06.086
Sanjaya said:
In the fierce and ongoing destruction of the best of heroes, O king, the illustrious Shakuni, son of Subala, attacked the Pandavas.
Similarly, O king, Sātvata Hārdikya, known for destroying enemy heroes, charged against the Pāṇḍava army in the battle.
Then, all the chiefs of the Kambojas, those born in the river regions, the horses, the Arattas, those born in the land, and those from the Sindhu region were gathered.
The forest-dwellers, the bright ones, and the mountain-dwellers, along with others born of the partridge, are swift and as fast as the wind.
The strong son of Pandava, adorned with golden armors and mounted on chief horses swift as the wind, advanced his army with a joyful appearance, ready to scorch his foes.
Iravan, the valiant son of Arjuna, was born to the wise Partha and the daughter of the serpent king.
She was given by Airāvata, being childless, by the great soul. After her husband was killed by Suparna, she became miserable and distressed in mind.
Arjuna, driven by desire, accepted her as his wife. Thus, Arjuna's son was born in another's domain.
He was raised in the world of serpents, protected by his mother, but abandoned by his uncle due to his wicked nature and hatred towards Partha.
The handsome and valorous one, virtuous and truly courageous, quickly went to the realm of Indra upon hearing that Arjuna had gone there.
Iravan approached his noble father, known for his true prowess, and respectfully saluted him with folded hands, saying, "I am Iravan, your son, and I seek your blessings, O lord."
Pāṇḍava recalled the meeting with his mother and everything that was informed, remembering it exactly as it occurred.
Arjuna, having embraced his son who was like him in virtues, felt pleased in the abode of Indra.
In the world of the gods, O king, he was instructed by Arjuna with affection. O mighty-armed descendant of Bharata, you should provide us assistance at the time of war, O lord.
The king, having affirmed and spoken in this manner, arrived at the battlefield, surrounded by many swift and beautifully colored horses.
The horses, adorned with golden harnesses and of various colors, swiftly rose up like swans in the vast ocean, O king.
They reached your fast-moving groups of horses and, striking each other with their flanks and snouts, suddenly fell to the ground, O king, overwhelmed by their great speed.
A terrible sound was heard as the groups of horses fell, similar to the fall of Garuda.
In the same manner, O great king, the horsemen, having gathered in battle, engaged in a dreadful mutual slaughter.
In that situation, which was thus intensely confused and tumultuous, the groups of horses on both sides were calmed all around.
The heroes, their arrows spent and horses slain, exhausted from fatigue, reached a state of destruction, attacking one another.
Then, as the cavalry forces were reduced and only a few remained, the brave sons of Saubala came forth to the front lines of the battle, O Bharata.
They mounted excellent horses that were as fast as the wind, endowed with good conduct, and in their prime.
The six warriors, including the elephant, Gavaksha, Vrishaka, Charmavan, Arjava, and Shuka, who were endowed with great strength, left the mighty army.
They were being restrained by Śakuni and their own mighty warriors, all of whom were fully armed, skilled in battle, fierce in appearance, and very strong.
O mighty-armed one, the Gandharas, intoxicated with battle, joyfully entered the army, which was extremely difficult to conquer, with great force, desiring victory for heaven.
Iravan, the valiant, upon seeing them enter, addressed the warriors in battle adorned with various ornaments and weapons.
The policy should be established in such a way that all of Dhritarashtra's warriors, along with their followers and vehicles, are being killed in battle.
After affirming their resolve, all the warriors of Irāvata attacked and defeated the enemy forces, which were otherwise considered invincible in battle.
Upon witnessing their army fallen in battle, all the sons of Subala, unable to tolerate the sight, surrounded Iravan from all sides and attacked him in the battlefield.
The heroes, striking with sharp spears and urging each other on, ran around causing great chaos.
Iravan was then pierced by the great warriors with sharp spears, and he was smeared with flowing blood, appearing like an elephant pierced with goads.
Despite being severely struck on the chest, back, and sides by many, the courageous one, O king, was not disturbed.
Iravan, filled with rage, confused all his enemies with his sharp arrows in the battle, proving himself as the conqueror of enemy cities.
The warrior, known for subduing enemies, pulled out all the spears from his own body and used them to strike the sons of Subala in the battle.
The foot-soldier, having drawn his sharp sword and taken his quiver, quickly approached with the intent to kill Shakuni's followers in the battle.
Then, having regained their senses, all the sons of Subala, filled with rage, charged again towards Iravan.
Iravan, demonstrating his skill with the sword, confidently advanced towards all the sons of Subala, filled with pride in his strength.
Then, with agility, all the sons of Subala moved swiftly without finding any gap.
Standing on the ground, they saw him in the battle and then all of them surrounded him intensely to capture him again.
Then, the enemy tormentor approached and with his sword in both hands, he cut off their limbs.
The weapons and adorned arms of all fell to the ground, their limbs severed, lifeless.
Vṛṣaka, the great king, was severely tormented but eventually freed from the immense terror caused by the slaughter of heroes.
Upon witnessing all his fallen warriors, a fearful Duryodhana then angrily addressed the terrifying demon.
The sage Rishyasringa, known for his great archery skills and deceitful nature, was an enemy of Bhimasena, especially before the killing of Baka.
Observe, O hero, how this strong son of Phalguna, with his deceptive ways, has caused me a terrible loss of strength through his unpleasant actions.
O dear one, you are skilled in moving at will and in the art of illusion. You have enmity with Arjuna, so you must slay him in battle.
The terrible-looking demon, after affirming with certainty, left with a lion's roar towards the location of Arjuna's young son.
Mounted with warriors skilled in battle and spotless spear warriors, equipped with heroes and strikers, he was surrounded by his own troops, eager to slay the mighty Iravan in battle.
Iravan, filled with anger and urgency, the valiant warrior who destroys enemies, sought to kill and blocked the demon.
The very mighty demon, upon seeing him approach, hastily began to employ his magical powers.
He created many illusory horses, which were mounted by fearsome demons wielding spears and shields.
The two thousand excited warriors, having gathered, quickly sent each other to the world of the dead.
In the slain army, both of them, intoxicated with battle, stood in the battlefield like Vritra and Indra.
Upon seeing the demon, who was arrogant in battle, the mighty and enraged Iravan charged towards him.
In the battle, he approached and with his sword, cut down the bow, the shining quiver, and the five arrows of the evil-minded one.
He swiftly ascended to the sky after seeing the cut-off bow, seemingly bewildering the angry Iravan with his illusion.
Then Iravan rose to the sky and, using illusions, deluded the demon and cut his limbs with arrows. He was a master of all vital points, able to take any form at will, and was invincible.
Thus, the best among demons was repeatedly struck by arrows, yet he regained his youth, O great king.
The illusion is inherent to them, and their youthful appearance and form are born out of desire. Thus, whenever a limb of that demon was cut, it would grow back again.
Iravan, in his anger, repeatedly struck the mighty demon with his sharp axe.
The demon, like a tree being cut by the strong hero, roared terribly, and the sound was tumultuous.
The demon, having been wounded by an axe, bled profusely. Enraged, the strong one then hastened into the battle.
Arshyashringa, upon seeing the powerful enemy in the battle, transformed into a terrifying great form and began to seize the enemy in the forefront of the battle, while everyone watched.
Upon witnessing the powerful illusion of the great demon, Iravan, in his anger, also began to conjure an illusion.
Overcome by anger, his maternal lineage, known for never retreating in battles, attacked him.
O king, he was repeatedly surrounded by elephants from all sides in the battle, holding a form as great as Ananta, the serpent. Then, he covered the demon with various elephants.
The foremost of demons, covered by serpents, meditated and took on the form of Garuda to devour the serpents.
In that lineage, his mother was devoured by illusion; bewildered, the demon killed Miravantam with a sword.
Iravat, adorned with earrings and a crown, shining like the lotus and the moon, struck down the demon's head to the ground.
But when the heroic son of Arjuna was slain by the demon, the sons of Dhritarashtra and the kings with them were relieved of their sorrow.
In that great and terrible battle, a fierce conflict arose once more between the armies.
Horses, elephants, and foot soldiers were mixed and killed by elephants. Chariots and elephants were also slaughtered there by foot soldiers.
In the battle, many of your infantry, chariots, and horses were slain by the charioteers, O king, amidst the confusion.
Unaware of the situation, Arjuna inadvertently killed his own son and the valiant warriors who were protecting Bhishma, the king's guardians, in the battle.
In the same manner, your warriors, O king, and the mighty Sṛñjayas, sacrificed their lives in battle, slaying one another.
With their hair disheveled, armor discarded, chariots abandoned, and bows broken, they fought hand-to-hand, gathered together against each other.
In this way, the mighty Bhishma, with deadly force, killed the great warriors, causing tremors in the Pandavas' army during the battle.
In Yudhishthira's army, many were slain by him, including elephants, horsemen, charioteers, and horses.
There, O Bharata, we witnessed Bhishma's extraordinary valor in battle, which was as impressive as that of Indra.
In the same way, O Bharata, a fierce battle took place involving Bhimasena, the son of Prishata, and Satyaki, the archer.
Upon witnessing Droṇa's prowess, the Pāṇḍavas were gripped by fear. He alone, in the battlefield, is capable of defeating us along with our soldiers.
The warriors, surrounded by the earth's heroes and groups of warriors, said to the great king, "What now, as we are afflicted in battle by Drona?"
In the ongoing fierce battle, O best of the Bharatas, the warriors from both sides could not stand each other.
The mighty warriors, possessed as if by demons, fight fiercely. Both your warriors and the sons of Pandu, O dear one, are excited archers.
We do not see anyone who can protect lives in the battle like that warrior king who resembles a demon.
