07.162
Sanjaya said:
In the same manner, O great king, they, wounded in the battle's forefront, worshipped the sun, the thousand-rayed one, as he arrived at twilight.
As the sun rose, shining like molten gold, and the worlds were illuminated, the battle resumed once more.
O Bharata, the pairs that were attached there before the sunrise were indeed united when the sun rose.
The warriors, whether mounted on chariots, horses, or elephants, or fighting on foot, assembled and engaged in battle. They fought together and separately, and many fell in the combat.
At night, after completing their tasks, they were exhausted by the sun's heat and many became unconscious due to hunger and thirst.
The sound of conches, drums, and mridangas filled the air, accompanied by the roaring of elephants. The bows, stretched and drawn, added their twanging to the cacophony.
O king, the sound that reached the sky arose, as the bull among the Bharatas, the foot soldiers, and the weapons were being struck down.
There was a great tumult of neighing horses, returning chariots, and the shouts and roars of warriors.
The tumultuous sound grew louder, reaching the heavens, as the cries of those wounded by various weapons filled the air.
A great and pitiful sound was heard on the ground, echoing the plight of the fallen, including foot soldiers, horses, chariots, and elephants.
In those armies, engaged in various ways, both sides killed their own and others, and others killed their own and others.
The swords, released by the arms of heroes, were visible among the warriors and elephants, much like garments are among washers.
The clashing of swords raised by heroic arms sounded like the rustling of garments being shaken.
The battle, fought with half-swords, swords, spears, and axes, was a great and very terrible engagement.
The river, originating from the bodies of elephants and horses, flows with human bodies and is filled with weapons, fish, and good things, muddy with flesh and blood.
The heroes initiated the river, which echoed with cries of distress and was adorned with flags and cloth, appearing foamy, as it flowed towards the other world.
The warriors, pierced by arrows and spears, stood weary and confused in the night, supporting their bodies with difficulty. The elephants and horses stood alongside, their faces dried, while the heroes adorned with beautiful earrings held their heads high.
The battlefield was scattered with war instruments and other items, displayed everywhere, and filled with groups of carnivores, both dead and half-dead. There was no path for chariots towards the entire battlefield.
The horses, despite being tired, trembling, and afflicted by arrows, somehow managed to carry the chariots whose wheels were immersed. They were endowed with the strength of their lineage and were comparable to elephants.
The entire army was in a state of confusion, agitation, and fear, distressed by the Bharatas, except for Drona and Arjuna.
The two of them remained in their abode, distressed, while others, having reached there, went to the abode of Yama.
The great strength of the Kauravas remained intact, and the united forces of the Panchalas were not noticed at all.
A great destruction, akin to the play of death, has arisen on earth, increasing the fear among the fearful and affecting the royal dynasties.
In that place, none of the great warriors like Karna, Drona, Arjuna, Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, the son of Panchali, or Satyaki were present.
Neither Duḥśāsana, Aśvatthāmā, Duryodhana, Śakuni, Kṛpa, the King of Madra, nor Kṛtavarmā are spared.
O king, we cannot see anything else, not even ourselves, the earth, or the directions, as everything is covered by dust and mingled with the army.
In the midst of the confusion and tumult, when the terrible dust-cloud arose, they thought that night had descended upon them like a second one.
The Kauravas, Panchalas, and Pandavas are indistinguishable. Neither the directions, the sky, the earth, nor the even or uneven are discernible.
In the battle, the men, driven by the desire for victory, caused either their enemies or their own men, who had come into hand contact, to fall.
The earthly dust, stirred up and mixed with the outpouring of blood, quickly settled due to the swift wind.
In that place, elephants, horses, warriors, charioteers, and foot soldiers appeared as if they were adorned with blood, resembling the Pārijāta forests.
Then Duryodhana, Karna, Drona, and Duhshasana also engaged in battle with the Pandavas, each with four chariots.
Duryodhana, along with his brother and the twins, engaged in battle. Bhima faced Karna, and Arjuna faced Drona.
All witnessed the terrifying and astonishing event from all sides, the superhuman clash of the fierce chariot-warriors.
The charioteers observed a diverse battle among the distinguished warriors, with paths filled with various chariots.
The warriors, striving and valiant, eager to conquer one another, poured down showers of arrows like clouds at the end of summer.
The best of men, mounted on chariots that shone like the sun, appeared as splendid as the autumn clouds that had gathered.
The competitive great archers, having made efforts and holding their bows, approached each other like intoxicated elephant bulls.
Indeed, there is no separation of bodies at the time when all the great warriors did not perish simultaneously.
The scene was filled with severed arms, feet, and heads adorned with beautiful earrings, along with scattered bows, arrows, spears, swords, axes, and pikes.
The warriors were equipped with excellent weapons of various shapes, including arrows, razors, iron arrows, claws, spears, and javelins, all polished to perfection.
The scene was filled with variegated and various forms of body coverings, strange and broken chariots, and slain elephants and horses.
The city appeared empty, resembling a battlefield with slain warriors and flags, chariots without men, and frightened horses being dragged around.
The scene was adorned with heroes who were repeatedly struck and fluttering, along with fans, shields, and fallen flags.
They were adorned with umbrellas, ornaments, garments, garlands, and sweet fragrances; also with necklaces, crowns, diadems, turbans, and groups of small bells.
The battlefield was adorned with chests, jewels, necklaces, and crest jewels, resembling the sky filled with stars.
Then Duryodhana had a confrontation with Nakula, both were angry and enraged.
Then the son of Mādrī moved around your son in an anticlockwise direction, joyfully showering hundreds of arrows, and a great sound arose there.
In the battle, the enemy, who was very angry, attacked from the left. In response, he, also angered, countered from the left.
Then, as your son intended to move to the left, he was stopped by the brilliant Nakula, who is skilled in various strategies.
Nakula, by restraining and tormenting with a net of arrows from all sides, made the enemy turn away; the army honored him for this act.
Nakul said to your son, 'Stay, stay,' recalling all your sorrows and the ill advice given.
