows that hit vital points.
Madrī's son, smiling as if in jest, skillfully cut off his opponent's banner, arrow, and bow with sharp arrows, O Bhārata. Then, he struck him with twenty-five small arrows.
In the great battle, your invincible son, Nakula, cut down the yokes with his arrows and brought down the banner.
Durmukha, with his great strength, advanced towards Sahadeva and attacked him with a barrage of arrows during the intense battle.
Then, the heroic Sahadeva, in the great battle against Durmukha, struck down the charioteer with a very sharp arrow.
The two warriors, fiercely confronting each other in battle, were driven by a desire to outdo one another, instilling fear with their dreadful arrows.
Yudhishthira, the king, personally approached the Madra king. The Madra lord then cut his bow in two, O great one.
Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, discarded his broken bow and took up another one that was swifter and stronger.
The king, in his anger, showered the Madra king with arrows that had bent joints, commanding him to "Stay, stay."
Dhṛṣṭadyumna then charged at Droṇa, O Bhārata. In response, the enraged Droṇa skillfully cut his opponent's bow into three pieces during the battle.
In the battle, he sent forth a very dreadful arrow, akin to another rod of Time, which pierced his opponent's body.
Then, the son of Drupada, taking another bow and fourteen arrows, pierced Drona in battle. Both of them, filled with intense anger, engaged in a fierce fight with each other.
In the battle, Shankha fiercely advanced against Saumadatti, and Rabhasa, addressing the great king, said, "Stay, stay."
The hero bravely pierced his opponent's right arm in the battle, while Saumadatti struck the conch on the shoulder.
A fierce battle arose between the two, O lord of men, swiftly in the battlefield, like the one between Vritra and Indra.
Bahlika, though angry in battle, was attacked by Dhrishtaketu, the great chariot warrior with an immeasurable soul, O lord of men.
Bahlika, however, then attacked the angry Dhrishtaketu with numerous arrows and roared like a lion, O king.
The king of the Cedis, in his anger, swiftly attacked Bahlika in the battle with nine arrows, resembling an enraged elephant.
The two of them, angry and roaring repeatedly, approached each other in battle, very much like the planets Mars and Mercury when they clash.
Ghatotkacha, known for his cruel deeds, confronted the demon Alambusa with great strength, akin to how Indra would in a battle.
Ghatotkacha, in his fury, attacked the powerful demon with ninety sharp arrows, O Bharata.
In the battle, Alambusa skillfully restrained the mighty son of Bhima, using numerous arrows with curved tips.
Then those two warriors, though wounded by arrows, shone in the battle just like the mighty Bala and Indra did in the legendary war between the gods and demons.
In the battle, Shikhandi, strong and determined, approached Drona. Then, an enraged Ashwatthama confronted Shikhandi.
With a sharp arrow, Shikhandi greatly pierced and shook Drona's son, O king.
With arrows that were well-drunk, sharp, and keen, they both attacked each other fiercely in the battle with various kinds of arrows.
Bhagadatta, known for his heroism in battle, was approached swiftly by Virata, the commander of the army. Then, O king, the battle ensued.
Virata, having been struck by Bhagadatta's arrows, retaliated in great anger, like a cloud pouring rain on a mountain.
Then Bhagadatta swiftly enveloped King Virata in the battlefield, akin to how a cloud obscures the rising sun.
Kripa, the son of Sharadvata, went to the great warrior Kaikeya and covered him with a shower of arrows, O Bharata.
Kekaya, in his anger, showered arrows upon Gautama. Both of them, after killing each other's horses, cut off the bows.
The two warriors, stripped of their chariots, approached each other in anger. Their ensuing battle was terrifying and extremely fierce.
King Drupada, elated and with a joyful appearance, advanced towards Jayadratha of Sindhu, ready to confront the scorcher of foes.
Then the Saindhava king attacked Drupada with three arrows in the battle, and Drupada retaliated by piercing him.
A fierce and terrible battle arose between them, delighting the spectators, much like the celestial dance of Venus and Mars.
Vikarna, the son of Dhritarashtra, approached the mighty Sutasoma with swift horses, and then the battle commenced.
Vikarna shot arrows at Sutasoma but did not shake him. It seemed as if Sutasoma and Vikarna were engaged in a wonderful duel.
Cekitāna, a valiant warrior, fiercely attacked Suśarman, who was known as a tiger among men, in the battle for the Pandavas.
Suśarmā, however, O great king, halted Cekitāna, the mighty chariot-warrior, with a formidable barrage of arrows during the battle.
Cekitana, in his excitement, showered arrows upon Suśarman in the great battle, resembling a great cloud enveloping a mountain.
Shakuni, known for his heroism and valor, charged at Prativindhya with the ferocity of an intoxicated elephant, O king.
Yudhishthira, in his anger, attacked Saubala with sharp arrows in the battle, just as Indra would strike down a demon.
Shakuni, the wise one, pierced Prativindhya, who was attacking in battle, with arrows that had bent joints.
Sudakshina, however, O king, the great chariot-warrior of the Kambojas, Shrutakarma, launched an attack on the valiant in the battle.
In the battle, Sudakshina struck the great warrior Sahadeva, but he remained unmoved, just like the mountain Mainaka.
Śrutakarma, in his anger, attacked the great chariot of the Kambojas with numerous arrows, as if he was tearing it apart entirely.
Iravan, filled with rage and intolerance, confronted Shrutayush in battle, showing himself to be more prepared and formidable.
Arjuna, the great warrior, after slaying the horses in the battle, let out a mighty roar that resonated throughout his army.
Śrutāyu, in a fit of anger, struck down Arjuna's horses with his mace during the battle, and the fight continued.
Vindānuvinda and Avanti, together with the mighty chariot-warrior Kuntibhoja, equipped with their army and son, the hero, readied themselves for the battle.
There we witnessed the remarkable bravery of the Avantis, who stood firm and fought alongside a mighty army.
Anuvinda attacked Kuntibhoja with a mace, but Kuntibhoja swiftly retaliated by showering volleys of arrows.
Kunti's son shot arrows at Vinda, who retaliated in kind, creating a scene that seemed almost miraculous.
The five brothers of Kekaya, along with their armies, engaged in battle with the five Gandharans, O gentle one.
Vīrabāhu, your son, fought with Virāṭa's excellent charioteer Uttara and struck him with sharp arrows. Uttara, in turn, bravely struck him back with sharp arrows.
In the battle, the king of Cedi attacked Uluka, O king. Uluka, in turn, retaliated with sharp arrows that pierced the skin.
A fierce battle took place between the two, O lord of men. Both were extremely angry and were fiercely attacking each other, neither being defeated.
In the battle, there was a great crowd of thousands of pairs of chariots, elephants, horses, and foot soldiers, belonging to both your side and theirs.
The battle seemed to last only a moment and was pleasant to behold. Then, O king, it was as if nothing could be perceived, as if in a state of madness.
In the battle, the elephant confronted another elephant, the charioteer faced another charioteer, the horse approached another horse, and the foot soldier engaged with another foot soldier.
Then a fierce and chaotic battle ensued there among the heroes, as they confronted each other.
There, divine sages, perfected beings, and celestial singers gathered and witnessed the dreadful battle, reminiscent of the legendary conflicts between gods and demons.
Then, O dear, thousands of elephants, chariots, horses, and men gathered in opposition.
In various places, O tiger among men, chariots, elephants, foot soldiers, and horsemen are repeatedly seen engaging in battle.
