07.143
Core and Pancharatra: Battle between Nakula and Chitrasena, Duryodhana's brother, Nakula wins. Battle between Drupada and Karna's son Vṛṣasena, where Drupada faces defeat. Dushasana takes on Prativindya.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
śatānīkaṃ śaraistūrṇaṃ nirdahantaṃ camūṃ tava। citrasenastava suto vārayāmāsa bhārata ॥7-143-1॥
Shatanika was rapidly destroying your army with his arrows, but your son Chitrasena intervened and stopped him, O Bharata.
nākuliś citrasenaṃ tu nārācenārdayad bhṛśam। sa ca taṃ prativivyādha daśabhir niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ॥7-143-2॥
Nakula struck Citraseṇa deeply with an iron arrow, but Citraseṇa retaliated by shooting ten sharp arrows at him.
citraseño mahārāja śatānīkaṃ punaryudhi। navabhirniśitairbāṇairājaghāna stanāntare ॥7-143-3॥
Citraseṇa, the great king, once again attacked Śatānīka in the battle, hitting him in the chest with nine sharp arrows.
nākulistasya viśikhairvarma saṁnataparvabhiḥ। gātrātsañcyāvayāmāsa tadadbhutamivābhavat ॥7-143-4॥
Nakul, with his arrows, removed the armor with bent joints from the body, and it seemed as if it was a wonderful feat.
so'petavarmā putraste virarāja bhṛśaṃ nṛpa। utsṛjya kāle rājendra nirmokamiva pannagaḥ ॥7-143-5॥
Your son, without his armor, shone brightly, O king, as he shed his skin like a snake in due course.
tato'sya niśitairbāṇairdhvajaṃ ciccheda nākuliḥ। dhanuścaiva mahārāja yatamānasya saṃyuge ॥7-143-6॥
Then Nakula, with his sharp arrows, cut off the flag and the bow of the warrior who was striving in battle, O great king.
sa chinnadhanvā samare vivarmā ca mahārathaḥ। dhanuranyanmahārāja jagrāhārividāraṇam ॥7-143-7॥
He, the great chariot-warrior, though with a broken bow and without armor in battle, took another bow, O great king, to tear the enemy apart.
tatastūrṇaṃ citraseno nākuliṃ navabhiḥ śaraiḥ। vivyādha samare kruddho bharatānāṃ mahārathaḥ ॥7-143-8॥
Then, in a swift and angry move, Citrasena, the great chariot warrior of the Bharatas, struck Nakula with nine arrows during the battle.
śatānīko'tha saṅkruddhaścitrasenasya māriṣa। jaghāna caturo vāhānsārathiṃ ca narottamaḥ ॥7-143-9॥
Then, Shatānīka, in his anger, killed the four horses and the charioteer of Citrasena, O lord, demonstrating his prowess as the best of men.
avaplutya rathāttasmāccitraseno mahārathaḥ। nākuliṃ pañcaviṃśatyā śarāṇāmārdayadbalī ॥7-143-10॥
Citrasena, the great warrior, leapt from his chariot and struck Nakula with twenty-five arrows, demonstrating his strength.
tasya tatkurvataḥ karma nakulasya suto raṇe। ardhacandreṇa ciccheda cāpaṃ ratnavibhūṣitam ॥7-143-11॥
While engaged in that action, Nakula's son cut off the jewel-adorned bow with a crescent-shaped arrow during the battle.
sa chinnadhanvā viratho hatāśvo hatasārathiḥ। āruroha rathaṃ tūrṇaṃ hārdikyasya mahātmanaḥ ॥7-143-12॥
He, having his bow broken, his chariot, horses, and charioteer slain, quickly mounted the chariot of the noble Hārdikya.
drupadaṁ tu sahānīkaṁ droṇaprepsuṁ mahāratham। vṛṣaseno'bhyayāttūrṇaṁ kirañśaraśataistadā ॥7-143-13॥
Vṛṣasena quickly approached Drupada, who was with his army and desiring to confront Drona, and scattered hundreds of arrows at that time.
yajñasenastu samare karṇaputraṃ mahāratham। ṣaṣṭyā śarāṇāṃ vivyādha bāhvorurasi cānagha ॥7-143-14॥
Yajnasena, in the battle, struck Karna's son, the great chariot-warrior, with sixty arrows in his arms and chest, O sinless one.
vṛṣasenastu saṅkruddho yajñasenaṃ rathe sthitam। bahubhiḥ sāyakaitīkṣṇairājaghāna stanāntare ॥7-143-15॥
Vṛṣasena, in his anger, attacked Yajñasena, who was standing on the chariot, with numerous sharp arrows, hitting him in the chest.
tāvubhau śaranunnāṅgau śarakaṇṭakinau raṇe। vyabhrājetāṃ mahārāja śvāvidhau śalalairiva ॥7-143-16॥
O great king, those two warriors, both pierced and covered with arrows, shone in the battlefield like a pair of hunting dogs with spears.
rukmapuṅkhairajihmāgraiḥ śaraiśchinnatnucchadau। rudhiraughapariklinnau vyabhrājetāṃ mahāmṛdhe ॥7-143-17॥
In the great battle, the thin cover was cut by golden-feathered, straight-pointed arrows, and soaked with a stream of blood, they shone brilliantly.
tapanīyanibhau citrau kalpavṛkṣāv ivādbhutau। kiṃśukāv iva cotphullau vyakāśetāṃ raṇājire ॥7-143-18॥
They appeared in the battlefield, shining like golden, bright and wonderful wish-fulfilling trees, and like fully blossomed Butea trees.
vṛṣasenastato rājannavabhirdrupadaṃ śaraiḥ। viddhvā vivyādha saptyā punaścānyaistribhiḥ śaraiḥ ॥7-143-19॥
Then Vṛṣasena, O king, struck Drupada with nine arrows, and then again with seventy and three more arrows.
tataḥ śarasahasrāṇi vimuñcanvibabhau tadā। karṇaputro mahārāja varṣamāṇa ivāmbudaḥ ॥7-143-20॥
Then, Karna's son, releasing thousands of arrows, appeared majestic, O great king, like a rain-bearing cloud.
tatastu drupadānīkaṃ śaraiśchinnatanucchadam। samprādravadraṇe rājanniśīthe bhairave sati ॥7-143-21॥
Then, O king, the army of Drupada, having been cut and scattered by arrows, fled the battlefield at the terrifying midnight.
pradīpair hi parityaktair jvaladbhis taiḥ samantataḥ। vyarājata mahī rājanvītābhrā dyauriva grahaiḥ ॥7-143-22॥
The earth, surrounded by the abandoned and burning lamps all around, shone brightly, O king, like a cloudless sky filled with stars.
tathāṅgadairnipatatairvyarājata vasundharā। prāvṛṭkāle mahārāja vidyudbhiriva toyadaḥ ॥7-143-23॥
"O great king, during the rainy season, the earth appeared resplendent with fallen bracelets, much like a cloud adorned with lightning."
tataḥ karṇasutatrastāḥ somakā vipradudruvuḥ। yathendrabhayavitrastā dānavāstārakāmaye ॥7-143-24॥
Then, the Somakas, terrified by Karna's son, fled just as the demons did in fear of Indra during the battle with Taraka.
tenārdyamānāḥ samare dravamāṇāśca somakāḥ। vyarājanta mahārāja pradīpairavabhāsitāḥ ॥7-143-25॥
The Somakas, being afflicted in battle and fleeing, shone brightly illuminated by the lamps, O great king.
tāṃstu nirjitya samare karṇaputro vyarocata। madhyaṃdinamanuprāpto gharmāṃśuriva bhārata ॥7-143-26॥
Karna's son, having defeated them in battle, shone brightly like the midday sun, O Bharata.
teṣu rājasahasreṣu tāvakeṣu pareṣu ca। eka eva jvalaṃstasthau vṛṣasenaḥ pratāpavān ॥7-143-27॥
Among the thousands of kings, both yours and others, Vṛṣasena alone stood out, shining and mighty.
sa vijitya raṇe śūrān somakānāṃ mahārathān। jagāma tvaritas tatra yatra rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ॥7-143-28॥
After defeating the valiant warriors and great charioteers of the Somakas in battle, he swiftly proceeded to the place where King Yudhishthira was present.
prativindhyamatha kruddhaṃ pradahantaṃ raṇe ripūn। duḥśāsanastava sutaḥ pratyudgacchanmahārathaḥ ॥7-143-29॥
Then, Duḥśāsana, your son, the great chariot-warrior, confronted Prativindhya, who was fiercely attacking the enemies in the battle.
tayoḥ samāgamo rājaṃś citrarūpo babhūva ha। vyapetajalade vyomni budhabhārgavayor iva ॥7-143-30॥
The meeting of those two, O king, was indeed wonderful, like the conjunction of Mercury and Venus in a clear sky.
prativindhyaṃ tu samare kurvāṇaṃ karma duṣkaram। duḥśāsanastribhirbāṇairlalāṭe samavidhyata ॥7-143-31॥
Prativindhya, engaged in a challenging task during the battle, was struck on the forehead by Duhshasana with three arrows.
so'tividdho balavatā putreṇa tava dhanvinā। virarāja mahābāhuḥ saśṛṅga iva parvataḥ ॥7-143-32॥
He, having been deeply pierced by your strong son who is an archer, shone with his mighty arms like a mountain with peaks.
duḥśāsanaṃ tu samare prativindhyo mahārathaḥ। navabhiḥ sāyakairviddhvā punarvivyādha saptabhiḥ ॥7-143-33॥
In the battle, Prativindhya, a great chariot warrior, struck Duhshasana with nine arrows and then pierced him again with seven more.
tatra bhārata putraste kṛtavānkarmaduṣkaram। prativindhyahayānugraiḥ pātayāmāsa yaccharaiḥ ॥7-143-34॥
In that place, O Bhārata, your son accomplished a formidable task. He brought down the powerful horses of Prativindhya with his arrows.
sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena dhvajaṃ ca samapātayat। rathaṃ ca śataśo rājanvyadhamattasya dhanvinaḥ ॥7-143-35॥
He shot down the charioteer and the flag with an arrow, and pierced the chariot of the archer hundreds of times, O king.
patākāśca sa tūṇīrānraśmīnyoktrāṇi cābhibho। ciccheda tilaśaḥ kruddhaḥ śaraiḥ saṁnataparvabhiḥ ॥7-143-36॥
In his anger, he skillfully severed the flags, quivers, reins, and yokes into tiny pieces using arrows with curved joints, O mighty one.
virathaḥ sa tu dharmātmā dhanuṣpāṇiravasthitaḥ। ayodhayattava sutaṃ kirañśaraśatānbahūn ॥7-143-37॥
Without his chariot, the righteous warrior stood firm with his bow and engaged your son in battle, unleashing a torrent of arrows.
kṣurapreṇa dhanustasya ciccheda kṛtahastavat। athainaṃ daśabhirbhallaiśchinnadhanvānamārdayat ॥7-143-38॥
He skillfully cut off his opponent's bow with a razor-sharp arrow. Then, using ten arrows, he tormented the opponent whose bow had been severed.
taṁ dṛṣṭvā virathaṁ tatra bhrātaro'sya mahārathāḥ। anvavartanta vegena mahatyā senayā saha ॥7-143-39॥
Seeing him without his chariot there, his brothers, the great warriors, quickly followed with a large army.
āplutaḥ sa tato yānaṃ sutasomasya bhāsvaram। dhanur gṛhya mahārāja vivyādha tanayaṃ tava ॥7-143-40॥
Drenched, he then took the shining chariot of Sutasoma and, O great king, pierced your son with the bow.
tatastu tāvakāḥ sarve parivārya sutaṃ tava। abhyavartanta saṅgrāme mahatyā senayā vṛtāḥ ॥7-143-41॥
Then, all your men, surrounding your son, advanced into the battle with a great army.
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tava teṣāṃ ca bhārata। niśīthe dāruṇe kāle yamarāṣṭravivardhanam ॥7-143-42॥
Then, O Bharata, the battle began between your forces and theirs at the dreadful hour of midnight, expanding the realm of Yama.
