09.013
Pancharatra and Core: Ashwatthama kills Panchala warrior Suratha; as midday approached, Arjuna and Ashwatthama engaged in the battle.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said.
arjuno drauṇinā viddho yuddhe bahubhirāyasaiḥ। tasya cānucaraiḥ śūraistrigartānāṃ mahārathaiḥ ॥ drauṇiṃ vivyādha samare tribhireva śilīmukhaiḥ ॥9-13-1॥
Arjuna was struck by Drona's son with numerous iron arrows in the battle. His valiant followers, the great charioteers of the Trigartas, retaliated by piercing Drona's son with just three arrows in the battle.
tathetarānmaheṣvāsāndvābhyāṃ dvābhyāṃ dhanañjayaḥ। bhūyaścaiva mahābāhuḥ śaravarṣairavākirat ॥9-13-2॥
Arjuna, the mighty-armed, once again showered the other great archers with arrows, two by two.
śarakaṇṭakitās te tu tāvakā bharatarṣabha। na jahuḥ samare pārthaṃ vadhyamānāḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ ॥9-13-3॥
Despite being pierced by sharp arrows and facing death, your warriors, O best of the Bharatas, did not abandon Arjuna in the battlefield.
te'rjunaṁ rathavaṁśena droṇaputrapurogamāḥ। ayodhayanta samare parivārya mahārathāḥ ॥9-13-4॥
The great warriors, led by Drona's son and with their chariots, surrounded and fought Arjuna in the battle.
taistu kṣiptāḥ śarā rājnkārtasvaravibhūṣitāḥ। arjunasya rathopasthaṃ pūrayāmāsurañjasā ॥9-13-5॥
The arrows, adorned with gold and thrown by them, completely filled Arjuna's chariot seat, O king.
tathā kṛṣṇau maheṣvāsau vṛṣabhau sarvadhanvinām। śarairvīkṣya vitunnāṅgau prahṛṣṭau yuddhadurmadau ॥9-13-6॥
Thus, Krishna and Arjuna, renowned as great archers and the foremost among warriors, felt a surge of joy and battle fervor upon witnessing their bodies pierced by arrows.
kūbaraṃ rathacakrāṇi īṣā yoktrāṇi cābhibho। yugaṃ caivānukarṣaṃ ca śarabhūtamabhūttadā ॥9-13-7॥
O Lord, at that time, the axle, chariot wheels, pole, harnesses, yoke, and traces all transformed into an arrow.
naitādṛśaṃ dṛṣṭapūrvaṃ rājannaiva ca naḥ śrutam। yādṛśaṃ tatra pārthasya tāvakāḥ sampracakrire ॥9-13-8॥
"O king, we have never seen or heard anything like what your men did there with Arjuna."
sa rathaḥ sarvato bhāti citrapuṅkhaiḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ। ulkāśataiḥ sampradīptaṃ vimānamiva bhūtale ॥9-13-9॥
The chariot, adorned with colorful feathers and sharp arrows, shines brightly on all sides, resembling an illuminated aerial car on the ground with hundreds of meteors.
tato'rjuno mahārāja śaraiḥ saṁnataparvabhiḥ। avākirattāṁ pṛtanāṁ megho vṛṣṭyā yathācalam ॥9-13-10॥
Then, O great king, Arjuna showered his arrows with bent joints upon the army, just as a cloud pours rain upon a mountain.
te vadhyamānāḥ samare pārthanāmāṅkitaiḥ śaraiḥ। pārthabhūtam amanyanta prekṣamāṇās tathāvidham ॥9-13-11॥
Seeing the arrows marked with Arjuna's name striking them in battle, they believed it was Arjuna himself present in that form.
tato'dbhutaśarajvālo dhanuḥśabdānilo mahān। senendhanaṃ dadāhāśu tāvakaṃ pārthapāvakaḥ ॥9-13-12॥
Then, the extraordinary flame of arrows, accompanied by the mighty wind of the bow's sound, swiftly consumed your army as if it were fuel, O Arjuna's fire.
cakrāṇāṃ patatāṃ caiva yugānāṃ ca dharātale। tūṇīrāṇāṃ patākānāṃ dhvajānāṃ ca rathaiḥ saha ॥9-13-13॥
The wheels and yokes fell to the ground, along with quivers, banners, and flags, all together with the chariots.
īṣāṇāmanukarṣāṇāṃ triveṇūnāṃ ca bhārata। akṣāṇāmatha yoktrāṇāṃ pratodānāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ ॥9-13-14॥
O Bharata, it refers to the reins, traces, triple reins, axles, yokes, and goads in their entirety.
śirasāṃ patatāṃ caiva kuṇḍaloṣṇīṣadhāriṇām। bhujānāṃ ca mahārāja skandhānāṃ ca samantataḥ ॥9-13-15॥
O great king, heads wearing earrings and turbans are falling, and arms and shoulders are scattered all around.
chatrāṇāṃ vyajanaiḥ sārdhaṃ mukuṭānāṃ ca rāśayaḥ। samadṛśyanta pārthasya rathamārgeṣu bhārata ॥9-13-16॥
O Bharata, on the paths of Partha's chariots, heaps of umbrellas, fans, and crowns were visible.
agamyarūpā pṛthivī māṃsaśoṇitakardamā। babhūva bharataśreṣṭha rudrasyākrīḍanaṃ yathā ॥ bhīrūṇāṃ trāsajananī śūrāṇāṃ harṣavardhanī ॥9-13-17॥
The earth transformed into a terrifying battlefield, filled with flesh and blood, resembling the playground of Rudra, instilling fear in the timid and boosting the courage of the brave, O best of the Bharatas.
hatvā tu samare pārthaḥ sahasre dve parantapa। rathānāṃ savarūthānāṃ vidhūmo'gniriva jvalan ॥9-13-18॥
Arjuna, the son of Pritha, having slain two thousand chariots with their riders in the battle, shone like a fire without smoke.
yathā hi bhagavānagnirjagaddagdhvā carācaram। vidhūmo dṛśyate rājanstathā pārtho mahārathaḥ ॥9-13-19॥
"Just as the fire, after consuming the entire world, both moving and non-moving, appears without smoke, O king, so does Arjuna, the great warrior, stand."
drauṇistu samare dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍavasya parākramam। rathenātipatākena pāṇḍavaṃ pratyavārayat ॥9-13-20॥
Drona's son, upon witnessing the valor of the Pandava in battle, blocked him with a chariot adorned with a grand flag.
tāvubhau puruṣavyāghrau śvetāśvau dhanvināṃ varau। samīyatustadā tūrṇaṃ parasparavadhaiṣiṇau ॥9-13-21॥
Those two warriors, both exceptional among men and archers, with their white horses, swiftly approached each other with the intent to kill.
tayorāsīnmahārāja bāṇavarṣaṃ sudāruṇam। jīmūtānāṃ yathā vṛṣṭistapānte bharatarṣabha ॥9-13-22॥
O great king, there was a fierce shower of arrows between them, resembling the rain from clouds at the end of summer, O best of the Bharatas.
anyonyaspardhinau tau tu śaraiḥ saṁnataparvabhiḥ। tatakṣaturmṛdhe'nyonyaṁ śṛṅgābhyāṁ vṛṣabhāviva ॥9-13-23॥
The two, vying against each other, struck one another in the battle with arrows that had curved joints, much like bulls clashing with their horns.
tayoryuddhaṃ mahārāja ciraṃ samamivābhavat। astrāṇāṃ saṅgamaścaiva ghorastatrābhavanmahān ॥9-13-24॥
O great king, the battle between the two lasted for a long time and appeared to be evenly matched. There was a terrible and great clash of weapons there.
tato'rjunaṁ dvādaśabhī rukmapuṅkhaiḥ sutejanaiḥ। vāsudevaṁ ca daśabhirdravṇirvivyādha bhārata ॥9-13-25॥
Then Drauni attacked Arjuna with twelve well-sharpened, golden-feathered arrows and also targeted Vasudeva with ten arrows, O Bharata.
tataḥ prahasya bībhatsurvyākṣipadgāṇḍivaṃ dhanuḥ। mānayitvā muhūrtaṃ ca guruputraṃ mahāhave ॥9-13-26॥
Then, with a smile, Arjuna, also known as Bibhatsu, stretched his Gandiva bow, paying respect to the teacher's son for a moment during the great battle.
vyaśvasūtarathaṃ cakre savyasācī mahārathaḥ। mṛdupūrvaṃ tataścainaṃ tribhirvivyādha sāyakaiḥ ॥9-13-27॥
The great warrior Arjuna, known as Savyasachi, skillfully made his charioteer guide the horses gently and then pierced his opponent with three arrows.
hatāśve tu rathe tiṣṭhandroṇaputrastvayasmayam। musalaṃ pāṇḍuputrāya cikṣepa parighopamam ॥9-13-28॥
Standing on the chariot whose horses were slain, the son of Droṇa, with a smile directed at you, hurled a club resembling a mace towards the son of Pandu.
tamāpatantaṃ sahasā hemapaṭṭavibhūṣitam। ciccheda saptadhā vīraḥ pārthaḥ śatrunibarhaṇaḥ ॥9-13-29॥
Arjuna, the valiant hero, swiftly severed the approaching enemy, who was adorned with a golden cloth, into seven parts.
sa chinnaṁ musalaṁ dṛṣṭvā drauṇiḥ paramakopanaḥ। ādade parighaṁ ghoraṁ nagendraśikharopamam ॥ cikṣepa caiva pārthāya drauṇiryuddhaviśāradaḥ ॥9-13-30॥
Seeing the broken club, Drona's son, filled with extreme rage, picked up a terrifying mace resembling a mountain peak and hurled it at Arjuna, showcasing his expertise in warfare.
tamantakamiva kruddhaṃ parighaṃ prekṣya pāṇḍavaḥ। arjunastvarito jaghne pañcabhiḥ sāyakottamaiḥ ॥9-13-31॥
Upon seeing the furious club that resembled death itself, Arjuna, the Pāṇḍava, swiftly struck with five of his finest arrows.
sa chinnaḥ patito bhūmau pārthabāṇairmahāhave। dārayanpṛthivīndrāṇāṃ manaḥ śabdena bhārata ॥9-13-32॥
He was cut down and fell to the ground by Arjuna's arrows in the great battle, causing distress to the minds of the kings of the earth with the sound, O Bharata.
tato'paraistribhirbhāṇairdrauṇiṃ vivyādha pāṇḍavaḥ। so'tividdho balavatā pārthena sumahābalaḥ ॥ na sambhrāntastadā drauṇiḥ pauruṣe sve vyavasthitaḥ ॥9-13-33॥
Then the Pandava, with the help of others, struck Drona's son with three arrows. Despite being deeply pierced by the mighty Arjuna, Drona's son, who was very powerful, remained unshaken and stood firm in his valor.
sudharmā tu tato rājanbhāradvājaṃ mahāratham। avākiraccharavrātaiḥ sarvakṣatrasya paśyataḥ ॥9-13-34॥
Sudharma, however, at that moment, O king, showered Bharadvaja, the great chariot-warrior, with volleys of arrows as all the warriors looked on.
tatastu suratho'pyājau pāñcālānāṃ mahārathaḥ। rathena meghaghoṣeṇa drauṇimevābhyadhāvata ॥9-13-35॥
Then Suratha, a great chariot-warrior of the Pāñcālas, charged at Drauṇi in battle with his chariot Meghaghoṣa.
vikarṣan vai dhanuḥ śreṣṭhaṃ sarvabhārasahaṃ dṛḍham। jvalanāśīviṣanibhaiḥ śaraiś cainam avākirat ॥9-13-36॥
He drew the excellent bow, strong enough to bear all weights, and covered him with arrows that resembled fire and poisonous snakes.
surathaṁ tu tataḥ kruddhamāpatantaṁ mahāratham। cukopa samare drauṇirdaṇḍāhata ivoragaḥ ॥9-13-37॥
Suratha, in his anger, approached the great chariot. In the battle, Drona's son became furious, like a serpent struck by a stick.
triśikhāṁ bhrukuṭīṁ kṛtvā sṛkkiṇī parilelihan। udvīkṣya surathaṁ roṣāddhanurjyāmavamṛjya ca ॥ mumoca tīkṣṇaṁ nārācaṁ yamadaṇḍasamadytim ॥9-13-38॥
With a fierce expression, he glared at Suratha, licked his lips in anger, and after adjusting his bowstring, he shot a sharp arrow that shone like the staff of Yama.
sa tasya hṛdayaṃ bhittvā praviveśātivegataḥ। śakrāśanirivotsṛṣṭā vidārya dharaṇītalam ॥9-13-39॥
He pierced his heart and entered with immense speed, like a thunderbolt of Indra released, splitting the surface of the earth.
tatastaṃ patitaṃ bhūmau nārācena samāhatam। vajreṇeva yathā śṛṅgaṃ parvatasya mahādhanam ॥9-13-40॥
Then he fell to the ground, struck by an iron arrow, like a mountain peak hit by a thunderbolt.
tasmiṁstu nihate vīre droṇaputraḥ pratāpavān। āruroha rathaṁ tūrṇaṁ tameva rathināṁ varaḥ ॥9-13-41॥
But in that situation, the valiant son of Drona, having been slain, quickly ascended the chariot, being the best among charioteers.
tataḥ sajjo mahārāja drauṇirāhavadurmadaḥ। arjunaṃ yodhayāmāsa saṃśaptakavṛto raṇe ॥9-13-42॥
Then, the proud son of Drona, ready for battle, engaged Arjuna in combat, surrounded by the Samsaptakas on the battlefield.
tatra yuddhaṁ mahaccāsīdarjunasya paraiḥ saha। madhyaṁdinagate sūrye yamarāṣṭravivardhanam ॥9-13-43॥
At midday, a great battle took place between Arjuna and his enemies, as the sun reached its zenith, expanding the realm of Yama.
tatrāścaryamapaśyāma dṛṣṭvā teṣāṃ parākramam। yadeko yugapadvīrānsamayodhayadarjunaḥ ॥9-13-44॥
There we witnessed an astonishing sight, observing their valor, as Arjuna alone simultaneously engaged in battle with the heroes.
vimardastu mahānāsīdarjunasya paraiḥ saha। śatakratoryathā pūrvaṃ mahatyā daityasenayā ॥9-13-45॥
The battle that Arjuna faced with his enemies was as intense as the one Indra had previously with the formidable army of demons.
