09.055
Pancharatra and Core: Bhima and Duryodhana exchange harsh words recounting past events.
Vaiśampāyana spoke:
Then a fierce verbal battle ensued, O Janamejaya, during which the sorrowful King Dhritarashtra spoke these words.
Shame on humanity whose faith is so weak that my son, the leader of eleven armies, is overpowered.
After commanding all the kings and enjoying the pleasures of this earth, the foot-soldier swiftly took up his mace and marched to battle.
My son, having become the lord of the world, yet appears helpless. He raises his mace and proceeds, for what else is determined by fate?
"Alas, great sorrow has come upon me through my son, Sanjaya," said the grief-stricken king, and then he fell silent.
Sanjaya said:
The mighty one, with a roar like that of a cloud-roaring bull, joyfully called Arjuna to battle.
As Bhima was summoned by the noble king of the Kurus, numerous and terrifying forms manifested.
The winds blew fiercely with thunder, and a rain of dust fell. All directions were enveloped in darkness.
The sky was filled with the sound of great, thunderous, tumultuous, and hair-raising meteors falling by the hundreds, bursting as they descended.
Rahu seized the sun at an inauspicious time, O lord of the people, causing the earth and its trees to tremble greatly.
Harsh winds blew downwards, raining gravel. The peaks of the mountains fell to the ground.
Deer of various forms are running in all ten directions. They are brilliant and auspicious, yet also roaring with terrible and very fierce forms.
Thunderbolts and very terrible, hair-raising sounds occurred. In the blazing direction, O king, animals were speaking inauspiciously.
The waters that had gone to the wells increased everywhere, and great bodiless sounds were heard at that time, O king.
Upon observing these omens, Bhima, also known as Vrikodara, addressed his eldest brother, Yudhishthira, the Dharmaraja.
Suyodhana, being weak-minded, cannot defeat me in battle. Today, I will unleash the long-hidden anger in my heart upon Suyodhana, the lord of the Kauravas, just as fire did in Khāṇḍava.
Today, I will relieve you of your heartache, O Pāṇḍava, by killing this wicked wretch of the Kuru dynasty with my mace.
"Today, I shall bestow upon you a garland of glory by slaying this wicked one with my mace on the battlefield."
Today, I will shatter his body into a hundred pieces with this mace. He shall not enter the city of Varanasi again.
In the context of releasing snakes in bed, administering poison in food, falling from a height of a crore, and burning in a house made of lac, these are considered dangerous situations.
In the assembly, there was ridicule and complete dispossession. O sinless one, there was a year of living incognito and dwelling in the forest.
Today, O best of the Bharatas, I will put an end to these sorrows. By destroying this in one day, I shall be free from my debts.
"Today marks the end of the life of Dhritarashtra's wicked and undisciplined son, as well as the last sight of his parents, O best of the Bharatas."
Today, this disgrace to the family of King Kuru, Śantanu, will remain on the earth, having given up his life, wealth, and kingdom.
King Dhritarashtra, upon hearing today that I have killed his son, will recall the ill-fated act conceived by Shakuni.
Having spoken thus, O tiger among kings, the mighty warrior took up his mace and stood ready for battle, challenging his foe like Indra did to Vritra.
Seeing Duryodhana with his mace raised, resembling the towering peaks of Mount Kailasa, the enraged Bhimasena spoke to him once more.
Remember the misdeed that occurred at Varanavata involving the king, Dhritarashtra, and yourself.
Draupadi was distressed in the assembly during her period, and the king was cheated in the game of dice by you and Saubala.
In the forest, we endured great suffering caused by you, and in the city of Virata, it was as if we were in another womb. Today, fortunately, I see you, O wicked-minded one.
For your sake, the glorious son of Ganga, the best among warriors, has been killed and now lies on the bed of arrows, slain by Yajnaseni.
Drona, Karna, and the mighty Shalya have been slain. Shakuni, the son of Subala and the instigator of enmity, has also met his end.
Pratikami, the wicked man who caused Draupadi's suffering, has been killed. All your brothers, who were heroic and valiant warriors, have been slain.
These and many other kings have been slain for your sake. Today, I shall kill you with a mace; there is no doubt about it.
In this manner, O King, your fearless son Satyavikrama addressed Vrikodara, speaking aloud.
Why boast so much? Fight, O Vrikodara. Today, I will destroy your confidence in battle, you who are the disgrace of your family.
Duryodhana is not someone who can be intimidated by mere words from someone insignificant like you, unlike an ordinary man.
By good fortune, the long-desired mace fight with you has been arranged in my heart by the gods.
"What is the use of speaking much and boasting, O wicked-minded one? Let this speech be fulfilled by action; do not delay."
Upon hearing his words, all the kings and Somakas who were present there honored him.
Then, having been honored by everyone and with his body hair standing on end in excitement, the descendant of Kuru once again resolved firmly to engage in battle.
The kings, by clapping, encouraged the impatient Duryodhana as one would a mad elephant.
The great Pandava, Vrikodara, lifted his mace and charged swiftly at the son of Dhritarashtra.
There, the elephants roared, the horses neighed repeatedly, and the weapons of the Pandavas, who were eager for victory, also blazed.
