06.098
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca॥
Dhritarashtra spoke:
kathaṁ droṇo maheṣvāsaḥ pāṇḍavaśca dhanañjayaḥ। samīyatū raṇe śūrau tanmamācakṣva sañjaya ॥6-98-1॥
Sañjaya, tell me how the great archer Droṇa and Pāṇḍava Dhanañjaya met in battle.
priyo hi pāṇḍavo nityaṃ bhāradvājasya dhīmataḥ। ācāryaśca raṇe nityaṃ priyaḥ pārthasya sañjaya ॥6-98-2॥
Indeed, the wise Bhāradvāja always holds the Pāṇḍava dear. Similarly, in battle, the teacher is always dear to Pārtha, O Sañjaya.
tāvubhau rathinau saṅkhye dṛptau siṃhāvivotkaṭau। kathaṃ samīyaturyuddhe bhāradvājadhanañjayau ॥6-98-3॥
Both Bharadvaja and Dhananjaya, proud and fierce like lions, met in the battle as charioteers. How did this encounter unfold?
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
na droṇaḥ samare pārthaṃ jānīte priyamātmanaḥ। kṣatradharmaṃ puraskṛtya pārtho vā gurumāhave ॥6-98-4॥
Drona does not recognize Arjuna as dear to him in the battle. Arjuna, prioritizing his warrior duty, faces his teacher in the fight.
na kṣatriyā raṇe rājanvarjayanti parasparam। nirmaryādaṃ hi yudhyante pitṛbhirbhrātṛbhiḥ saha ॥6-98-5॥
O king, warriors do not avoid each other in battle; they fight without restraint, even with their own fathers and brothers.
raṇe bhārata pārthena droṇo viddhastribhiḥ śaraiḥ। nācintayata tānbāṇānpārthacāpyutānyudhi ॥6-98-6॥
In the battle, O Bharata, Drona was struck by three arrows shot by Partha. However, he did not pay any heed to those arrows released from Partha's bow during the fight.
śaravṛṣṭyā punaḥ pārthaśchādayāmāsa taṃ raṇe। prajajvāla ca roṣeṇa gahane'gnirivotthitaḥ ॥6-98-7॥
Arjuna, with a shower of arrows, once more enveloped his opponent on the battlefield. His anger flared up like a fire igniting in a dense forest.
tato'rjunaṁ raṇe droṇaḥ śaraiḥ saṁnataparvabhiḥ। vārayāmāsa rājendra nacirādiva bhārata ॥6-98-8॥
Then Drona, with his curved arrows, quickly checked Arjuna in the battle, O king, as if it were just a short time, O descendant of Bharata.
tato duryodhano rājā suśarmāṇamacodayat। droṇasya samare rājanpārṣṇigrahaṇakāraṇāt ॥6-98-9॥
Then King Duryodhana urged Susharman to attack Drona from the rear in the battle, O king.
trigartarāḍapi kruddho bhṛśamāyamya kārmukam। chādayāmāsa samare pārthaṃ bāṇairayomukhaiḥ ॥6-98-10॥
The king of Trigarta, in his anger, drew his bow with great force and showered Arjuna with iron-tipped arrows in the battle.
tābhyāṃ muktāḥ śarā rājannantarikṣe virejire। haṃsā iva mahārāja śaratkāle nabhastale ॥6-98-11॥
The arrows released by them, O king, shone in the sky like swans do in the autumn season, O great king.
te śarāḥ prāpya kaunteyaṃ samastā viviśuḥ prabho। phalabhāranataṃ yadvatsvāduvṛkṣaṃ vihaṅgamāḥ ॥6-98-12॥
The arrows, having reached Arjuna, all entered him, O lord, just as birds flock to a fruit-laden tree.
arjunastu raṇe nādaṃ vinadya rathināṃ varaḥ। trigartarājaṃ samare saputraṃ vivyadhe śaraiḥ ॥6-98-13॥
Arjuna, renowned as the best among charioteers, let out a mighty roar on the battlefield and skillfully pierced the Trigarta king along with his sons using his arrows.
te vadhyamānāḥ pārthena kāleneva yugakṣaye। pārthamevābhyavartanta maraṇe kṛtaniścayāḥ ॥ mumucuḥ śaravṛṣṭiṃ ca pāṇḍavasya rathaṃ prati ॥6-98-14॥
As they were being slain by Arjuna, just as time ends an era, they turned solely towards Arjuna, resolved to die. They unleashed a rain of arrows towards the Pandava's chariot.
śaravṛṣṭiṃ tatastāṃ tu śaravarṣeṇa pāṇḍavaḥ। pratijagrāha rājendra toyavṛṣṭimivācalaḥ ॥6-98-15॥
Then the Pandava, like a mountain withstanding a rain of water, countered that shower of arrows with his own rain of arrows, O king.
tatrādbhutamapaśyāma bībhatsorhastalāghavam। vimuktāṃ bahubhiḥ śūraiḥ śastravṛṣṭiṃ durāsadām ॥6-98-16॥
There, we witnessed the remarkable skill of Bibhatsu's hand as he unleashed an impenetrable barrage of weapons, aided by many valiant warriors.
yadeko vārayāmāsa māruto'bhragaṇāniva। karmaṇā tena pārthasya tutuṣurdevadānavāḥ ॥6-98-17॥
When Arjuna, by his action, stopped the clouds like the wind, both gods and demons were pleased.
atha kruddho raṇe pārthastrigartānprati bhārata। mumocāstraṃ mahārāja vāyavyaṃ pṛtanāmukhe ॥6-98-18॥
Then, in his anger during the battle, Arjuna aimed the wind weapon at the Trigartas, O descendant of Bharata, striking at the forefront of the army, O great king.
prādurāsīttato vāyuḥ kṣobhayāṇo nabhastalam। pātayanvai tarugaṇānvinighnaṃścaiva sainikān ॥6-98-19॥
Then, a strong wind arose, stirring the sky, toppling the trees, and defeating the soldiers.
tato droṇo'bhivīkṣyaiva vāyavyāstraṃ sudāruṇam। śailamanyanmahārāja ghoramastraṃ mumoca ha ॥6-98-20॥
Then Droṇa, upon observing the fierce wind weapon, released another terrible weapon resembling a mountain, O great king.
droṇena yudhi nirmukte tasminnastre mahāmṛdhe। praśaśāma tato vāyuḥ prasannāścābhavandiśaḥ ॥6-98-21॥
When Drona released that weapon in the great battle, the wind subsided and the directions became clear.
tataḥ pāṇḍusuto vīrastrigartasya rathavrajān। nirutsāhānraṇe cakre vimukhānviparākramān ॥6-98-22॥
Then the heroic son of Pandu caused the charioteers of Trigarta to lose heart and turn away in retreat during the battle.
tato duryodhano rājā kṛpaśca rathināṃ varaḥ। aśvatthāmā tataḥ śalyaḥ kāmbojaśca sudakṣiṇaḥ ॥6-98-23॥
Then King Duryodhana, along with Kṛpa, the best among charioteers, Aśvatthāmā, Śalya, Kāmboja, and Sudakṣiṇa, were present.
vindānuvindāvāvantyau bāhlikaśca sabāhlikaḥ। mahatā rathavaṃśena pārthasyāvārayandiśaḥ ॥6-98-24॥
Vindā, Anuvindā, the two princes of Avanti, along with Bahlika and his forces, were obstructing the paths of Arjuna with a formidable array of chariots.
tathaiva bhagadattaśca śrutāyuśca mahābalaḥ। gajānīkena bhīmasya tāvavārayatāṃ diśaḥ ॥6-98-25॥
In the same manner, the mighty Bhagadatta and Śrutāyu, with their elephant army, obstructed Bhīma's path.
bhūriśravāḥ śalaścaiva saubalaśca viśāṃ pate। śaraughairvividhaiḥtūrṇaṃ mādrīputrāvavārayan ॥6-98-26॥
Bhūriśravāḥ, Śalaḥ, and Saubalaḥ, O lord of the people, quickly stopped the sons of Mādrī with a variety of arrow showers.
bhīṣmastu sahitaḥ sarvairdhārtarāṣṭrasya sainikaiḥ। yudhiṣṭhiraṃ samāsādya sarvataḥ paryavārayat ॥6-98-27॥
Bhishma, along with all the soldiers of Dhritarashtra, approached Yudhishthira and encircled him completely.
āpatantaṃ gajānīkaṃ dṛṣṭvā pārtho vṛkodaraḥ। lelihansṛkkiṇī vīro mṛgarāḍiva kānane ॥6-98-28॥
Upon seeing the advancing army of elephants, Arjuna and Bhima, the valiant warriors, prepared themselves eagerly, reminiscent of lions ready to hunt in the forest.
tatastu rathināṃ śreṣṭho gadāṃ gṛhya mahāhave। avaplutya rathāttūrṇaṃ tava sainyamabhīṣayat ॥6-98-29॥
Then, the foremost among charioteers, armed with a mace, swiftly leapt from his chariot into the great battle and launched an attack on your forces.
tamudvīkṣya gadāhastaṃ tataste gajasādinaḥ। parivavru raṇe yattā bhīmasenaṃ samantataḥ ॥6-98-30॥
Upon seeing Bhimasena with his mace, the elephant riders, fully intent, surrounded him from all sides in the battle.
gajamadhyamanuprāptaḥ pāṇḍavaśca vyarājata। meghajālasya mahato yathā madhyagato raviḥ ॥6-98-31॥
Pāṇḍava, having reached the center of the elephants, shone like the sun in the midst of a great mass of clouds.
vyadhamat sa gajānīkaṃ gadayā pāṇḍavarṣabhaḥ। mahābhrajālam atulaṃ mātariśveva santatam ॥6-98-32॥
The mighty Pandava hero smashed through the ranks of the elephant army with his mace, as effortlessly as the wind god disperses the vast and unmatched clouds.
te vadhyamānā balinā bhīmasenena dantinaḥ। ārtanādaṃ raṇe cakrurgarjanto jaladā iva ॥6-98-33॥
The elephants, being slaughtered by the mighty Bhimasena, cried out in distress on the battlefield, roaring like thunderous clouds.
bahudhā dāritaścaiva viṣāṇaistatra dantibhiḥ। phullāśokanibhaḥ pārthaḥ śuśubhe raṇamūrdhani ॥6-98-34॥
Arjuna, though torn in many ways by the horns of elephants, stood out resplendently like a blooming Ashoka tree at the forefront of the battle.
viṣāṇe dantinaṃ gṛhya nirviṣāṇamathākarot। viṣāṇena ca tenaiva kumbhe'bhyāhatya dantinam ॥ pātayāmāsa samare daṇḍahasta ivāntakaḥ ॥6-98-35॥
With his tusk, he seized the elephant and broke its tusk. With the same tusk, he struck the elephant on the forehead, causing it to fall in battle like Yama, the god of death, wielding a staff.
śoṇitāktāṃ gadāṃ bibhranmedomajjākṛtacchaviḥ। kṛtāṅgadaḥ śoṇitena rudravatpratyadṛśyata ॥6-98-36॥
He appeared like Rudra, bearing a blood-smeared mace and having the appearance of fat and marrow, adorned with armlets and covered in blood.
evaṃ te vadhyamānāstu hataśeṣā mahāgajāḥ। prādravanta diśo rājanvimṛdnantaḥ svakaṃ balam ॥6-98-37॥
Thus, O king, the great elephants, after being mostly slain, fled in all directions, crushing their own forces.
dravadbhistairmahānāgaiḥ samantādbharatarṣabha। duryodhanabalaṃ sarvaṃ punarāsītparāṅmukham ॥6-98-38॥
O best of the Bharatas, as the great elephants fled all around, Duryodhana's entire army once again turned away in retreat.
