07.064
Sanjaya said:
Then, O gentle one, as the armies were arranged and the uproar began, the drums and mridangas were beaten and resounded.
The tumult of the troops and the sound of the musical instruments, along with the reverberation of the conches being blown, was so intense that it caused the hair to stand on end.
As the Bharatas prepared for battle, moving slowly and deliberately, Arjuna appeared at the fierce moment.
In front of Arjuna, many thousands of crows and banyan trees were playing there, O descendant of Bharata.
Deer with terrible roars and both auspicious and inauspicious appearances were seen to the south of our departing group, thus giving life.
Blazing meteors fell all around with thunderous sounds, and the entire earth shook in terrible fear.
As Kunti's son approached the battlefield, fierce winds accompanied by thunder and harsh showers of pebbles blew all around.
Nakula, Śatānīka, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and the son of Pṛṣata, who were wise, arranged the armies of the Pāṇḍavas at that time.
Then, there were a thousand chariots, a hundred elephants, three thousand horses, and hundreds of foot soldiers.
Your son Durmarshana, standing at the forefront of all the armies, spoke with a force equivalent to one and a half thousand bows.
Today, I shall halt the mighty archer, wielder of the Gandiva, who is fierce and arrogant in battle, just as the shore halts the ocean's waves.
Today, let them witness in the battle the impatient Dhananjaya, who is attached to me and invincible like a rock peak on a rock.
Thus, the great soul with immense wisdom, while speaking to the great king, stood firm surrounded by great archers.
Then, like the furious Death, like Indra wielding a thunderbolt, like an unstoppable force with a staff in hand, Death was urged by time.
He stood firm like one holding a spear, like Varuna with his noose, and like the fire at the end of an era, he was radiant and ready to burn the creatures once more.
Agitated by anger and impatience, the powerful destroyer of Nivatakavacha stands victorious, committed to truth and determined to fulfill his great vow.
He is adorned with armor and a sword, crowned with gold, dressed in white armor and garments, possessing beautiful limbs and lovely earrings.
Mounted on the finest chariot, the man, a follower of Narayana, wielded the Gandiva bow and shone in the battle like the rising sun.
Dhananjaya, the glorious one, positioned his chariot amidst the great shower of arrows from the foremost army and blew his conch.
Then Krishna, along with Arjuna, calmly and energetically blew his renowned conch, Panchajanya, O descendant of the Maris.
The sound of their conch shell caused the hairs on the soldiers in your army to stand on end, making them tremble and lose consciousness, O lord of men.
Just as all beings are frightened by the sound of thunder, similarly, your soldiers were terrified by the sound of the conch.
The vehicles excreted feces and urine everywhere, thus the entire army with its vehicles became unhindered.
The sound of the conch made the men despondent, O king. Some became unconscious, while others trembled, O lord.
Then the monkey, accompanied by beings and flagpoles, made a great roar, opening his mouth wide and terrifying your soldiers.
Then, once again, conchs, drums, mridangas, and trumpets were sounded together, bringing joy to your army.
The great charioteers assembled with various musical instruments, creating a cacophony of sounds, shouts, crackling noises, and lion-like roars.
In the midst of the tumultuous sound that heightened the fear of the timid, Indra, filled with great joy, spoke to Dāśārha.
"Urge the horses, Hṛṣīkeśa, to where Durmarṣaṇa stands. I will break through this elephant army and enter the enemy forces."
Thus addressed by Savyasachi, the mighty-armed Keshava urged the horses to the place where Durmarshana stood.
The fierce and terrible battle began, leading to the destruction of chariots, elephants, and men on both sides.
Then Arjuna, with a shower of arrows, covered his enemies like a rain-bringing cloud covers the mountains.
The charioteers, in their haste and readiness, launched a barrage of arrows at Krishna and Dhananjaya.
Then, the mighty-armed Arjuna, though being restrained by others in the battle, angrily cut off the heads of the charioteers from their bodies with his arrows.
The earth was strewn with faces having agitated eyes, bitten lips, adorned with auspicious earrings and helmets.
The faces of the warriors, scattered all around, appeared like destroyed lotus forests, shining in their own way.
Golden and variegated objects, sprinkled with blood, appeared, O king, like clouds with lightning.
O king, the sound of heads falling to the ground was heard, similar to the sound of ripened palm fruits falling over time.
Then, a headless trunk stands leaning on a bow, while someone else stands drawing out a sword and raising it with his arm.
The warriors, unaware of the heads fallen on the battlefield, were intolerant and eager for victory against the son of Kunti.
The battlefield was strewn with the severed heads of horses, the trunks of elephants, and the limbs of fallen heroes, covering the earth.
O lord, it seemed as if this son of Pritha appeared among your warriors, as if he became like the son of Pritha. From where did this son of Pritha come?
Deluded by time, they attacked each other and themselves, while others considered Arjuna's being as the entire world.
Many heroes, groaning and covered in blood, lay unconscious and deeply pained, while praising their friends.
Armed with clubs, spears, axes, pikes, swords, bows, and javelins, they were ready for battle.
In battle, their arms adorned with arrow armor, maces, and armlets, resembled great serpents and were like clubs.
The beings uncoil, move, and coil around in all directions; excited, they hasten, being cut off by supreme arrows.
Whoever engages in battle against Arjuna, the arrow of his end approaches his body.
While Arjuna was dancing on the chariot paths and wielding his bow, no one could see even the slightest gap in his defense.
The people were astonished by the swift and skillful archery of the son of Pandu.
Arjuna attacked and defeated the elephant, its driver, the horse, the horseman, and the charioteer with his arrows.
The Pāṇḍava, though returning and repeatedly fighting, stands in front and does not kill anyone.
Just as the sun rising in the sky dispels the great darkness, Arjuna destroyed the elephant army with his feathered arrows.
Your army appeared shattered and fallen by elephants, just as the earth is scattered with mountains at the end of time.
Just as the sun at midday is always hard to gaze upon by living beings, so too is Dhananjaya, when enraged, hard to behold by his foes in battle.
O scorcher of foes, thus your son's army in battle was quickly broken and extremely unperturbed, despite being afflicted by arrows.
The army, like a great mass of clouds scattered by the wind, was unable to withstand the onslaught as it was being washed away.
The charioteers drove the horses with goads, the ends of their bows, shouts, and whips, striking them with their heels and harsh words.
Urging their horses swiftly, your men fled in haste; the horsemen, charioteers, and infantry were all driven away by Arjuna's assault.
Some urged the elephants with heels, thumbs, and goads, while others, bewildered by arrows, faced him and went. Your warriors were dispirited and confused in mind at that time.
