06.080
Core and Pancharatra: As the sun reached its zenith, King Yudhishthira defeated Shrutayush; Cekitana encountered Gautama; Abhimanyu encountered Citrasena, Vikarna, and Durmarshana;
Sanjaya said:
Then, as the sun reached its zenith, King Yudhishthira, upon seeing Shrutayush, urged his horses forward.
Then the king, a subduer of enemies, rushed towards Śrutāyus, striking him with nine sharp arrows that had bent joints.
The king, having defended himself in battle from the arrows sent by the son of Dharma, the great archer, offered seven arrows to Arjuna, the son of Kunti.
They pierced his armor and drank his blood in the battle, as if they were searching for the life force within the body of the great soul.
The Pandava was severely wounded in the heart by the noble king Varahakarna during the battle.
Then Arjuna, with another arrow, swiftly struck down the banner of the great soul from the finest chariot to the ground.
Upon seeing the fallen flag, Śrutāyu, the prince, attacked the Pāṇḍava with seven sharp arrows, O king.
Then, Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, was consumed by anger, blazing like a fire that burns all beings at the end of an era.
Upon witnessing the wrath of Pāṇḍava, the celestial beings, including gods, gandharvas, and rākṣasas, were thrown into turmoil, O great king, and the entire world was engulfed in distress.
All beings thought: "Today, this enraged king will destroy the three worlds."
O king, when the Pāṇḍava was angered, the sages and gods performed great auspicious rites for the peace of the worlds.
Filled with rage, he licked his bowstring and held his own terrifying form, resembling the sun at the end of the world.
Then, O lord of men, all your armies became despondent there, losing hope in life, O Bhārata.
With great patience, he restrained his anger and, being greatly renowned, cut off Śrutāyu's great bow at the grip.
Then the king, in the presence of the entire army, pierced him in the chest with an iron arrow, even as his bow was broken, during the battle.
O King, quickly at the feet, the very mighty one killed the horses and the charioteer of the great soul with arrows swiftly.
Seeing the king's valor, Śrutāyu abandoned his chariot with its slain horses and fled swiftly from the battlefield.
In the battle, the great archer, Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, achieved victory, causing all of Duryodhana's forces to retreat, O king.
After accomplishing this, O great king, Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, like the all-consuming time, indeed annihilated your army.
Cekitana, a warrior from the Vṛṣṇi lineage, showered arrows upon Gautama, the finest among charioteers, as all the soldiers looked on.
Kṛpa, the son of Śaradvat, skillfully warded off the arrows and pierced the attentive Cekitāna in battle with his arrows, O king.
Then, O great one, another warrior swiftly cut the bow with an arrow and felled his charioteer in battle. O king, he also killed his horses and both the rear charioteers.
Sātvata quickly jumped down from the chariot and took up his mace. With his hero-slaying mace, he, the best among mace-wielders, struck down Gautama's horses and charioteer.
Gautama, standing firmly on the ground, hurled his sixteen arrows, which pierced through Sātvata and embedded themselves into the earth.
Cekitana, in his anger, once again hurled the mace at Gautama, with the intent to kill, just as Indra did to Vritra.
Gautama warded off the approaching pure, stone-cored great mace with many thousands of arrows.
Cekitana, after swiftly drawing his sword from its sheath, attacked Gautama with great speed, O Bharata.
Gautama, after discarding his bow, swiftly took up a sharp sword and charged at Chekitana with great force, O king.
Both of them, strong and wielding excellent swords, struck each other repeatedly with their very sharp swords.
The two warriors, struck by the speed of swords, fell to the earth, which is inhabited by all beings. Their bodies were overcome by fainting and they were bewildered due to exertion.
Then, with great speed and friendship, Karakarsha rushed towards Cekitana, who was in an arrogant state due to battle. He placed him on the chariot as the entire army watched.
Similarly, Shakuni, your heroic brother-in-law, swiftly mounted the chariot with Gautama, the best among charioteers, O lord of the people.
In his anger, the mighty Dhrishtaketu swiftly shot ninety arrows at Saumadatti, piercing his chest, O king.
Saumadatti's chest was beautifully adorned by those arrows, O great king, just as the sun is adorned by its rays at midday.
In the battle, Bhūriśravāḥ skillfully rendered Dhṛṣṭaketu, the great chariot-warrior, chariotless by slaying his charioteer and horses with his superior arrows.
Upon seeing him without his chariot, and with his horses and charioteer slain, he enveloped him in a great shower of arrows during the battle.
Dhṛṣṭaketu, known for his great mind, left his chariot and then boarded Śatānīka's vehicle, dear one.
Citrasena, Vikarna, and Durmarshana, O king, along with the warriors adorned in golden armor, charged towards Saubhadra.
Then a fierce battle ensued involving Abhimanyu, just as the body is affected by the three elements: wind, bile, and phlegm, O king.
O king, having rendered your sons without chariots in the great battle, the noble warrior refrained from killing them, recalling Bhima's words at that moment.
Then Bhishma, surrounded by a vast army of kings with elephants, horses, and chariots, was formidable even to the gods in battle.
Observing the swift movement to protect your sons, targeting the young Abhimanyu, the great chariot-warrior, the son of Kunti with white horses spoke to Vasudeva.
O Hrishikesha, drive the horses to where these numerous chariots are. These many heroes are skilled in weapons and are arrogant in battle. Ensure they do not destroy our army, O Madhava, drive on.
Upon being addressed in this manner, the descendant of Vṛṣṇi, with immeasurable energy, sent forth the chariot drawn by white horses into the battlefield, as instructed by the son of Kunti.
O sir, there was a great commotion in your army when the furious Arjuna engaged in battle against your forces.
The son of Kunti, having approached those protected by Bhishma, addressed Susharman with these words, O king.
I recognize you as the greatest and most formidable former adversary in battle. Witness today the dreadful outcome of the cycle that has come to pass. Today, I shall reveal to you the ancestors who have passed away.
While he was speaking in such a manner, the dreadful enemy-slayer Susharma, even after hearing the harsh words, did not say anything either good or bad to him.
Arjuna, the hero, was approached and surrounded by many kings from all directions, including the front, back, and sides.
In the battlefield, your sons surrounded Arjuna and covered him with arrows, just as clouds cover the sun, O sinless one.
Then a very great battle ensued, filled with blood, between your forces and the Pandavas, O Bharata.
