06.077
Core and Pancharatra: Special medicine was administered to Duryodhana to heal his wounds. Yudhishthira, observing the fierce circular formation, arranged his troops into a diamond formation on the seventh day of the war.
Sanjaya said:
Then, your son, the son of Ganga, engaged in meditation, spoke delightful words, O best of the Bharatas.
I, along with Droṇa, Śalya, Kṛtavarmā, Sātvata, Aśvatthāmā, Vikarṇa, Somadatta, and Saindhava, are present.
Vindānuvinda and the Avanti princes, along with Bahlika and his followers, the king of Trigarta, the mighty king of Magadha, and Sudurjaya were present.
Brihadbala, Kausalya, Citrasena, and Vivimshati, along with many thousands of chariots adorned with great banners, were present.
O king, there are native horses mounted with horsemen, and elephants that are intoxicated with their frontal lobes broken.
Foot-soldiers and brave warriors from various regions, equipped with diverse weapons, stand ready to fight for your cause.
These warriors, along with many others, have sacrificed their lives for you and are capable of defeating even the gods in battle. This is my belief.
Certainly, O king, I must always speak what is beneficial to you. The Pandavas, with the help of Vasudeva and possessing valor equal to Indra, cannot be defeated even by the gods along with Indra.
O King, I will certainly fulfill your command. Either I will defeat the Pandavas in battle, or they will defeat me.
After speaking thus, he gave him the auspicious herb that could remove arrows and was full of potency, and then he was healed from the arrows.
In the clear morning, the mighty Bhishma, an expert in military formations, personally arranged his army's formation.
O best of men, the formation was densely packed with various weapons, chief warriors, elephants, and infantry.
The army was surrounded on all sides by numerous thousands of chariots and great groups of horses, all wielding spears and lances.
On each elephant, there are seven chariots, and on each chariot, there are seven horses. Following the horse, there are ten archers, and on each archer, there are seven shield-bearers.
O great king, your army is arrayed in this manner, standing ready for the great battle, protected by the great warrior Bhishma.
Thousands of horses, elephants, and chariots, as well as your sons, have been slain. Citraseṇa and other brave warriors protected the grandsire.
The mighty kings, protected by the heroes and guarded by him, appeared fully armed.
Duryodhana, though wounded in battle, stood on his chariot shining with splendor, much like Indra in the heavens.
Then, O Bharata, there arose a great sound from your sons. The noise of the chariots and the tumultuous sound of the instruments filled the air.
Under Bhishma's command, the sons of Dhritarashtra arranged their forces in a formidable and impenetrable formation, facing the battle. This great array shone everywhere, O King, and was formidable against the enemies in battle.
King Yudhishthira, upon observing the extremely fierce circular formation, personally arranged the troops into a diamond formation.
Thus, the charioteers and horsemen, standing in their respective positions in the arranged armies, roared like lions.
The warriors, eager for battle, arranged themselves in formation and set out from all sides with their armies, ready to strike.
Bharadvaja went to the Matsya kingdom, and Drona's son also approached Shikhandi. King Duryodhana himself attacked Parshata.
Nakula and Sahadeva, O king, advanced towards the king of Madra. Meanwhile, Vindha and Anuvindha, the fearless princes of Avanti, charged forward.
All the kings engaged in battle with Dhananjaya, while Bhimasena, focused in the fight, held back Hardikya.
Arjuna's son engaged in battle with Citrasena, Vikarna, and Durmarshana, demonstrating his valor against your sons, O lord and king.
Haiḍimba, the foremost of demons, rushed with great speed towards the mighty archer of Prāgjyotiṣa, resembling an intoxicated elephant charging at another.
Then, O king, the demon Alambusa, filled with rage, attacked the battle-intoxicated Satyaki along with his army in the battlefield.
In the battle, Bhūriśravā engaged with Dhṛṣṭaketu, while King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma, confronted Śrutāyuṣa.
Cekitana engaged Kṛpa in battle, while the others focused their attention on Bhīma, the mighty warrior.
Then, thousands of kings, armed with spears, javelins, iron arrows, maces, and clubs, surrounded Dhananjaya (Arjuna).
Arjuna, filled with intense anger, addressed Krishna, saying: "Look, O Madhava, at the armies of the sons of Dhritarashtra, strategically arranged in battle by the great warrior, the son of Ganga."
O Mādhava, behold the heroes eager for battle, arrayed in formation. Look at the king of Trigarta along with his brothers, O Keśava.
Today, I will defeat these warriors in the battlefield as you watch, Janardana, who are eager to fight me, O best of the Yadus.
After speaking thus, Arjuna, the son of Kunti, drew his bowstring and showered arrows upon the assembled kings.
The great archers also covered him with a barrage of arrows, just as clouds fill a lake with rain during the monsoon season.
A great uproar arose in your army, O lord of men, when Krishna and Arjuna were seen intensely covered with arrows in the great battle.
The gods, divine sages, celestial musicians, and great serpents were utterly amazed upon witnessing the arrival of Krishna.
Then, in his anger, Arjuna, O king, released the weapon of Indra. There, we witnessed the remarkable prowess of Arjuna.
He successfully defended against the barrage of weapons unleashed by others with a rain of arrows. O lord of men, no one there remained unscathed.
Arjuna, with his skill, pierced through the ranks of thousands of kings, horses, and elephants, striking others with two or three arrows, O lord.
As they were being slain by Arjuna, they sought refuge in Bhishma, the son of Shantanu. At that time, Bhishma became the savior for those who were sinking in the unfathomable depths.
O great king, your army was shattered there by their attack and was agitated like a great ocean stirred by the winds.
