09.013
Pancharatra and Core: Ashwatthama kills Panchala warrior Suratha; as midday approached, Arjuna and Ashwatthama engaged in the battle.
Sanjaya said.
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.
Arjuna, the mighty-armed, once again showered the other great archers with arrows, two by two.
Despite being pierced by sharp arrows and facing death, your warriors, O best of the Bharatas, did not abandon Arjuna in the battlefield.
The great warriors, led by Drona's son and with their chariots, surrounded and fought Arjuna in the battle.
The arrows, adorned with gold and thrown by them, completely filled Arjuna's chariot seat, O king.
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.
O Lord, at that time, the axle, chariot wheels, pole, harnesses, yoke, and traces all transformed into an arrow.
"O king, we have never seen or heard anything like what your men did there with Arjuna."
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.
Then, O great king, Arjuna showered his arrows with bent joints upon the army, just as a cloud pours rain upon a mountain.
Seeing the arrows marked with Arjuna's name striking them in battle, they believed it was Arjuna himself present in that form.
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.
The wheels and yokes fell to the ground, along with quivers, banners, and flags, all together with the chariots.
O Bharata, it refers to the reins, traces, triple reins, axles, yokes, and goads in their entirety.
O great king, heads wearing earrings and turbans are falling, and arms and shoulders are scattered all around.
O Bharata, on the paths of Partha's chariots, heaps of umbrellas, fans, and crowns were visible.
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.
Arjuna, the son of Pritha, having slain two thousand chariots with their riders in the battle, shone like a fire without smoke.
"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."
Drona's son, upon witnessing the valor of the Pandava in battle, blocked him with a chariot adorned with a grand flag.
Those two warriors, both exceptional among men and archers, with their white horses, swiftly approached each other with the intent to kill.
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.
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.
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.
Then Drauni attacked Arjuna with twelve well-sharpened, golden-feathered arrows and also targeted Vasudeva with ten arrows, O Bharata.
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.
The great warrior Arjuna, known as Savyasachi, skillfully made his charioteer guide the horses gently and then pierced his opponent with three arrows.
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.
Arjuna, the valiant hero, swiftly severed the approaching enemy, who was adorned with a golden cloth, into seven parts.
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.
Upon seeing the furious club that resembled death itself, Arjuna, the Pāṇḍava, swiftly struck with five of his finest arrows.
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.
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.
Sudharma, however, at that moment, O king, showered Bharadvaja, the great chariot-warrior, with volleys of arrows as all the warriors looked on.
Then Suratha, a great chariot-warrior of the Pāñcālas, charged at Drauṇi in battle with his chariot Meghaghoṣa.
He drew the excellent bow, strong enough to bear all weights, and covered him with arrows that resembled fire and poisonous snakes.
Suratha, in his anger, approached the great chariot. In the battle, Drona's son became furious, like a serpent struck by a stick.
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.
He pierced his heart and entered with immense speed, like a thunderbolt of Indra released, splitting the surface of the earth.
Then he fell to the ground, struck by an iron arrow, like a mountain peak hit by a thunderbolt.
But in that situation, the valiant son of Drona, having been slain, quickly ascended the chariot, being the best among charioteers.
Then, the proud son of Drona, ready for battle, engaged Arjuna in combat, surrounded by the Samsaptakas on the battlefield.
At midday, a great battle took place between Arjuna and his enemies, as the sun reached its zenith, expanding the realm of Yama.
There we witnessed an astonishing sight, observing their valor, as Arjuna alone simultaneously engaged in battle with the heroes.
The battle that Arjuna faced with his enemies was as intense as the one Indra had previously with the formidable army of demons.
