06.045
Core and Pancharatra: Death of Uttara, the son of Virata at the hands of Shalya; At midday, the warriors could not gaze upon Bhishma, the son of Pandu; The first day of war ends.
Sanjaya said:
On that dreadful day, mostly past morning, amidst the ongoing fierce destruction of the great heroes.
Durmukha, Kritavarma, Kripa, Shalya, and Vivimshati, upon approaching Bhishma, protected him as they were urged by your son.
O best of the Bharatas, the great warrior, protected by these five great charioteers, entered the Pandavas' armies.
O Bharata, in the regions of Cedi, Kashi, Karusha, and Panchala, the banner of Bhishma was prominently visible, moving like a palm tree in various ways.
Then Bhishma swiftly severed the heads and arms that were armed, using arrows with curved blades.
As Bhishma danced on the chariot paths, O best of the Bharatas, some elephants cried out in pain when they were struck in their vital parts.
Abhimanyu, filled with intense anger, mounted his chariot drawn by excellent tawny horses and advanced towards Bhishma's chariot.
He, with a golden banner and a garland of karṇikāra flowers, showered Bhishma and the best of charioteers with arrows.
Tālaketu, with his sharp arrow, struck the banner and engaged in battle with the heroic Bhīṣma, accompanied by his followers.
Kritavarma, using one arrow, pierced Shalya with five iron arrows; then, having pierced him with nine more, he honored the great-grandfather with sharp-pointed arrows.
He skillfully shot an arrow from his fully drawn bow, hitting the flag adorned with gold.
Durmukha, using an arrow that could pierce any armor, skillfully beheaded the charioteer.
He cut the bow adorned with gold with an arrow, and Kṛpa's sharp-pointed arrows with sharp-faced ones.
The great warrior, in his extreme anger, struck down his enemies as if he were dancing. Witnessing his agility, even the gods were pleased.
With their aim achieved, all the chariots led by Bhīṣma regarded Kṛṣṇa, who was endowed with strength, as if he were Arjuna himself.
His bow, resembling the Gandiva, moved swiftly across the directions, shining like a firebrand and echoing with sound.
Bhishma, with great speed, approached and quickly pierced Arjuna in battle with nine swift arrows, being the slayer of enemy heroes.
The disciplined warrior, with great energy, cut off the flag with three arrows and struck the charioteer with three arrows.
Similarly, Kritavarma, Kripa, and Shalya, O great one, attacked but could not shake Arjuna, just as the Mainaka mountain remains unshaken.
Surrounded by the sons of Dhritarashtra and the great charioteers, the heroic Arjuna (Kārṣhṇi) showered a rain of arrows towards the five chariots.
Then, Arjuna, the mighty son of Kunti, countered the great weapons of the enemy with a shower of arrows and roared mightily as he released his arrows towards Bhīṣma.
O King, there his immense strength of arms was evident as he relentlessly attacked Bhishma with arrows in the battle.
Bhishma, the valiant, sent arrows, but they were cut off in battle, released from his own bow.
Then the unerring archer heroically cut off Bhishma's flag with nine arrows in the battle, and the people shouted in amazement.
The great palm tree, shining and adorned with gold, was struck down by Saubhadra's arrows and fell to the earth, O Bharata.
Upon witnessing the flag struck down by Saubhadra's arrows, the mighty Bhima let out a bold roar, bringing joy to Saubhadra.
At that moment, the mighty Bhishma unleashed many great and divine weapons, which were extremely fierce.
Then the great-grandfather, possessing an immeasurable soul, showered a hundred thousand bent-jointed arrows upon Saubhadra.
Then ten great archers, the mighty charioteers of the Pandavas, swiftly rushed with their chariots to protect Abhimanyu.
Virata, along with his son, Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, Bhima, the Kekayas, and Satyaki, were present, O lord of men.
With great speed, Bhishma, the son of Shantanu, attacked in the battle, piercing Panchalya and Satyaki with three sharp arrows.
He skillfully cut off Bhimasena's flag with a sharp arrow released from a fully drawn bow.
The golden flag, shaped like a lion, fell from Bhimasena's chariot, having been struck by Bhishma, O best of men.
In the battle, Bhimasena shot three arrows at Bhishma, the son of Shantanu, and then pierced Kripa with one arrow and Kritavarma with eight arrows.
Uttara, the son of Virata, holding the forehand, charged at the king of Madra with his elephant.
Shalya, the charioteer of the king of elephants, swiftly approached and restrained the unmatched speed in the battle.
The angry king of serpents, with great strength, mounted the yoke and struck down the four horses of the noble chariot.
The king of Madras, standing in his chariot with its horses slain, hurled an iron spear that was like a serpent, bringing an end.
He, whose armor was shattered by her, entered the vast darkness and fell from the elephant's back, dropping his goad and spear.
Śalya, taking his sword, leapt from his magnificent chariot, approached the mighty elephant lord, and severed its great trunk.
The elephant, struck by numerous arrows and with its trunk severed, let out a terrifying cry of pain before collapsing and dying.
After accomplishing such a feat, the king of Madra, a renowned chariot-warrior, swiftly mounted the radiant chariot belonging to Kṛtavarma.
Upon witnessing the death of Uttara, the son of Virata, along with his noble brother and Kritavarma standing beside Shalya, Shankha was inflamed with rage, resembling a sacrificial fire fed with offerings.
He stretched his great bow, adorned with gold, and rushed towards Shalya, the king of Madras, with the intent to kill.
He was surrounded by the great chariot army on all sides and proceeded towards Shalya's chariot, unleashing a shower of arrows.
Seeing him coming with the power of a mad elephant, seven of your chariots surrounded the king of Madra from all directions, trying to save him from the jaws of death.
Then, mighty-armed Bhishma, roaring like a thunderous cloud, took up his bow and conch and advanced onto the battlefield.
Upon seeing the mighty and great archer raised, the Pandava army was terrified, as if they were a boat struck by a strong wind.
There, Arjuna, in his haste, was at the forefront with his conch. Today, this must be protected from Bhishma, thus the battle commenced.
There was a great uproar among the warriors fighting in the battle. The brilliance of their energies intermingled, and thus they were filled with wonder.
Then Śalya, wielding a mace, descended from his grand chariot and slew the four horses of Shankha, O esteemed Bharata.
He quickly took a sword from the chariot with the slain horses and fled. Upon reaching Arjuna's chariot, he found peace.
Then, from Bhishma's chariot, birds swiftly take flight, covering the sky and earth all around.
Bhishma, the greatest among warriors, struck down the Panchalas, Matsyas, Kekayas, and Prabhadrakas with his arrows.
Leaving the Pāṇḍava, Arjuna, quickly in the battlefield, he charged towards Drupada, the king of Pāñcāla, who was surrounded by his army, and showered many arrows on his dear relative, O king.
The armies of Drupada, scorched by the autumn like forests by fire at winter's end, were visible. Bhishma stood in the battle like a smokeless fire.
At midday, the warriors could not gaze upon Bhishma, the son of Pandu, as he shone with the brilliance of the sun.
The Pandavas, gripped by fear, looked all around for a savior but found none, much like cows suffering from the cold.
O Bharata, in the army that was killed, scattered, dispirited, and crushed, there was a great uproar among the Pandava forces.
Then Bhishma, the son of Shantanu, always wielding a circular bow, released arrows with blazing tips, resembling venomous snakes.
With his arrows, the disciplined warrior made all directions one and destroyed the Pandava chariots, repeatedly pointing them out, O Bharata.
Then, when the armies were completely broken and crushed, and the sun had set, nothing was visible.
O best of the Bharatas, having seen Bhishma loudly uttering in the great battle, the sons of Pritha retreated their armies.
