06.089
Core and Pancharatra: Yudhisthira sends Bhima to support Ghatotkacha, causing Duryodhana to retreat; what followed was a great destruction where the great army of Dhritarashtra's sons was mostly dispirited.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
vimukhīkṛtya tānsarvāṁstāvakānyudhi rākṣasaḥ । jighāṁsurbharataśreṣṭha duryodhanamupādravat ॥6-89-1॥
The demon, after turning away all your warriors in the battle, sought to kill and attacked Duryodhana, O best of the Bharatas.
tamāpatantaṃ samprekṣya rājānaṃ prati vegitam । abhyadhāvajjighāṃsantastāvakā yuddhadurmadāḥ ॥6-89-2॥
Seeing the king approaching swiftly, your battle-arrogant men rushed towards him with the intent to kill.
tālamātrāṇi cāpāni vikarṣanto mahābalāḥ । tamekamabhyadhāvanta nadantaḥ siṃhasaṅghavat ॥6-89-3॥
The mighty warriors, with bows as large as palm trees, charged at him, roaring like a pride of lions.
athainaṁ śaravarṣeṇa samantātparyavārayan । parvataṁ vāridhārābhiḥ śaradīva balāhakāḥ ॥6-89-4॥
Then they surrounded him with a barrage of arrows from all directions, just as clouds cover a mountain with rain streams during the autumn season.
sa gāḍhaviddho vyathitastotrārdita iva dvipaḥ । utpapāta tadākāśaṃ samantādvainateyavat ॥6-89-5॥
He, deeply wounded and tormented like an elephant by a goad, leapt into the sky in all directions like Garuda.
vyanadatsumahānādaṃ jīmūta iva śāradaḥ । diśaḥ khaṃ pradiśaścaiva nādayanbhairavasvanaḥ ॥6-89-6॥
He roared with a tremendous sound like that of an autumn cloud, causing the directions, sky, and intermediate directions to reverberate with a terrifying noise.
rākṣasasya tu taṃ śabdaṃ śrutvā rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ । uvāca bharataśreṣṭho bhīmasenamidaṃ vacaḥ ॥6-89-7॥
Upon hearing the demon's sound, King Yudhishthira, the noble Bharata, addressed Bhimasena with these words.
yudhyate rākṣaso nūnaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrairmahārathaiḥ । yathāsya śrūyate śabdo nadato bhairavaṃ svanam ॥ atibhāraṃ ca paśyāmi tatra tāta samāhitam ॥6-89-8॥
The demon is indeed fighting with the sons of Dhritarashtra, who are great warriors. The terrible sound of his roar can be heard, and I perceive a great burden concentrated there, father.
pitāmahaśca saṅkruddhaḥ pāñcālānhantumudyataḥ । teṣāṃ ca rakṣaṇārthāya yudhyate phalgunaḥ paraiḥ ॥6-89-9॥
The grandfather, enraged, was ready to destroy the Panchalas, while Arjuna fought with others to protect them.
etacchrutvā mahābāho kāryadvayamupasthitam । gaccha rakṣasva haiḍimbaṃ saṃśayaṃ paramaṃ gatam ॥6-89-10॥
Upon hearing this, O mighty-armed one, two tasks have come up. Go and protect Hidimba, as a great doubt has emerged.
bhrātur vacanam ājñāya tvaramāṇo vṛkodaraḥ । prayayau siṃhanādena trāsayan sarvapārthivān ॥ vegena mahatā rājan parvakāle yathodadhiḥ ॥6-89-11॥
Upon understanding his brother's command, Vrikodara quickly set out, roaring like a lion and terrifying all the kings with his great speed, much like the ocean during a festival, O king.
tam anvayāt satyadhṛtiḥ saucittir yuddhadurmadaḥ । śreṇimān vasudānaś ca putraḥ kāśyasya cābhibhūḥ ॥6-89-12॥
Satyadhriti, Saucitti, Yuddhadurmada, Shreniman, Vasudana, and Abhibhu, the son of Kashi, followed him.
abhimanyumukhāścaiva draupadeyā mahārathāḥ । kṣatradevaśca vikrāntaḥ kṣatradharmā tathaiva ca ॥6-89-13॥
The great warriors, led by Abhimanyu and including the sons of Draupadi, Kshatradeva, and the valiant Kshatradharma, were present.
anūpādhipatiścaiva nīlaḥ svabalamāsthitaḥ । mahatā rathavaṃśena haiḍimbaṃ paryavārayan ॥6-89-14॥
The ruler of Anupa, Nila, along with his army, surrounded Hidimba with a large division of chariots.
kuñjaraiśca sadā mattaiḥ ṣaṭsahasraiḥ prahāribhiḥ । abhyarakṣanta sahitā rākṣasendraṃ ghaṭotkacam ॥6-89-15॥
Six thousand intoxicated elephants, always striking, together protected the demon king Ghatotkacha.
siṃhanādena mahatā nemighoṣeṇa caiva hi । khuraśabdaninādaiśca kampayanto vasundharām ॥6-89-16॥
The great roar of a lion, the sound of the wheels, and the hoofbeats shook the earth.
teṣām āpatatāṃ śrutvā śabdaṃ taṃ tāvakaṃ balam । bhīmasenabhayodvignaṃ vivarṇavadanaṃ tathā ॥ parivṛttaṃ mahārāja parityajya ghaṭotkacam ॥6-89-17॥
Upon hearing the sound of your approaching army, Bhimasena, struck with fear and with a pale face, turned away, O great king, leaving Ghatotkacha behind.
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tatra tatra mahātmanām । tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca saṅgrāmeṣvanivartinām ॥6-89-18॥
Then, the battle began at various places among the great souls, involving your people and the enemies, all of whom were relentless in battle.
nānārūpāṇi śastrāṇi visṛjanto mahārathāḥ । anyonyamabhidhāvantaḥ samprabhāraṃ pracakrire ॥ vyatiṣaktaṃ mahāraudraṃ yuddhaṃ bhīrubhayāvaham ॥6-89-19॥
The great charioteers released various forms of weapons and attacked each other, engaging in a fierce and interlocked battle that was terrifying to the timid.
hayā gajaiḥ samājagmuḥ pādātā rathibhiḥ saha । anyonyaṃ samare rājanprārthayānā mahadyaśaḥ ॥6-89-20॥
Horses and elephants arrived along with the infantry and charioteers. O king, they confronted each other in battle, all desiring great fame.
sahasā cābhavat tīvraṃ saṃnipātān mahad rajaḥ । rathāśvagajapattīnāṃ padanemisamuddhatam ॥6-89-21॥
Suddenly, a great cloud of dust arose intensely from the collision, stirred up by the feet and wheels of chariots, horses, elephants, and foot soldiers.
dhūmrāruṇaṃ rajastīvraṃ raṇabhūmiṃ samāvṛṇot । naiva sve na pare rājansamajānanparasparam ॥6-89-22॥
The battlefield was enveloped in a thick, smoke-colored and red dust, making it impossible for anyone, whether friend or foe, to recognize one another, O king.
pitā putraṃ na jānīte putro vā pitaraṃ tathā । nirmaryāde tathā bhūte vaiśase lomaharṣaṇe ॥6-89-23॥
In a state where boundaries are lost, neither father knows son nor son knows father; it is a terrifying and chaotic situation.
śastrāṇāṃ bharataśreṣṭha manuṣyāṇāṃ ca garjatām । sumahānabhavacchabdo vaṃśānāmiva dahyatām ॥6-89-24॥
O best of the Bharatas, there arose a great sound of weapons and men roaring, resembling the crackling of burning bamboos.
gajavājimanuṣyāṇāṃ śoṇitāntrataraṅgiṇī । prāvartata nadī tatra keśaśaivalaśādvalā ॥6-89-25॥
There began a river flowing with the blood and intestines of elephants, horses, and humans, appearing wave-like, with hair, water-weeds, and grass as its features.
narāṇāṃ caiva kāyebhyaḥ śirasāṃ patatāṃ raṇe । śuśruve sumahāñśabdaḥ patatāmaśmanāmiva ॥6-89-26॥
A very loud sound was heard in the battle, as if the heads of men were falling from their bodies like stones.
viśiraskair manuṣyaiś ca chinna-gātraiś ca vāraṇaiḥ । aśvaiḥ sambhinna-dehaiś ca saṅkīrṇābhūd vasundharā ॥6-89-27॥
The battlefield was strewn with the headless bodies of humans, severed limbs, elephants, and horses with torn bodies, covering the earth.
nānāvidhāni śastrāṇi visṛjanto mahārathāḥ । anyonyamabhidhāvantaḥ samprabhāraṃ pracakrire ॥6-89-28॥
The great charioteers launched various weapons and charged at each other, engaging fiercely in battle.
hayā hayānsamāsādya preṣitā hayasādibhiḥ । samāhatya raṇe'nyonyaṃ nipeturgatajīvitāḥ ॥6-89-29॥
The horses, sent by horsemen, approached and struck each other in battle, falling down lifeless.
narā narānsamāsādya krodharaktekṣaṇā bhṛśam । urāṃsyurobhiranyonyaṃ samāśliṣya nijaghnire ॥6-89-30॥
The men, with eyes reddened by anger, fiercely approached each other and struck each other's chests in a tight embrace.
preṣitāśca mahāmātrairvāraṇāḥ paravāraṇāḥ । abhighnanti viṣāṇāgrairvāraṇāneva saṃyuge ॥6-89-31॥
The elephants, dispatched by the great ministers, attack the enemy elephants with their tusks during the battle.
te jātarudhirāpīḍāḥ patākābhiralaṅkṛtāḥ । saṃsaktāḥ pratyadṛśyanta meghā iva savidyutaḥ ॥6-89-32॥
They appeared like clouds with lightning, adorned with flags and stained with fresh blood.
kecidbhinnā viṣāṇāgrairbhinnakumbhāśca tomaraiḥ । vinadanto'bhyadhāvanta garjanto jaladā iva ॥6-89-33॥
Some of them, pierced by the tips of horns and with their heads broken by spears, ran towards the enemy, shouting and roaring like clouds.
keciddhastairdvidhā chinnaishchinnagātrāstathāpare । nipetustumule tasmiṁshchinnapakṣā ivādrayaḥ ॥6-89-34॥
In the tumultuous battle, some warriors with their hands severed and others with their limbs cut, fell like mountains with their wings clipped.
pārśvaistu dāritairanye vāraṇairvaravāraṇāḥ । mumucuḥ śoṇitaṃ bhūri dhātūniva mahīdharāḥ ॥6-89-35॥
The excellent elephants, wounded on their sides by other elephants, bled profusely, resembling mountains releasing their minerals.
nārācābhihatāstvanye tathā viddhāśca tomaraiḥ । hatarohā vyadṛśyanta viśṛṅgā iva parvatāḥ ॥6-89-36॥
Others, struck by arrows and pierced by spears, appeared like mountains without peaks, with their riders slain.
kecitkrodhasamāviṣṭā madāndhā niravagrahāḥ । rathānhayānpadātāṃśca mamṛduḥ śataśo raṇe ॥6-89-37॥
Some warriors, overwhelmed by anger and blinded by pride, acted without restraint and crushed hundreds of chariots, horses, and foot soldiers in the battle.
tathā hayā hayārohaistāḍitāḥ prāsatomaraiḥ । tena tenābhyavartanta kurvanto vyākulā diśaḥ ॥6-89-38॥
The horsemen struck the horses with spears and lances, causing them to turn back and create confusion in all directions.
rathino rathibhiḥ sārdhaṃ kulaputrāstanutyajaḥ । parāṃ śaktiṃ samāsthāya cakruḥ karmāṇyabhītavat ॥6-89-39॥
The charioteers, along with the noble sons who sacrificed their lives, took on great power and performed their duties without fear.
svayaṃvara ivāmarde prajahruritaretaram । prārthayānā yaśo rājansvargaṃ vā yuddhaśālinaḥ ॥6-89-40॥
O king, like a self-choice ceremony in the midst of battle, the warriors fought each other, seeking either fame or a place in heaven.
tasmiṁstathā vartamāne saṅgrāme lomaharṣaṇe । dhārtarāṣṭraṁ mahatsainyaṁ prāyaśo vimukhīkṛtam ॥6-89-41॥
In the ongoing intense battle, the great army of Dhritarashtra's sons was mostly dispirited.
