07.036
Pancharatra and Core: Abhimanyu fights multiple prominent warriors of the Karuava side single handed.
Sanjaya said:
Seeing his army broken by the immensely powerful Abhimanyu, Duryodhana, in great anger, personally confronted Abhimanyu.
Then, seeing that the king Saubhadra had returned to the battlefield, Drona instructed the warriors to surround the king.
In the past, the valiant Abhimanyu would strike our target in full view. Attack him without fear and swiftly protect the Kaurava.
Then, your grateful and strong friends, who are conquerors of the visible, surrounded your heroic son out of fear, being frightened.
Drona, his son Ashwatthama, Kripa, Karna, Kritavarma, Shakuni's son, Brihadbala, the king of Madra, Bhuri, Bhurishrava, and Shala were present.
Paurava and Vṛṣasena released sharp arrows, covering Saubhadra with a great shower of arrows.
After deluding him, Arjuna's son released Duryodhana, unable to tolerate him like food thrown from the mouth.
Saubhadra, having repelled the great charioteers and warriors with a multitude of arrows, then uttered a lion's roar.
Upon hearing his roar, like a lion in search of prey, the chariots led by Drona, filled with intense anger, could not bear it again.
They surrounded him with chariots and released various kinds of arrows in groups, O dear one.
Your grandson cut those in the sky with sharp arrows and pierced them, which seemed wonderful.
Then, angered by him, they surrounded Saubhadra with arrows resembling serpents, intending to kill him, without letting him escape.
Abhimanyu alone held back your vast sea of strength, just as the shore contains the ocean, the abode of crocodiles.
Among the heroes engaged in battle, none turned away from fighting each other, nor from Abhimanyu and the enemies.
In the midst of that terrifying and fierce battle, Duhsaha struck Abhimanyu with nine arrows.
Duhshasana attacked with twelve arrows, Kripa and Sharadvata with three each, but Drona used seventeen arrows that were like venomous snakes.
Kritavarma with twenty-two units, Brihadbala with eight, and Ashwatthama with seven units were present.
Bhūriśravāḥ shot three arrows, the king of Madra shot six swift arrows, Shakuni shot two arrows, and King Duryodhana shot three arrows.
The powerful warrior, with bow in hand, skillfully pierced them with three straight arrows, appearing as if he were dancing, O great king.
Then Abhimanyu, filled with rage and tormented by your sons, showcased his immense skill and strength, particularly in his chest.
The charioteer, with the speed of Garuda and the wind, urged the tamed horses to bring the heir of Ashmaka swiftly. He then pierced him with ten arrows, commanding him to 'Stop'.
Abhimanyu, with a smile, skillfully shot ten arrows causing the charioteer, horses, flag, arms, bow, and head to fall to the ground.
Then, after the hero, the king of the Ashmakas, was slain by Saubhadra, the entire army began to retreat, focused on fleeing.
Then Karna, Kripa, Drona, Ashwatthama (son of Drona), the king of Gandhara, Shala, Shalya, Bhurishrava, Kratha, Somadatta, and Vivimshati were present.
Vṛṣasena, Suṣeṇa, Kuṇḍabhedī, Pratardana, Vṛndāraka, Lalittha, Prabāhu, Dīrghalocana, and the enraged Duryodhana showered arrows upon their foes.
In his intense anger, Abhimanyu, surrounded by great archers, took an arrow aimed at Karna, intending to pierce another's body.
The swift arrow pierced through his armor and body, entering the earth like a serpent entering an anthill, O king.
Karṇa, distressed and as if bewildered by the severe blow, staggered in the battle like a mountain during an earthquake.
Then, in his anger, the mighty warrior used sharp arrows from others to kill Suṣeṇa, Dīrghalocana, and Kuṇḍabhedin with three arrows.
Karna attacked him with twenty-five iron arrows, while Ashwatthama used twenty and Kritavarma used seven.
He, the son of Indra's son, wounded and angry, is seen moving through the army like Yama, the god of death, holding a noose.
Shalya, with a shower of arrows, covered the nearby area, while the mighty-armed one shouted, frightening your armies.
Then Śalya, pierced by the skilled archer's straight and vital-point hitting arrows, sat down on the chariot seat and lost consciousness, O king.
When the glorious Saubhadra pierced him, the entire army of Bharadvaja fled in his sight.
As they look upon the mighty-armed one surrounded by golden-feathered arrows, your men flee as deer do when frightened by a lion.
He was honored by the glory of battle and by groups of ancestors, gods, singers, perfected beings, and yakshas, as well as by those on earth. He shone with delight like a fire anointed with ghee.
