06.067
Core and Pancharatra: The battlefield was strewn with lifeless bodies as Arjuna and Bhishma fought each other.
Sanjaya said:
Upon witnessing his brothers and other kings being engaged by Bhishma, Arjuna, with his weapon raised, charged towards Bhishma, the son of Ganga.
The sound of Pāñcajanya and the bow Gāṇḍiva, along with the sight of Arjuna's flag, instilled fear in all of us.
O great king, we saw the flag of Arjuna, hanging on the trees like a comet, multicolored, wonderful, and with a divine monkey emblem.
The warriors beheld the Gandiva bow, gleaming like lightning amidst the clouds in the sky, mounted on the great chariot with its golden back.
We heard a very loud and terrifying sound, like the roar of Indra, as the palms struck your army.
The fierce wind, accompanied by lightning and thunder, inundates all directions with a rain of arrows from all sides.
Arjuna, wielding a fierce weapon, charged at Bhishma, the son of Ganga. The weapon's power left us confused, unable to discern east from west.
The warriors, exhausted and trembling, with their weapons lost and consciousness fading, embraced each other, O noble Bharata.
Bhishma, along with all your sons, was absorbed in the battle. Bhishma, the son of Shantanu, became their refuge in the battle.
The charioteers, frightened, jumped from their chariots, while the horsemen dismounted from their horses, and the foot soldiers stood on the ground.
Upon hearing the terrifying sound of Arjuna's Gandiva bow, which resembled the crack of thunder, all the troops were struck with fear and dispersed, O descendant of Bharata.
Then, he was surrounded by the great and swift-moving chiefs of the Kambojas, along with many thousands of cowherds and their forces, all wearing cowhides.
O lord of the people, you are surrounded by the Madras, Sauvīras, Gandharas, Trigartas, and all the chief Kalingas, including the lord of Kalinga.
The serpents and multitudes of men, led by Duḥśāsana, along with Jayadratha and the king, were accompanied by all the kings.
Fourteen thousand excellent horsemen, urged by your son, surrounded Saubala.
Then, O best of the Bharatas, your forces, all together with their divided chariots and vehicles, advanced towards the Pandavas in battle.
The dust raised by the charioteers, elephants, horses, and foot soldiers created a scene resembling a great cloud, marking the onset of a fierce battle.
Bhishma, with his great army of warriors armed with spears, javelins, and arrows, along with elephants, horses, and chariots, engaged in battle with Arjuna.
The forces of Avanti, led by the king of Kashi, Bhimasena, and Sindhu, along with Ajatashatru of the Madras, Rishabha, and the illustrious Shalya, engaged in battle with their sons and ministers.
Vikarna, along with Sahadeva, Citrasena, and Shikhandi, the Matsyas approached Duryodhana and Shakuni, O lord of the people.
Drupada, Cekitana, and Satyaki, the great chariot-warrior, were aligned in battle by the noble Drona along with his son. Meanwhile, Kripa and Kritavarma launched an attack on Dhrishtaketu.
Thus, the swift horses and whirling chariots were assembled, and the armies were prepared for battle on all sides.
O lord of the people, intense lightnings flashed in the cloudless sky, and the directions were covered with dust. Great meteors accompanied by thunder appeared.
A great wind blew, and a shower of dust fell. The sun was obscured in the sky, shrouded by the dust stirred up by the army.
An intense delusion overcame all beings, as they were overwhelmed by passion and struck by a barrage of weapons.
A tumultuous mass of arrows, released by the arms of heroes and piercing through all defenses, ensued.
The warriors, with their mighty arms, raised their weapons, illuminating the sky like the pure stars, O noble Bharata.
O bull among the Bharatas, the variegated skins, covered with golden nets, flew everywhere in all directions.
Bodies and heads, shining like the sun and being thrown by swords, were visible in every direction.
The great charioteers, with their broken wheels, axles, and nests, and their great banners felled, along with their horses killed, fell to the earth here and there.
The horses, wounded by weapons, ran around the battlefield, dragging the chariots as the chariot warriors lay slain.
The excellent horses, struck by arrows and with broken bodies, were dragging their yokes here and there, O Bharata, as they struggled in the battle.
O king, the chariots along with their charioteers, horses, and warriors were seen destroyed by a powerful elephant.
In the battle, many elephants, having smelled the fragrance of the intoxicating exudation of other elephants, joined the assembly of the multitude of forces.
The battlefield was strewn with lifeless bodies of great ministers and spears, and was covered with arrows that were struck by elephants.
In the assembly of the multitude of forces, the chariots, sent by excellent elephants, fell down shattered in battle, along with their warriors and flags.
O great king, the chariot poles, broken and scattered, were seen in the battle, thrown by hands as powerful as the king of serpents.
In the battle, the charioteers were crushed as the shattered nets of chariots were thrown into their hair by elephants, resembling branches of trees being struck.
In the battle, the excellent elephants, engaged with the chariots, dragged them in all directions, creating a cacophony of sounds.
The scene of the elephants pulling was as captivating as a network of lotuses entangled in the lakes.
Thus, the great battlefield there was covered with riders, foot soldiers, banners, and great chariots.
