07.029
Pancharatra and Core: Vṛṣaka and Achala, two brothers of Shakuni killed by Arjuna. Shakuni engages in an illusory battle with Arjuna. Arjuna fights and Kaurava army retreats.
Sanjaya said:
Arjuna, the beloved friend of Indra, known for his immense energy, after slaying the king of Pragjyotisha, circumambulated the area and returned.
Then the two sons of the Gandhara king, known as conquerors of enemy cities, Vṛṣaka and Achala, attacked Arjuna in battle.
The two heroes, having encountered Arjuna, attacked him from the front and back with their arrows, which were swift, sharp, and extremely forceful.
Arjuna, with his sharp arrows, shattered into pieces the horses, charioteer, bow, umbrella, chariot, and flag of Vṛṣaka, who was associated with Saubala.
Then Arjuna attacked the Gandharas, led by Saubala, with a barrage of arrows and various weapons, causing confusion among them once more.
In his anger, Dhananjaya dispatched five hundred Gandharan warriors, who were armed and ready, to the realm of death using his arrows.
The mighty-armed warrior quickly descended from his destroyed chariot and climbed onto his brother's chariot, taking up another bow.
The two brothers, known as Vṛṣakācalas, mounted the same chariot and repeatedly attacked Bībhatsu with a barrage of arrows.
Your brothers-in-law, the noble kings Vṛṣakā and Acalā, fiercely attacked Arjuna and Indra, reminiscent of the battle between Vṛtra and Bala.
The Gandharas, having achieved their target, brought the Pandava back, just as the summer and rainy months bring heat and rain to the world.
Arjuna, with a single arrow, killed those two great warriors, the kings Vrishakachala, who stood on their chariot with their limbs entwined, O king.
The two brothers, resembling lions in appearance, with red eyes and mighty arms, fell lifeless from the chariot. They were heroes, sharing similar features.
Their bodies fell from the chariot to the ground, beloved by their kin. They spread their virtuous fame in all ten directions and remained steadfast.
Upon witnessing their maternal uncles slain and fleeing in battle, your sons, O lord of the people, were overwhelmed with grief and shed tears profusely.
Upon witnessing the death of the brothers, Shakuni, known for his expertise in numerous illusions, then cast a spell to bewilder Krishna and Arjuna.
There were clubs, iron balls, stones, and hundred-killers, all with great power; along with maces, iron bars, swords, spears, hammers, and axes.
There were shaking spears, clawed clubs, axes, razors, razor tubes, calf teeth, and three-jointed weapons.
Discus, arrows, javelins, and various weapons rained down from all directions towards Arjuna.
There were donkeys, camels, buffaloes, lions, tigers, deer, mice, bears, wolves, vultures, monkeys, and reptiles.
Various hungry demons and angry birds rushed towards Arjuna.
Then, the heroic son of Kunti, Dhananjaya, who was skilled in divine weapons, suddenly attacked them by releasing a barrage of arrows.
They were slain everywhere, being struck down by the hero with firm and excellent arrows, and perished with great noise.
Then, darkness enveloped Arjuna's chariot, and from that darkness, harsh voices emerged, threatening Arjuna.
Arjuna used a powerful weapon of light to dispel the darkness. Once the darkness was destroyed, terrifying floods of water emerged.
Arjuna used the sun weapon to destroy the water, and it mostly dried up as a result.
Arjuna, with a smile, quickly destroyed the various illusions created by Saubala using the power of his weapons.
Then Arjuna demonstrated his supreme skill in weaponry to his foes by raining down a torrent of arrows upon the Kaurava army.
O great king, your son's army, being struck by Arjuna, was divided into two, just like the river Ganga when it encounters a mountain.
Some of the great warriors followed Drona, while others, being harassed by Arjuna, followed Duryodhana, O king.
I cannot see this army because it is covered by darkness. However, I heard the sound of the Gandiva coming from the south.
The battlefield was filled with the resounding echoes of conches, drums, and musical instruments, while the mighty sound of Arjuna's Gandiva bow rose above all, reaching the heavens.
Then again, from the south, a battle ensued among the distinguished warriors. Arjuna fought valiantly, but I pursued Drona.
O Bharata, Arjuna scattered the various armies of your sons in due time, just as the wind scatters clouds in the sky.
No one could stop him as he approached like Indra, showering a torrent of arrows, a great archer, fierce as a tiger among men.
As Arjuna attacked fiercely, your soldiers, in great distress, began to kill their own men while fleeing in all directions.
The arrows released by Arjuna, feathered and sharp, flew like a swarm of locusts, covering all ten directions.
O honorable one, they pierced through the horse, the charioteer, the elephant, and the foot-soldier, and went into the earth like serpents entering an anthill.
He did not need to release a second arrow, as the elephants, horses, and men fell lifeless, each struck by a single arrow.
The battlefield was filled with slain men and horses everywhere, and with elephants felled by showers of arrows. It resounded with the cries of dogs, jackals, and vultures, creating a strange scene.
In times of distress, such as being attacked by Arjuna, individuals prioritize their own safety above all else. Fathers may abandon sons, and sons their fathers, as well as friends and vehicles, to protect themselves.
