07.153
Pancharatra and Core: The mighty son of Bhimasena threw the unconscious head of Alayudha in front of Duryodhana.
Sanjaya said:
Upon witnessing Bhima being captured by the demon in the nearby battle, Vasudeva addressed Ghatotkacha with these words.
O mighty-armed one, see Bhima seized by the demon nearby, witnessed by all the armies, including yours, O great radiant one.
"O mighty-armed one, first abandon Karna and quickly slay the Rakshasa lord Alayudha; afterwards, you will kill Karna."
Upon hearing Krishna's words, the mighty Ghatotkacha left Karna and engaged in a fierce battle with the demon lord, Baka's brother, during the night.
The fearsome-looking demon warriors of Alayudha, charging swiftly with their bows drawn, were indeed formidable heroes.
Yuyudhana, Nakula, and Sahadeva, all great warriors, were armed and furious as they attacked with their sharp arrows.
In the battle, O king, Arjuna, the one with the crown, attacked all the best warriors by hurling arrows from every direction.
Karna, in the battle, O king, drove away the princes including Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandi, the great chariot-warriors of the Panchalas.
Upon witnessing his allies under attack, the mighty Bhima, known for his formidable strength, quickly advanced towards Karna, unleashing a flurry of arrows in the battlefield.
Then they arrived after killing the demons, where the son of a charioteer, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Satyaki, the great warriors, were present. They engaged in battle with Karna, the Panchalas, and Drona.
Alayudha, in his fury, attacked Ghatotkacha, the subduer of enemies, hitting him on the head with his massive club.
The mighty son of Bhimasena, though slightly faint from the blow, gathered his strength and steadied himself heroically.
Then, blazing like fire and adorned with a hundred bells, he hurled the golden ornamented mace at his opponent in the battle.
With a great roar, she swiftly crushed his horses, charioteer, and chariot, unleashed by the one known for terrible deeds.
He, with his chariot's horses, wheels, and axle broken, and its flag and banner torn, quickly leapt from the chariot, taking on a demonic form.
He created an illusion and caused a rain of blood. The sky was tumultuous with dark clouds and flashes of lightning.
Then there were thunderbolt strikes accompanied by lightning and thunderclaps; a great crackling sound was indeed present in the great battle.
Hidimba, upon seeing the illusion created by the demon, leapt upwards and destroyed it using his own illusion.
The illusionist, having seen his illusion defeated, used his magic to unleash a fierce storm of stones upon Ghatotkacha.
He, the mighty one, countered the terrible rain of stones with a rain of arrows, destroying the directions; it seemed as if it was a marvel.
Then, they attacked each other with a variety of weapons, including iron clubs, spears, maces, pestles, and hammers.
The warriors were equipped with bows, swords, spears, javelins, iron arrows, sharp broad-headed arrows, regular arrows, discs, and axes, ready for battle.
They used iron clubs, maces, gośīrṣa weapons, and pestles, and also uprooted large branches and various trees.
O Bharata, the forest is adorned with blossoming Shami, Pilu, Karira, Shamyaka, Inguda, Badari, and Kovidara trees.
In that great battle, they fought fiercely using Palasha, Arimeda, Plaksha, Nyagrodha, and Pippala trees.
The sound from the mountain peaks, covered with various minerals, was immense, resembling the shattering of thunderbolts.
O king, the battle between Bhima and Alayudha became as terrible as the one that took place in the past between the monkey chiefs Vali and Sugriva.
The two warriors, after engaging in a fierce battle with various dreadful weapons and arrows, took up sharp swords and struck each other.
The two mighty warriors, with great strength and huge bodies, rushed at each other and seized each other by the hair with their arms.
O king, they appeared like great mountains, with broken limbs and drenched in sweat and blood.
Then Hidimba, with great speed and strength, attacked the demon, whirled him around, and cut off his large head.
The very mighty one, having taken away his head adorned with earrings, then made a very loud sound.
Upon witnessing the fall of the mighty-bodied slayer of Baka's kin, the Panchalas and Pandavas roared triumphantly like lions.
Then, when the demon was slain, the sons of Pandu sounded thousands of drums and tens of thousands of conches.
The night was exceptionally victorious for them, glowing brightly with rows of lamps all around.
The mighty son of Bhimasena threw the unconscious head of Alayudha in front of Duryodhana.
Then King Duryodhana, upon seeing Malāyudha slain, was deeply distressed along with his army, O Bhārata.
He indeed promised to kill Bhimasena in battle himself, remembering their greatest enmity.
The king was convinced that he should be killed by him. He also considered the long-term well-being of the brothers.
Upon witnessing the death of the enemy at the hands of Bhimasena's son, he realized that Bhimasena's vow had indeed been fulfilled.
