08.037
Core and Pancharatra: Arjuna continues to fight Suśarman and Saṃśaptakas. The Trigartas surrounded Arjuna, resolved either to die or to achieve victory.
Sanjaya said:
During the ongoing battle, as the warriors were being submerged, the great sound of the Gandiva bow was heard, O noble one.
O king, the Pāṇḍava carried out the slaughter of the Saṃśaptakas, as well as the Kosalas and the Nārāyaṇa army.
The Trigartas, eager for victory and full of courage, launched a barrage of arrows from all directions at Arjuna's head during the battle.
Suddenly, O king, the lord held back the rain with great force. Arjuna, the best among charioteers, entered the battlefield, slaying his enemies.
Arjuna, having restrained the chariot army with his stone-sharpened arrows, approached the great chariot-warrior Suśarman in the battle.
He, the best among charioteers, unleashed a shower of arrows. Likewise, the Saṃśaptakas stood firm in battle against Arjuna.
Suśarmā, after attacking Arjuna with nine swift arrows, struck Kṛṣṇa on the right arm with three arrows. Then, with another broad-headed arrow, he pierced the flag, O lord.
He, the best of monkeys, created by Vishvakarma, let out a great roar that was truly frightening, O king.
Upon hearing the monkey's sound, your army was struck with terror and became completely motionless, overwhelmed by great fear.
Then, O king, the army stood still, resplendent like the Caitraratha forest adorned with diverse flowers.
After regaining their senses, the warriors, O best of the Kurus, attacked Arjuna with arrows as clouds shower a mountain. Then, all of them surrounded the great chariot of the Pandava.
O Bharata, they held the horses, chariot wheels, and charioteers with great strength and speed, and then roared like a lion.
Some others held the mighty arms of Keśava, while others, O great king, joyfully held Pārtha standing on the chariot.
Keshava, at that time, shook his arms in the battlefield and made all of them fall, just like a wicked elephant would do to other elephants.
Then, in the battle, an enraged Arjuna, surrounded by great charioteers, saw his chariot seized and Krishna being attacked. In response, he caused many charioteers and foot soldiers to fall.
Then the nearby warriors, using arrows, displaced the near ones in battle, and said this to Keshava.
Behold, O mighty-armed Krishna, the group of warriors sworn to fight to the death, engaged in terrible deeds, being slain by me in their thousands.
O chief of Yadus, there is no one else in the world who can endure this formidable chariot-binding other than myself.
Thus, having spoken in this way, Arjuna (Bibhatsu) blew his conch named Devadatta. Krishna, on the other hand, blew his conch named Panchajanya, as if filling the entire universe.
Upon hearing the sound of the conch, the army of the Saṁśaptakas trembled and became very frightened, O great king.
Then the Pāṇḍava, known for defeating enemy warriors, formed a strategic formation. O great king, he repeatedly unleashed the serpent weapon.
Arjuna devised a tactic in battle for which those bound by it, by the great-souled Pandava, became motionless, O king, as if they were made of stone.
The son of Pandu then killed the motionless warriors, just as Indra had done in the ancient battle with the demons during Taraka's slaying.
While being attacked in battle, they released the excellent chariot and began to unleash all their weapons.
Then, O King, Susharma, upon seeing his army captured, quickly deployed the Sauparna weapon, revealing his prowess as a great chariot-warrior.
Then, O king, the Suparnas flew down and began devouring the serpents. Seeing the birds, the snakes fled in fear.
The strength, once freed from its constraints, shone brightly, O lord of the people, just as the sun, emerging from a cluster of clouds, warms the earth and its creatures.
The released warriors aimed their volleys of arrows and weapons at Arjuna's chariot, dear one.
The son of Vāsava (Indra), known as the destroyer of enemy heroes, stood firm among the warriors after cutting through the great weapon-formed shower with his own showers of arrows.
Susharma, however, then, O king, struck Arjuna in the heart with an arrow that had a bent joint and pierced him with three other arrows. Deeply wounded and distressed, Arjuna sat down on the chariot seat.
Upon regaining consciousness, Śvetāśva, Kṛṣṇa's charioteer, quickly manifested Indra's weapon. Then, O gentle one, thousands of arrows appeared.
In every direction, O king, elephants, horses, and chariots were being slaughtered in the battle by weapons in their hundreds of thousands.
As the army was being slain, a great fear gripped the Saṃśaptaka groups and the cowherds, O Bhārata. Indeed, no man there dared to fight against Arjuna.
The observers there witnessed the great strength of the heroes being struck down. They saw the slaughter and stood motionless in the battle.
The son of Pandu, having slain ten thousand warriors there, shone in the battle, O king, like a blazing fire without smoke.
O Bharata, there are fourteen thousand remaining, including ten thousand chariots and three thousand elephants.
Then the Trigartas once more surrounded Arjuna, resolved to either die or achieve victory, or even to return.
There was a great battle, O lord of the people, between your forces and the Pandava Arjuna, who was both heroic and strong.
