Vaisampayana said, "Marching out of the city, those heroic smiters the
Matsyas, arrayed in order of battle, overtook the Trigartas when the sun
had passed the meridian. And both excited to fury and both desirous of
having the king, the mighty Trigartas and the Matsyas, irrepressible in
battle, sent up loud roars. And then the terrible and infuriate
elephants ridden over by the skilful combatants of both sides were urged
on with spiked clubs and hooks. And the encounter, O king, that took
place when the sun was low in the horizon, between the infantry and
cavalry and chariots and elephants of both parties, was like unto that
of old between the gods and the _Asuras_, terrible and fierce and
sufficient for making one's hair stand on end and calculated to increase
the population of Yama's kingdom. And as the combatants rushed against
one another, smiting and slashing, thick clouds of dust began to rise,
so that nothing could be discovered. And covered with the dust raised by
the contending armies, birds began to drop down on the earth. And the
sun himself disappeared behind the thick cloud of arrows shot, and the
firmament looked bright as if with myriads of the fireflies. And
shifting their bows, the staves of which were decked with gold, from one
hand to another, those heroes began to strike each other down,
discharging their arrows right and left. And cars encountered cars, and
foot-soldiers fought with foot-soldiers, and horse-men with horsemen,
and elephants with mighty elephants. And they furiously encountered one
another with swords and axes, bearded darts and javelins, and iron
clubs. And although, O king, those mighty-armed warriors furiously
assailed one another in that conflict, yet neither party succeeded in
prevailing over the other. And severed heads, some with beautiful noses,
some with upper lips deeply gashed, some decked with ear-rings, and some
divided with wounds about the well-trimmed hair were seen rolling on the
ground covered with dust. And soon the field of battle was overspread
with the limbs of Kshatriya warriors, cut off by means of arrows and
lying like trunks of _Sala_ trees. And scattered over with heads decked
in ear-rings, and sandal-besmeared arms looking like the bodies of
snakes, the field of battle became exceedingly beautiful. And as cars
encountered cars, and horsemen encountered horsemen, and foot-soldiers
fought with foot-soldiers, and elephants met with elephants, the
frightful dust soon became drenched with torrents of blood. And some
amongst the combatants began to swoon away, and the warriors began to
fight reckless of consideration of humanity, friendship and
relationship. And both their course and sight obstructed by the arrowy
shower, vultures began to alight on the ground. But although those
strong-armed combatants furiously fought with one another, yet the
heroes of neither party succeeded in routing their antagonists. And
Satanika having slain a full hundred of the enemy and Visalaksha full
four hundred, both those mighty warriors penetrated into the heart of
the great Trigarta host. And having entered into the thick of the
Trigarta host, those famous and mighty heroes began to deprive their
antagonists of their senses by causing a closer conflict to set in--a
conflict, in which the combatants seized one another by the hair and
tore one another with their nails.[29] And eyeing the point where the
cars of the Trigartas had been mustered in strong numbers, those heroes
at last directed their attack towards it. And that foremost of
car-warriors, king Virata also, with Suryadatta in his van and
Madiraksha in his rear, having destroyed in that conflict five hundred
cars, eight hundred horses, and five warriors on great cars, displayed
various skilful manoeuvres on his car on that field of battle. And at
last the king came upon the ruler of the Trigartas mounted on a golden
chariot. And those high-souled and powerful warriors, desirous of
fighting, rushed roaring against each like two bulls in a cow-pen. Then
that bull among men, irrepressible in battle, Susarman, the king of the
Trigartas, challenged Matsya to a single combat on car. Then those
warriors excited to fury rushed against each other on their cars and
began to shower their arrows upon each other like clouds pouring
torrents of rain.[30] And enraged with each other, those fierce
warriors, both skilled in weapons, both wielding swords and darts and
maces, then moved about (on the field of battle) assailing each other
with whetted arrows. Then king Virata pierced Susarman with ten shafts
and each of his four horses also with five shafts. And Susarman also,
irresistible in battle and conversant with fatal weapons, pierced king
of Matsya with fifty whetted shafts. And then, O mighty monarch, in
consequence of the dust on the field of battle, the soldiers of both
Susarman and Matsya's king could not distinguish one another."
[29] Some differences of reading are noticeable here, for
_Yasaswinau_ some texts read _Manaswinau_, and for
Vahusamravdhau-Vahusanrambhat; and for Nakha-naki--Ratha-rathi.
[30] Some texts read Ghanabiva for Ghanarva. The latter is
unquestionably better in form.