06.095
Core and Pancharatra: On the ninth day, the Kauravas form a formidable military formation with Bhishma at the forefront, making protection of Bhishma their primary aim, and also to ensure Shikandin and Arjuna don't come in front of him. Pandvas form a counter formation, with the placing Shikandin in front of Bhishma as their primary objective.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ prātarutthāya vai nṛpaḥ। rājñaḥ samājñāpayata senāṃ yojayateti ha ॥ adya bhīṣmo raṇe kruddho nihaniṣyati somakān ॥6-95-1॥
In the early morning, the king, having risen, ordered the army to be arranged. Today, Bhishma, in his anger, will slay the Somakas in battle.
duryodhanasya tacchrutvā rātrau vilapitaṃ bahu। manyamānaḥ sa taṃ rājanpratyādeśamivātmanaḥ ॥6-95-2॥
Upon hearing Duryodhana's extensive lamentation at night, he perceived it as if it were a reproach directed at himself, O king.
nirvedaṃ paramaṃ gatvā vinindya paravācyatām। dīrghaṃ dadhyau śāntanavo yoddhukāmo'rjunaṃ raṇe ॥6-95-3॥
The son of Śāntanu, having reached a state of supreme dispassion and disregarding the criticisms of others, contemplated for a long time, eager to engage Arjuna in battle.
iṅgitena tu tajjñātvā gāṅgeyena vicintitam। duryodhano mahārāja duḥśāsanamacodayat ॥6-95-4॥
Understanding the gesture, Bhishma, the son of Ganga, realized the situation. King Duryodhana then instructed Duhshasana.
duḥśāsana rathāstūrṇaṃ yujyantāṃ bhīṣmarakṣiṇaḥ। dvātriṃśattvamanīkāni sarvāṇyevābhicodaya ॥6-95-5॥
Duhshasana, quickly yoke the chariots that protect Bhishma and urge all the thirty-two divisions.
idaṃ hi samanuprāptaṃ varṣapūgābhicintitam। pāṇḍavānāṃ sasainyānāṃ vadho rājyasya cāgamaḥ ॥6-95-6॥
This event, long contemplated over the years, marks the destruction of the Pandavas and their armies, and the arrival of the kingdom.
tatra kāryamahaṃ manye bhīṣmasyaivābhirakṣaṇam। sa no guptaḥ sukhāya syāddhanyātpārthāṃśca saṃyuge ॥6-95-7॥
I believe that our primary duty here is to ensure the protection of Bhishma. If he is safeguarded, he might bring us victory and happiness by defeating the sons of Pritha in the battle.
abravīcca viśuddhātmā nāhaṃ hanyāṃ śikhaṇḍinam। strīpūrvako hyasau jātastasmādvarjyo raṇe mayā ॥6-95-8॥
The pure-hearted one declared, "I shall not slay Shikhandi, for he was born a woman and thus should be avoided by me in battle."
lokastadveda yadahaṃ pituḥ priyacikīrṣayā। rājyaṃ sphītaṃ mahābāho striyaśca tyaktavānpurā ॥6-95-9॥
The people are aware that in order to please my father, I had once given up the prosperous kingdom and the company of women, O mighty-armed one.
naiva cāhaṃ striyaṃ jātu na strīpūrvaṃ kathaṃcana। hanyāṃ yudhi naraśreṣṭha satyametadbravīmi te ॥6-95-10॥
"I have never been a woman, nor was I ever before a woman in any way. I would kill in battle, O best of men, this is the truth I speak to you."
ayaṁ strīpūrvako rājañśikhaṇḍī yadi te śrutaḥ। udyoge kathitaṁ yattattathā jātā śikhaṇḍinī ॥6-95-11॥
O King, this Shikhandi was once a woman. If you have heard what was narrated during the effort, then you know how Shikhandini came to be.
kanyā bhūtvā pumāñjātaḥ sa ca yotsyati bhārata। tasyāhaṃ pramukhe bāṇānna muñceyaṃ kathaṃcana ॥6-95-12॥
A man, once transformed from a girl, will engage in battle, O Bhārata. I shall not release my arrows in front of him under any circumstances.
yuddhe tu kṣatriyāṃstāta pāṇḍavānāṃ jayaiṣiṇaḥ। sarvānanyānghaniṣyāmi samprāptānbāṇagocarān ॥6-95-13॥
In the battle, O father, I will defeat all the other warriors of the Pandavas who come within the range of my arrows, as they seek victory.
evaṃ māṃ bharataśreṣṭho gāṅgeyaḥ prāha śāstravit। tatra sarvātmanā manye bhīṣmasyaivābhipālanam ॥6-95-14॥
Thus, the son of Ganga, Bhishma, who is well-versed in scriptures, addressed me, the best of the Bharatas, saying that he wholeheartedly believes in Bhishma's protection.
arakṣyamāṇaṃ hi vṛko hanyātsiṃhaṃ mahāvane। mā vṛkeṇeva śārdūlaṃ ghātayema śikhaṇḍinā ॥6-95-15॥
In the great forest, an unprotected lion would indeed be killed by a wolf. Let us ensure that the tiger is not killed by the archer, just as the wolf would do.
mātulaḥ śakuniḥ śalyaḥ kṛpo droṇo viviṁśatiḥ। yattā rakṣantu gāṅgeyaṁ tasmin gupte dhruvo jayaḥ ॥6-95-16॥
Shakuni, Shalya, Kripa, Drona, and Vivimshati, the maternal uncles, are vigilant in protecting Bhishma, the son of Ganga. With him safeguarded, victory is assured.
etacchrutvā tu rājāno duryodhanavacastadā। sarvato rathavaṃśena gāṅgeyaṃ paryavārayan ॥6-95-17॥
Upon hearing Duryodhana's words, the kings surrounded Bhishma with their chariots from every direction.
putrāśca tava gāṅgeyaṃ parivārya yayurmudā। kampayanto bhuvaṃ dyāṃ ca kṣobhayantaśca pāṇḍavān ॥6-95-18॥
Your sons, with great joy, surrounded Bhishma, the son of Ganga, and proceeded, causing the earth and sky to tremble and disturbing the Pandavas.
tai rathaiśca susaṁyuktairdantibhiśca mahārathāḥ। parivārya raṇe bhīṣmaṁ daṁśitāḥ samavasthitāḥ ॥6-95-19॥
The great warriors, with their well-yoked chariots and elephants, surrounded Bhishma in battle, standing firm and resolute.
yathā devāsure yuddhe tridaśā vajradhāriṇam। sarve te sma vyatiṣṭhanta rakṣantastaṃ mahāratham ॥6-95-20॥
In the battle between the gods and demons, all the deities stood firm, protecting the wielder of the thunderbolt, that great chariot.
tato duryodhano rājā punarbhrātaramabravīt। savyaṃ cakraṃ yudhāmanyuruttamaujāśca dakṣiṇam ॥ goptārāvarjunasyaitāvarjuno'pi śikhaṇḍinaḥ ॥6-95-21॥
Then King Duryodhana spoke to his brother once more, instructing that Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujas should guard the left and right sides of Arjuna's chariot, while Arjuna himself would also protect Shikhandi.
sa rakṣyamāṇaḥ pārthena tathāsmābhirvivarjitaḥ। yathā bhīṣmaṃ na no hanyādduḥśāsana tathā kuru ॥6-95-22॥
He is being protected by Arjuna and abandoned by us, so that Bhishma may not kill us. Therefore, act accordingly, O Duhshasana.
bhrātustadvacanaṃ śrutvā putro duḥśāsanastava। bhīṣmaṃ pramukhataḥ kṛtvā prayayau senayā saha ॥6-95-23॥
Upon hearing those words from your brother, your son Duḥśāsana placed Bhīṣma at the forefront and marched along with the army.
bhīṣmaṃ tu rathavaṃśena dṛṣṭvā tam abhisaṃvṛtam। arjuno rathināṃ śreṣṭho dhṛṣṭadyumnam uvāca ha ॥6-95-24॥
Arjuna, the best among charioteers, upon seeing Bhishma surrounded by the line of chariots, spoke to Dhrishtadyumna.
śikhaṇḍinaṃ naravyāghra bhīṣmasya pramukhe'nagha। sthāpayasvādya pāñcālya tasya goptāhamapyuta ॥6-95-25॥
O sinless one, place Shikhandin in front of Bhishma today. O son of Panchala, I am also indeed his protector.
tataḥ śāntanavo bhīṣmo niryayau senayā saha। vyūhaṃ cāvyūhata mahatsarvatobhadramāhave ॥6-95-26॥
Then Bhīṣma, the son of Śantanu, departed with his army. He arranged a great and auspicious formation for the battle.
kṛpaśca kṛtavarmā ca śaibyaścaiva mahārathaḥ। śakuniḥ saindhavaścaiva kāmbojaśca sudakṣiṇaḥ ॥6-95-27॥
Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, Śaibya, Śakuni, Saindhava, Kāmboja, and Sudakṣiṇa are all great chariot-warriors.
bhīṣmeṇa sahitāḥ sarve putraiśca tava bhārata। agrataḥ sarvasainyānāṃ vyūhasya pramukhe sthitāḥ ॥6-95-28॥
O Bharata, along with Bhishma, all your sons stood at the forefront of the formation, leading all the armies.
droṇo bhūriśravāḥ śalyo bhagadattaśca māriṣa। dakṣiṇaṃ pakṣamāśritya sthitā vyūhasya daṃśitāḥ ॥6-95-29॥
Drona, Bhurishravas, Shalya, and Bhagadatta, O great one, were strategically positioned on the southern flank of the formation, ready for battle.
aśvatthāmā somadatta āvantyau ca mahārathau। mahatyā senayā yuktā vāmaṃ pakṣamapālayan ॥6-95-30॥
Ashwatthama, Somadatta, and the Avanti warriors, who were great charioteers, were strategically positioned with a large army to guard the left flank.
duryodhano mahārāja trigartaiḥ sarvato vṛtaḥ। vyūhamadhye sthito rājanpāṇḍavānprati bhārata ॥6-95-31॥
Duryodhana, the great king, was strategically positioned in the center of the military formation, surrounded by the Trigartas on all sides, ready to confront the Pandavas, O king, O descendant of Bharata.
alambuso rathaśreṣṭhaḥ śrutāyuśca mahārathaḥ। pṛṣṭhataḥ sarvasainyānāṃ sthitau vyūhasya daṃśitau ॥6-95-32॥
Alambusa, the foremost among charioteers, and Śrutāyu, the great warrior, were positioned at the rear of all the troops, safeguarding the formation.
evamete tadā vyūhaṃ kṛtvā bhārata tāvakāḥ। saṃnaddhāḥ samadṛśyanta pratapanta ivāgnayaḥ ॥6-95-33॥
Thus, O Bharata, your men, having formed the battle array, appeared resplendent like blazing fires.
tathā yudhiṣṭhiro rājā bhīmasenaśca pāṇḍavaḥ। nakulaḥ sahadevaśca mādrīputrāvubhāvapi ॥ agrataḥ sarvasainyānāṃ sthitā vyūhasya daṃśitāḥ ॥6-95-34॥
Thus, King Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, Nakula, and Sahadeva, the sons of Madri, stood at the forefront of the entire army, ready in their formation.
dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaśca sātyakiśca mahārathaḥ। sthitāḥ sainyena mahatā parānīkavināśanāḥ ॥6-95-35॥
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, and Sātyaki, the great chariot-warriors, stood with a large army, ready to destroy the enemy forces.
śikhaṇḍī vijayaścaiva rākṣasaśca ghaṭotkacaḥ। cekitāno mahābāhuḥ kuntibhojaśca vīryavān ॥ sthitā raṇe mahārāja mahatyā senayā vṛtāḥ ॥6-95-36॥
Shikhandi, Vijaya, Rakshasa Ghatotkacha, Cekitana, the mighty-armed Kuntibhoja, and the powerful warriors stood ready in battle, O great king, surrounded by a formidable army.
abhimanyurmaheṣvāso drupadaśca mahārathaḥ। kekayā bhrātaraḥ pañca sthitā yuddhāya daṃśitāḥ ॥6-95-37॥
Abhimanyu, the great archer, along with Drupada, the great chariot-warrior, and the five brothers of the Kekayas, stood ready and prepared for battle.
evaṃ te'pi mahāvyūhaṃ prativyūhya sudurjayam। pāṇḍavāḥ samare śūrāḥ sthitā yuddhāya māriṣa ॥6-95-38॥
Thus, O great one, the heroic Pandavas stood ready for battle, having countered the formidable and nearly unconquerable great formation.
tāvakāstu raṇe yattāḥ sahasenā narādhipāḥ। abhyudyayū raṇe pārthānbhīṣmaṃ kṛtvāgrato nṛpa ॥6-95-39॥
Your kings, ready for battle, advanced with their forces towards the Pandavas, with Bhishma leading them, O king.
tathaiva pāṇḍavā rājanbhīmasenapurogamāḥ। bhīṣmaṃ yuddhapariprepsuṃ saṅgrāme vijigīṣavaḥ ॥6-95-40॥
In the same manner, O king, the Pandavas, with Bhimasena at the forefront, were eager to engage in battle, aiming to defeat Bhishma on the battlefield.
kṣveḍāḥ kilikilāśabdānkrakacāṅgoviṣāṇikāḥ। bherīmṛdaṅgapaṇavānnādayantaśca puṣkarān ॥ pāṇḍavā abhyadhāvanta nadanto bhairavānravān ॥6-95-41॥
The Pandavas, making roaring and terrifying sounds, rushed forward accompanied by the screeching noises of saws and cow horns, and the sounds of drums, mridangas, panavas, and kettledrums.
bherīmṛdaṅgaśaṅkhānāṃ dundubhīnāṃ ca nisvanaiḥ। utkruṣṭasiṃhanādaiśca valgitaiśca pṛthagvidhaiḥ ॥6-95-42॥
The air was filled with the sounds of drums, mridangas, conches, and kettledrums, accompanied by loud lion-roars and various kinds of shouts.
vayaṁ pratinadantastānabhyagacchāma satvarāḥ। sahasaivābhisaṅkruddhāstadāsīttumulaṁ mahat ॥6-95-43॥
We quickly approached them, shouting back in anger. Suddenly, it turned into a great tumult.
tato'nyonyaṃ pradhāvantaḥ samprahāraṃ pracakrire। tataḥ śabdena mahatā pracakampe vasundharā ॥6-95-44॥
The warriors rushed towards each other and engaged in battle. The earth shook with the great noise that ensued.
pakṣiṇaśca mahāghoraṃ vyāharanto vibabhramuḥ। saprabhaścoditaḥ sūryo niṣprabhaḥ samapadyata ॥6-95-45॥
The birds flew around making terrible sounds, and the sun, which had risen brightly, lost its brightness.
vavuśca tumulā vātāḥ śaṁsantaḥ sumahadbhayam। ghorāśca ghoranirhrādāḥ śivāstatra vavāśire ॥ vedayantyo mahārāja mahadvaiśasamāgatam ॥6-95-46॥
The fierce winds blew violently, signaling a great danger. In that place, dreadful jackals howled with terrifying roars, foretelling, O great king, the arrival of a significant disaster.
diśaḥ prajvalitā rājanpāṃsuvarṣaṃ papāta ca। rudhireṇa samunmiśramasthivarṣaṃ tathaiva ca ॥6-95-47॥
The directions were set ablaze, O king, as a rain of dust and bones mixed with blood fell from the sky.
rudatāṃ vāhanānāṃ ca netrebhyaḥ prāpatajjalam। susruvuśca śakṛnmūtraṃ pradhyāyanto viśāṃ pate ॥6-95-48॥
Tears fell from the eyes of the weeping vehicles, and excrement and urine flowed as they pondered, O lord of the people.
antarhitā mahānādāḥ śrūyante bharatarṣabha। rakṣasāṃ puruṣādānāṃ nadatāṃ bhairavānravān ॥6-95-49॥
O best of Bharatas, hidden great sounds of roaring demons and man-eaters are heard, producing fearful noises.
sampatantaḥ sma dṛśyante gomāyubakavāyasāḥ। śvānaśca vividhairnādairbhaṣantastatra tasthire ॥6-95-50॥
Jackals, cranes, and crows were seen flying. Dogs were also there, barking with various sounds.
jvalitāśca maholkā vai samāhatya divākaram। nipetuḥ sahasā bhūmau vedayānā mahadbhayam ॥6-95-51॥
Blazing meteors struck the sun and suddenly fell to the ground, signaling a great fear.
mahānty anīkāni mahāsamucchraye; samāgame pāṇḍavadhārtarāṣṭrayoḥ। prakāśire śaṅkhamṛdaṅganisvanaiḥ; prakampitānīva vanāni vāyunā ॥6-95-52॥
In the grand assembly where the Pandavas and Dhartarashtras met, the great armies shone with the resounding echoes of conches and drums, as if the forests themselves were being shaken by a mighty wind.
narendranāgāśvasamākulānā; mabhyāyatīnām aśive muhūrte। babhūva ghoṣas tumulaś camūnāṃ; vātoddhutānām iva sāgarāṇām ॥6-95-53॥
At an inauspicious moment, as the kings, elephants, and horses approached, a tumultuous sound arose from the armies, resembling the roar of oceans stirred by the wind.
