06.112
Pancharatra and Core: Recap of the war till now, by a different author, with Arjuna at the centre.
Sanjaya said:
O great king, your son Abhimanyu fought valiantly with a great army for the sake of Bhishma.
In the battle, an angry Duryodhana struck Kṛṣṇa's follower with nine bent-jointed arrows and then again with three arrows.
Kārṣṇi, in his anger, sent his formidable power in battle towards Duryodhana's chariot, akin to the dreadful sister of death.
As she approached suddenly in a terrifying form, your son, the great chariot warrior, swiftly cut her in two with his sharp weapon, O lord of the people.
Upon seeing the fallen weapon, Arjuna, filled with intense anger, shot three arrows at Duryodhana, targeting his arms and chest.
Once more, the fierce Duryodhana, intolerant and unyielding, was struck in the chest with ten arrows by the best of the Bharatas.
The battle was fierce and diverse in its forms, O Bharata, delighting the spectators and honored by all the kings.
In the battle, for the purpose of Bhishma's demise and Partha's victory, the two valiant warriors, Saubhadra and the foremost of the Kurus, engaged in combat.
In the battle, the eminent Brahmin, Drona's son, angrily struck the fierce Satyaki on the chest with an iron arrow.
The son of Śinī, possessing an immeasurable soul, struck the teacher's son in all his vital parts with nine arrows, O descendant of Bharata.
In the battle, Ashwatthama attacked Satyaki with nine arrows and then swiftly placed thirty more on his arms and chest.
The greatly renowned great archer Sātvata, though deeply pierced by Droṇa's son, retaliated by striking Droṇa's son with three arrows.
Paurava approached Dhṛṣṭaketu in battle with arrows and pierced him in many ways, making him a great archer and chariot-warrior.
In the battle, Dhṛṣṭaketu, a great chariot-warrior, attacked the descendant of Puru with thirty sharp arrows, demonstrating his immense strength.
Paurava, after cutting the bow of the great chariot-warrior Dhṛṣṭaketu, roared mightily and struck with ten arrows.
He took another bow belonging to Paurava and struck with seventy-three sharp iron arrows, O great king.
The two great archers, ministers, and charioteers, standing there, showered each other with a great rain of arrows.
O Bharata, after cutting each other's bows and killing the horses, those two great warriors came together to fight without their chariots.
In the variegated hide of the bull, adorned with a hundred moons, and swords adorned with a hundred stars, they were very splendid.
O king, having seized their weapons, those two pure warriors rushed towards each other in the battlefield, like lions in the great forest.
They moved in various circles, coming and going, showing and requesting each other.
Paurava, in a fit of anger, struck Dhṛṣṭaketu with a great sword in the region of Shankha, commanding him to "Stop, stop."
The king of the Cedis, in the battle, struck the noble descendant of Puru, the best among men, with a sharp sword at the collarbone.
O great king, those two warriors, having confronted each other in the fierce battle, were struck by each other's force and fell down, O subduer of enemies.
Then, your son Jayatsena, having mounted his own chariot, carried Paurava away from the battlefield, O king.
O king, the valiant Sahadeva carried away Dhṛṣṭaketu and the son of Mādrī, the scorcher of foes, in the battle.
Citrasena struck Suśarman with nine swift arrows, then pierced him again with sixty arrows, and once more with nine arrows.
Suśarmā, in his anger during the battle, struck your son, O lord of the people, with twenty sharp arrows.
Citrasena, in his anger, struck the king with thirty bent joints in battle, and the king retaliated, enhancing Bhishma's fame and honor in the battle, O king.
Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, engaged in battle with Brihadbala. The king of Kosala struck Arjuna's son with five iron arrows and then pierced him again with twenty more arrows with bent joints.
Brihadbala and Saubhadra, struck with nine iron arrows, stood firm in battle and continued to pierce repeatedly.
Arjuna once again cut the bow of Kausalya and struck him with thirty winged arrows.
Prince Brihadbala, seizing another bow, angrily attacked Arjuna in the battle with numerous arrows.
O great king, a fierce battle took place for the sake of Bhishma between the enraged and skilled warriors, reminiscent of the legendary battle between the gods and demons, Maya and Indra.
Bhimasena shone brilliantly as he fought against the elephant army, just like Indra wielding his thunderbolt to tear apart the great mountains.
The mountain-like elephants, struck by Bhima, fell to the ground together, causing a resounding noise on the earth.
Those elephants, as large as mountains and resembling broken masses of collyrium, shone as they reached the earth, scattered like mountains.
Yudhishthira, the great archer, attacked the Madra king in battle, who was protected by a large army, and joined forces.
The valiant Madra king, driven by his allegiance to Bhishma, fiercely attacked the great warrior Dharmaputra on the battlefield.
The Sindhu king, after initially piercing Virata with bent-joint arrows, struck him again with thirty sharp arrows.
Virata, the great king, attacked the Sindhu prince at the forefront of the army with thirty sharp arrows, hitting him in the chest.
In the battle, the bright bows, swords, armors, weapons, and flags of Matsya and Sindhu shone brilliantly.
Drona, upon encountering the son of Panchala in the great battle, created a significant disturbance using arrows with bent joints.
Then Droṇa, O great king, severed the great bow of the son of Pṛṣata and struck him with fifty arrows.
The son of Prishata, a formidable warrior, took up another bow and, in the presence of Drona, launched his arrows during the battle.
Drona, the great chariot-warrior, skillfully repelled those arrows with volleys of his own and then sent five arrows towards the son of Drupada.
The enraged great king, son of Prishata, who was a slayer of enemy heroes, hurled a mace resembling the staff of Yama at Drona during the battle.
Drona, with fifty arrows, stopped her as she suddenly approached, adorned with a golden cloth, in the battle.
She was cut into many pieces by the arrows released from Drona's bow, shattered and disintegrating, she fell to the ground, O king.
Upon witnessing the destruction of the mace, the valiant son of Prishata, known as the destroyer of enemies, cast the all-encompassing and auspicious spear towards Drona.
Droṇa, with nine arrows, cut her down in the battle, O Bharata, and afflicted the great archer Pārṣata in the combat.
Thus, O great king, the great battle that occurred between Drona and Drupada's son was directed towards Bhishma, and it was of a terrible and frightening nature.
Arjuna, upon reaching Bhishma, the son of Ganga, relentlessly attacked him with sharp arrows, charging like a mad elephant in the forest.
Bhagadatta, renowned for his valor, advanced towards Arjuna, the son of Pritha, with his powerful and intoxicated elephant, attacking in three directions.
Bibhatsu (Arjuna) quickly engaged with great effort against the one approaching like the mighty elephant of Indra.
Then, King Bhagadatta, known for his might, riding on an elephant, confronted Arjuna with a barrage of arrows during the battle.
Arjuna, however, in the great battle, pierced the approaching elephant that resembled silver with his pure and sharp iron arrows.
The son of Kunti urged Shikhandin to go towards Bhishma, saying, "O great king, conquer him."
The elder brother of Pāṇḍu, after leaving the city of Prāgjyotiṣa, quickly went towards King Drupada's chariot.
Then, O great king, Arjuna swiftly advanced towards Bhishma with Shikhandi leading the way, and thus the battle began.
Then your brave warriors charged fiercely at the Pāṇḍava in battle, all shouting, and it seemed as if it was a marvel.
O ruler of people, Arjuna scattered the various armies of your sons in due time, just as the wind scatters clouds in the sky.
Shikhandi approached the grandsire of the Bharatas and calmly showered him with many arrows in quick succession.
In the battle, Bhishma killed the Somakas and the followers of Partha, and the great chariot-warrior held back the Pandavas' army.
The chariot, with its fire-chamber and an unending blaze, along with swords, spears, maces, and arrows like a great flame, consumed the warriors in battle.
Just as a great fire spreads through the forest with the wind, Bhishma too blazed forth, invoking divine weapons.
Bhishma, the greatly renowned, filled all directions and regions with the sound of his golden-feathered, sharp, and bent-jointed arrows.
O king, he caused the charioteers and elephants along with their riders to fall, making the groups of chariots resemble forests of palm trees.
O king, at that time, Bhishma, the greatest among all warriors, rendered the chariots, elephants, and horses without riders in the battle.
O king, upon hearing the sound of the bowstring, which was like the thunder of a thunderbolt, the soldiers trembled from all sides.
O lord of men, the arrows released from Bhishma's bow, though unfailing, did not stick in the bodies.
O king, we observe chariots without drivers, well-harnessed to swift horses, flying and being carried away, O lord of the people.
Fourteen thousand renowned great charioteers from the noble families of the Cedis, Kashis, and Karushas have sacrificed their lives.
The fearless warriors, adorned with golden banners, confronted Bhishma in battle with their horses, chariots, and elephants, and met their end, as if swallowed by death itself.
O great king, there was no great warrior among the Somakas who, upon reaching Bhishma in battle, focused his mind on survival.
Observing Bhishma's valor, people believed that all the warriors were being led to the abode of Yama, the god of death, in the battlefield.
No great warrior dares to confront him in battle, except for the heroic son of Pandu, who rides with white horses and has Krishna as his charioteer, along with Shikhandi, the valiant Panchala prince of immense energy.
Shikhandi, however, approached Bhishma in battle and struck him with twenty arrows, O best of the Bharatas, during the great battle.
Bhishma, the son of Ganga, cast a sidelong glance at Shikhandin, his eyes blazing with anger, as if he were burning him, O Bharata.
O king, remembering that he was a woman while the whole world watched, Bhishma did not kill him in battle, nor did he recognize him.
Arjuna, addressing Shikhandi, urged him to swiftly defeat the Grandsire.
"What is your intention, O hero, in slaying Bhishma, the great chariot-warrior? Indeed, I see no one else among the sons of Yudhishthira who matches his strength."
O tiger among men, truly, I tell you that no one except you is capable of challenging Bhishma in battle.
Upon being addressed in this manner by Arjuna, Śikhaṇḍī, the best among the Bharatas, swiftly attacked the grandsire Bhīṣma with a variety of arrows.
Without considering those arrows, your father Devavrata restrained the angry Arjuna in the battle with his arrows.
In the same manner, the great warrior of the Pandavas sent the entire army to the other world with sharp weapons in battle, O venerable one.
In the same manner, O king, the Pandavas, with their vast army, enveloped Bhishma just as clouds envelop the sun.
O best of the Bharatas, he was surrounded on all sides and burned the heroes in battle like a forest fire.
There, we witnessed the extraordinary valor of your son. He engaged in battle with Arjuna and upheld his vow.
By the actions in battle of your son, the archer Duḥśāsana, all the worlds were pleased with the great soul.
When a single warrior fought against the sons of Pritha and their followers in battle, the Pandavas could not overpower him in that fierce encounter.
In the battle, Duḥśāsana rendered the charioteers chariotless. O great king, the horsemen and the mighty elephant riders were also defeated.
Pierced by sharp arrows, they fell to the ground. Other elephants, afflicted by the arrows, fled in all directions.
Just as fire consumes fuel with its intense blazing flames, your son fiercely attacked and overwhelmed the Pāṇḍavas.
No one can conquer or challenge the great minister of the Bharatas, the great chariot warrior of the Pandavas, except for the son of Mahendra, who has white horses and Krishna as his charioteer.
O King, having defeated his opponent in battle, Arjuna, known as Vijaya, charged directly at Bhishma, as the entire army watched.
Your son, relying on Bhishma's strength, repeatedly regained his composure and fought fiercely. O king, he shone while battling Arjuna.
In the battle, Shikhandi fiercely attacked the grandfather with arrows that struck like thunderbolts and were as deadly as serpent's poison, O king.
The arrows did not harm your father, O king. Smiling, Bhishma accepted them at that time.
The son of Ganga, Bhishma, received a barrage of arrows from Shikhandi, just as a man suffering from heat welcomes streams of water.
O great king, the warriors saw Bhishma, terrible in battle, as he burned the armies of the noble Pandavas.
Then your son instructed all the armies, "O venerable one, attack Arjuna in the battle from all directions with chariots."
Bhishma, who understands dharma, will protect you all in the battle. They, having cast aside their great fear, are fighting against the Pandavas.
Bhishma, with his resounding presence and brilliance, stands firm, safeguarding all the sons of Dhritarashtra in the battle, providing them both shelter and armor.
Even the thirty gods assembled cannot defeat Bhishma. How then can the sons of Pritha, who are mortal and strong, defeat the great soul? Therefore, O warriors, retreat when you encounter Arjuna in battle.
Today, I am ready to fight Arjuna in battle, along with all of you, the kings of the earth, who are prepared from all sides.
Upon hearing the words of your son, the archer, O king, the mighty warriors prepared themselves to face Arjuna.
The Videhas, Kalingas, along with the tribes of Dasharaka, launched an attack, and the Nishadas and Sauviras joined in the great battle.
The Bahlika, Darada, eastern and northern Malava, Abhishaha, Shurasena, Shibi, and Vasati people are mentioned.
The followers of Śālva, the Trigartas, and the Ambasthas, along with the Kekayas, charged at Arjuna in the battle, resembling moths rushing towards a flame.
Arjuna, O great king, considered the divine weapons and fixed them on all the great charioteers and troops.
The mighty warrior swiftly incinerated his enemies with his powerful and fast-moving weapons, terrifying them with his skill in archery, like a fire consuming moths.
The strong archer released thousands of arrows, and they appeared like the shining Gandiva bow in the sky.
O great king, those kings, afflicted by arrows and with their chariots and banners scattered, did not return together with the army bearing the monkey banner.
The charioteers with banners fell along with the horse riders and their horses, and the elephants along with their riders, all struck down by Arjuna's arrows.
Then the earth was enveloped by the arms released by Arjuna and the fleeing forces of the kings from all directions.
Then the mighty-armed Arjuna, son of Pritha, after routing the enemy forces, sent arrows towards Duhshasana in the battlefield.
They pierced your son Duhshasana with iron faces and entered the earth like serpents into an anthill. Then he killed his horses and charioteer.
O lord, you made twenty-two chariots without riders using twenty arrows, and struck severely with five bent-jointed arrows.
The son of Kunti, Arjuna, who has white horses, pierced Kripa, Shalya, and Vikarna with many iron arrows, rendering them chariotless.
Thus, O sir, Kṛpa, Śalya, Duḥśāsana, Vikarṇa, and Viviṃśati, all five of them, having lost their chariots, fled from the battlefield, defeated by Arjuna.
In the forenoon, O king, Arjuna, having defeated the great chariot-warriors, blazed in battle like a smokeless fire.
In the same manner, O great king, he struck down other kings with a shower of arrows, just as the sun shines with its rays.
Then, having turned the great charioteers away with showers of arrows, a great river filled with blood was set in motion in the battle through the middle of the Kuru and Pandava armies, O Bharata.
Elephants and chariots were attacked in various ways by the charioteers. Chariots were destroyed by elephants, and elephants were taken down by horsemen and foot soldiers.
The bodies and heads of elephants, horses, chariots, and warriors were cut and fell in all directions.
The battlefield, covered with illusionary weapons, gleamed with warriors adorned with earrings and armlets, as princes and great charioteers fell and were struck down.
The wheels of the chariots were severed and crushed by the elephants. The foot soldiers, along with their horses and riders, were visible amidst the chaos.
Elephants, horses, and chariots moved chaotically in all directions. The chariots lay scattered on the ground, their wheels, axles, and banners broken.
The battlefield, covered in the blood of elephants, horses, and chariots, appeared as radiant as a red cloud in autumn.
Dogs, crows, vultures, and wolves along with jackals howled together upon finding food, and the beasts and birds appeared distorted.
The winds blew in various directions, creating a tumultuous atmosphere among the visible demons and beings, who were howling.
Golden garlands, flags, and great treasures are suddenly seen smoking, carried away by the wind.
Thousands of white umbrellas and great chariots with flags were seen scattered in hundreds and thousands. Elephants with banners moved in all directions, distressed by arrows.
O lord of men, warriors wielding maces, spears, and bows were seen fallen all around on the ground.
Then Bhishma, the great king, invoked a divine weapon and charged towards Arjuna, the son of Kunti, in full view of all the archers.
Śikhaṇḍī, filled with anger, charged at him with determination in the battle. Then Bhīṣma withdrew his weapon, which was like fire.
At that very moment, Arjuna, the son of Kunti, confused Bhishma and destroyed your army.
