10.008
Dhritarashtra said:
Thus, when Droṇa's son, the great chariot-warrior, had gone to the camp, did Kṛpa and Bhoja, stricken by fear, not turn back?
Did the great warriors turn back, either because they were stopped by petty guards, or because they thought 'this is unbearable'?
Have you, after crushing the camp and killing the Somakas and Pāṇḍavas, reached Duryodhana's supreme path in battle?
O Sañjaya, tell me whether the sons of Āsvapati have been slain by the Pāñcālas on the battlefield, or whether those two have accomplished their task.
Sanjaya said:
After Drona's noble son left for the camp, Kṛpa and Kṛtavarmā remained standing at the entrance.
But Aśvatthāman, seeing those two great and diligent chariot-warriors, delighted, slowly said this speech, O king.
Since you both are enough to destroy all the Kṣatriyas, how much more so the remaining sleeping warriors?
I will enter the camp and move about like Death itself, ensuring that not a single living man escapes me.
Having said this, Droṇa's son entered the great camp of the Pāṇḍavas through a side entrance, casting aside his own fear.
He, the mighty-armed and knower of the place, slowly entered and approached the abode of Dhṛṣṭadyumna.
But after performing a great feat and being exhausted in the fierce battle, they fell asleep, completely at ease, surrounded by their own army.
Then, O Bhārata, after entering the mansion of Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the son of Droṇa saw Pāñcālya sleeping on his bed nearby.
The place was spread with white linen, covered by a splendid carpet, decorated with the finest garlands, and perfumed with incense and fragrant powders.
O king, he awakened that great-souled, confident, and fearless one, who was lying on the bed, with his foot.
Having realized, he, proud in battle, rose after touching the feet and approached Droṇa's son, the mighty chariot-warrior of immeasurable spirit.
The mighty Aśvatthāmā seized him by the hair as he rose from the bed and crushed him to the ground.
O Bhārata, at that time, the son of Pāñcālī, crushed by him with force, fear, and sleep, was unable to move.
O king, then, having attacked him on both the neck and chest as he roared and struggled, he killed the animal at once.
With his nails digging in, he spoke indistinctly to Drona's son: "O teacher's son, kill me with your weapon, do not delay. For your sake, O best of men, may I attain the virtuous worlds."
But when Aśvatthāma heard his indistinct words, he said: 'Those who slay their teacher have no place in the worlds, O defiler of the family. Therefore, O evil-minded one, you do not deserve an honorable death by weapon.'
Thus, as he was speaking, the lion, enraged, struck the hero in his vital parts with his very terrible, bone-hard feet, just as an intoxicated elephant would.
O great king, the sound of that hero being beaten in the house woke up the women and his guards.
Seeing him with his huge form and superhuman strength, they thought he was some supernatural being and, out of fear, did not utter a word.
But, having sent him to Yama's abode by that means, the radiant one stood after reaching the beautiful chariot.
O king, the mighty one came out of his house, making the directions resound, and went to the camp in his chariot, intent on destroying his enemies.
When Drona's son, the great chariot-warrior, had departed, all the women, along with all the guards, wailed together at that moment.
O Bhārata, when the king was seen slain, all the warriors of Dhṛṣṭadyumna, overwhelmed with grief, cried out loudly.
But hearing that sound, the foremost of the Kṣatriyas nearby quickly yoked their chariots and said, "What is this?"
But, O king, the frightened women, seeing Bhāradvāja, said to him in distressed voices, "Quickly, run!"
We do not know whether he is a demon or a human. He who stands on the chariot after killing the king of the Pāñcālas.
Then the chief warriors suddenly surrounded him, but he struck down all those who rushed at him with the Rudra weapon. "10-8-31"
After killing Dhṛṣṭadyumna and his followers, he saw Uttamaujas sleeping on a bed close by.
He too, having stepped on him with his foot on the neck and chest with force, began to kill him in the same way, while roaring, the subduer of enemies.
But Yudhāmanyu, upon arriving and believing him to have been slain by the demon, swiftly raised his mace and struck Drona's son on the chest.
He rushed at him, seized him, threw him to the ground, and as he struggled, killed him just like a beast.
Thus, the hero, after slaying him, attacked the others. O king, he subdued the great chariot-warriors, who were sleeping, trembling, and shaking here and there, just as animals are subdued in a sacrifice.
Then, taking up his sword, he moved along the paths, skillfully killing various people, for he was an expert in sword-fighting.
In the same way, he saw the Gaulmakas lying in the middle of the camp, exhausted and having set aside their weapons, and struck them all down in an instant.
He cut down warriors, horses, and elephants with his excellent sword; his entire body was smeared with blood, looking like the destroyer created by Time.
By the quivering and the raising of the sword by Drona's son, and by the brandishing in the same way, his body became smeared with blood in three places.
He, fighting with a shining sword soaked in blood, appeared most terrifying, with an appearance like that of a non-human.
O Kaurava, those who were not alert were also deluded by the sound; seeing Drauni, they looked at each other and became agitated.
When the warriors, who were tormentors of enemies, saw that form of his, they thought him to be a demon and closed their eyes.
He, in a terrifying form, roamed the camp like Death itself. Then he saw the sons of Draupadī and the surviving Somakas.
O lord of kings, when the great chariot-warriors with bows in hand heard that Dhṛṣṭadyumna was slain by that sound, the sons of Draupadī, undaunted, showered Aśvatthāma (the son of Bhāradvāja) with volleys of arrows.
Then, awakened by that sound, the Prabhadrakas and Śikhaṇḍī attacked the son of Droṇa with arrows.
But Bharadvaja, seeing them raining showers of arrows, let out a mighty roar, wishing to slay those who were very difficult to conquer.
Then, filled with intense rage and recalling his father's death, he quickly got down from the chariot and rushed forward.
He took up a large shield shining like a thousand moons in the battle, and a great divine sword adorned with gold. Rushing at the sons of Draupadi, the mighty warrior moved about wielding his sword.
Then that tiger among men struck Prativindhya in the abdomen during the battle, O king, and when he was slain, he fell to the ground.
Sutasoma, the valiant, struck Drona's son with his sword, and then, raising his sword again, attacked Drona's son once more.
The mighty warrior cut off Sutasoma's arm with his sword and struck him again on the side; with his heart broken, he fell to the ground.
But the mighty Śatānīka, son of Nakula, lifted the chariot wheel with both arms and struck him forcefully on the chest.
The Brāhmaṇa struck Śatānīka with the released discus. Śatānīka, overwhelmed, fell to the ground; then the Brāhmaṇa cut off his head.
Śrutakarmā, however, seized his iron club and struck. Then, rushing towards Aśvatthāma, he struck violently on the left side of his shield.
But he struck him, who had performed Vedic rites, in the mouth with a superior sword. Slain, he fell to the ground, bewildered and with a distorted face.
Hearing that sound, the heroic Śrutakīrti, a mighty archer, approached Aśvatthāman and showered him with arrows.
He too, warding off the showers of arrows with his shield, cut off the shining head with earrings from the body.
Then the slayer of Bhishma, together with all the Prabhadrakas, attacked the mighty hero from every side with many weapons. He also pierced him in the middle of the eyebrows with a shilīmukha arrow.
But the mighty son of Droṇa, overcome with rage, approached Śikhaṇḍin and cut him in two with his sword.
Then, after killing Shikhandin, the furious scorcher of foes swiftly attacked all the Prabhadraka troops. He also charged at the remaining forces of Virata.
The mighty warrior, seeing again and again the sons, grandsons, and friends of Drupada, wrought terrible slaughter among them.
Drauṇi, the son of Droṇa and an expert swordsman, repeatedly approached various men and cut them down with his sword.
I bow to Kālī, who has a red mouth and eyes, is adorned with red garlands and unguents, wears red garments, is unique, holds a noose in her hand, and is crested.
They saw Kālarātrī, the night of destruction, standing and smiling, having bound men, horses, and elephants with terrible nooses, setting out, carrying away various corpses bound by nooses, their hair disheveled.
O dear, in dreams on various nights, the chief warriors saw her leading the sleeping ones and always saw Aśvatthāman being killed.
From the moment the battle between the Kuru and Pāṇḍava armies began, from then on, they saw that Kṛtyā and Drauṇi alone.
But Aśvatthāma, after those struck by fate had fallen before, felled them, terrifying all beings as he roared with fearful cries.
Recalling that, the heroes believed the vision was from earlier times; feeling oppressed by fate, they thought, "This is that."
Then, awakened by that sound, hundreds and thousands of archers in the camp of the Pandavas rose from their sleep.
He severed the feet of one, the hip of another, and pierced some in the sides, like Death himself sent by Time.
O lord, the earth was covered with the bodies of those who were very fierce, trampled, roaring in pain, greatly distressed, and others crushed by elephants and horses.
As those people cried out, "What is this? Who is this? What is that sound? What has happened?"—at that moment, among them, Aśvatthāma became their destroyer.
The son of Droṇa, the best among warriors, sent the enraged Pāṇḍavas and Sṛñjayas, who were deprived of their weapons and armour, to the world of death.
Then, terrified by those weapons, they jumped up in fear, blinded by sleep and having lost their senses, and hid themselves here and there.
Their thighs paralyzed and their strength sapped by faintness, they cried out in terror and pressed against one another.
Then Aśvatthāman, son of Droṇa, once again mounted his fearsome-sounding chariot, and, bow in hand, sent others to their death with his arrows.
Again, he delivered some of the best men, even those at a distance who were rising, and other rushing heroes, into the hands of the goddess of death (Kālarātri).
In the same manner, he rushed forward with the front of his chariot, crushing as he went; then he showered various kinds of arrows upon the warriors.
Again, he performed that act with a very variegated hide adorned with a hundred moons and with a sky-colored one, using a sword.
Thus, O king, the son of Droṇa, proud in battle, stirred up their camp like an elephant stirs a great lake.
O king, startled by that sound, the confused warriors, some drowsy and some terrified, sprang up and scattered in all directions.
Others cried out in discordant voices, and many spoke irrelevant things; they did not accept the weapons and clothes.
With their hair disheveled, some did not recognize each other. Some, terrified, jumped about, while others wandered there in confusion. Some discharged excrement, and some let urine flow.
O King, after breaking their bonds, the horses and elephants ran about together, while others created great confusion.
There, some men, terrified, vanished into the ground. Likewise, those who had fallen were trampled by elephants and horses.
O best of the Bharatas, in that situation, the demons, being satisfied, cried out loudly with joy, O best of men.
O king, that great sound, joyfully raised by the assembled beings, filled all directions and even the sky.
Hearing their cries of distress, O king, the terrified elephants and horses broke loose and ran about the camp, trampling people as they went.
There, the dust raised by the feet of those running around made the darkness in their camp at night twice as dense.
When that darkness arose, people everywhere were bewildered; they did not recognize their fathers, sons, or even their own brothers.
O Bhārata, the elephants, after passing over other elephants, and the riderless horses, struck, broke, and crushed others in this way.
Though broken, they fell and struck each other, and even after having brought down their enemies, they continued to fall quietly.
The men, rendered unconscious and sleepy, shrouded in darkness, were driven by fate to kill their own people there.
The gatekeepers, guards, and Gaulmikas abandoned their posts and fled as best as they could, while the Kandishikas, confused, also ran away.
O lord, separated from each other, they did not recognize one another at that time. Crying out, "O father! O son!" their minds were overcome by fate.
The people, abandoning even their own relatives, fled in all directions, calling out to each other by their family names.
The others, making cries of distress, lay on the earth. Seeing them, Droṇa's son, maddened by battle, struck them down.
There, other warriors, repeatedly unconscious and being slain, were coming out of the camp, afflicted by fear.
But as they were fleeing terrified from the camps, seeking to save their lives, Kritavarma and Kripa killed them at the gate.
They did not release any of those who, with weapons, restraints, and armor, with loosened hair and joined palms, were trembling in fear on the ground.
O great king, none of those two, Kṛpa and Hārdikya, the evil-minded, went out from the camp.
Again, wishing to please Drona's son, the two of them set fire to the camp in three places.
Then, O King, at dawn in the camp, Aśvatthāmā, the son of his father, moved about with a sword like one whose purpose was accomplished.
The noble Brahmin struck down some heroes who attacked and others who fled, taking their lives with his sword.
Enraged, the valiant son of Droṇa cut down some warriors in the midst with his sword, causing them to fall like sesame stalks.
O best of the Bharatas, the earth was strewn with the fallen, roaring, and severely wounded foremost men, horses, and elephants.
Among thousands of men, among the slain and the fallen, many headless bodies rose up and, after rising, fell down again.
O Bhārata, he cut off the arms adorned with weapons and ornaments, the heads, the thighs resembling the trunks of elephants, as well as the hands and feet.
Drauṇi (Aśvatthāma), having approached, struck down some with their backs, heads, or sides cut, and others as well, including some who were turned away.
He split some men in half at the waist, others he cut from the ear, and after striking some in the shoulder, he inserted their heads into their bodies.
Thus, as he wandered about killing many men, the dreadful night, terrifying in appearance, set in, shrouded in darkness.
The earth, covered with the bodies of men, slain by the thousands, along with many elephants and horses, became a terrible sight.
In the field crowded with yakṣas and rākṣasas, and reddened by chariots, horses, and elephants, those who were cut down by the furious son of Droṇa fell to the ground.
Some cried out for their mothers, others for their fathers, and others for their brothers. Some said, "This was not done in battle by the enraged sons of Dhritarashtra."
This slaughter was inflicted upon us by the cruel demons while we were asleep, and it happened because the sons of Pṛthā were not present.
The son of Kunti, protected by Janardana (Krishna), cannot be conquered by gods, asuras, gandharvas, yakṣas, or rākṣasas.
Arjuna, known as Dhanañjaya and Pārtha, is devoted to Brahman, speaks the truth, is self-controlled, and compassionate to all beings; he does not kill anyone who is asleep, careless, has laid down their weapons, has joined their palms in supplication, is running away, or has loosened hair.
Many people, lamenting, lay down saying, "This terrible deed has been done to us by the cruel demons."
The tumultuous and great sound of groaning men and cooing others subsided after a moment.
O king, on the earth that was sprinkled with blood, the dense and terrible dust vanished in an instant.
In his anger, he struck down thousands of men who were writhing, distressed, and dispirited, just as the lord of beasts would strike down animals.
Aśvatthāma struck down everyone—those lying together, those fleeing, those hiding, and those still fighting—without exception.
Burned by fire and slain by him, at that time the warriors did not approach each other at all.
O king, during half of that night, Aśvatthāman (the son of Droṇa) sent the great army of the Pāṇḍavas to the abode of Yama (i.e., killed them all).
That night brought great joy to the night-wanderers, but was dreadful and destructive for men, elephants, and horses.
There, various kinds of demons and flesh-eating spirits were seen, eating human flesh and drinking blood.
They were terrible-faced, tawny, fierce, with mountain-like teeth, menstruating, matted-haired, long-thighed, five-footed, and big-bellied.
After that, their fingers were rough and deformed, their voices terrifying; they had pot-shaped jaws, were very short, blue-throated, and frightful in appearance.
There, the demons, along with their sons and wives, appeared in various forms—very cruel, dreadful to look at, and utterly merciless.
After drinking the blood, delighted, others danced in groups and said, "This is excellent, this is pure, this is sweet."
Flesh-eaters, who live on meat, eat the fat, marrow, bones, blood, and grease, and excessively consume the flesh of others.
And others, after drinking fat, ran about with swollen bellies; they were terrible, with many mouths, flesh-eaters and devourers of meat.
There were tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions of rākṣasas there—great beings of terrible appearance and cruel deeds.
O king, in that great massacre, many beings who were joyful and satisfied had gathered together.
At dawn, he wished to return from the camp. The sword of Drona's son, drenched in human blood, seemed as if it had become one with his hand, O lord.
He destroyed all his enemies and stood out amidst the destruction of people, just as fire shines after reducing all beings to ashes at the end of an age.
O lord, the son of Droṇa, having fulfilled his vow and accomplished that deed, took the difficult path of his father and became free from anxiety.
Just as he had entered the camp at night while everyone was asleep, so too, after killing (his target), the great man departed silently.
The mighty one came out from the camp, met those two, and joyfully reported all that had happened, delighting them, O lord.
At that time, the two of them told him the pleasing news that the Pāñcālas and Sṛñjayas had been slain by the thousands. Out of joy, they shouted loudly and clapped their hands.
That night, during the destruction of the Somakas, was extremely terrible for those who were sleeping and careless.
Undoubtedly, the course of time is inescapable; it is where such ones were slain, having brought about the destruction of our people.
Dhritarashtra said:
Earlier, this mighty chariot-warrior, the son of Droṇa, did not perform such a great feat; why was he so determined for my son's victory?
Now, please tell me for what reason the son of Droṇa, the great archer, performed this action in your kṣatriya lineage.
Sanjaya said:
O joy of the Kurus, certainly he did not do this out of fear of them; rather, it was because the sons of Pṛthā and the wise Keśava were absent.
The son of Droṇa accomplished this deed against Satyaki as well. Indeed, even Indra himself could not have slain them in their presence.
O king, such a thing happened while everyone was asleep, O lord. Then, after causing the destruction of people, a great disaster befell the Pāṇḍavas. The great warriors, meeting each other, said, 'By fortune, by fortune.'
Then Aśvatthāman, Drona's son, embraced them, and after being warmly greeted, he joyfully spoke these excellent words.
All the Pāñcālas and the sons of Draupadī have been completely slain; the Somakas and all the remaining Matsyas have also been destroyed by me.
Now that we have fulfilled our duty, let us go there at once and not delay. If our king is alive, let us convey the good news to him.
