“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Thou hast, O Sanjaya, described to me many
excellent single combats. Hearing about them, I envy those that have
eyes. This battle between the Kurus and the Pandavas, resembling that (of
old) between the gods and the Asuras, will be spoken of as exceedingly
wonderful by all men. I am scarcely gratified by listening to thy
narrations of this stirring battle. Tell me, therefore, about this combat
between Artayani (Salya) and Subhadra’s son.’
“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding his driver slain, Salya, upraising a mace made
wholly of iron, jumped down in rage from his excellent car. Bhima, then
taking up his own huge mace, quickly rushed towards Salya who then
resembled the blazing Yuga-fire or the Destroyer himself armed with his
bludgeon. Subhadra’s son also, taking up a prodigious mace resembling the
bolt of heaven, addressed Salya, saying, “Come, Come!” Bhima, however,
with much ado, persuaded him to stand aside. The valiant Bhimasena, then,
having persuaded Subhadra’s son to stand aside, approached Salya in
battle and stood immovable as a hill. The mighty ruler of Madras also
beheld Bhima, and proceeded towards him like a tiger towards an elephant.
Then was heard there the loud blare of trumpets and conchs by thousands
and leonine shouts, and the sound of drums. And loud cries of “Bravo,
Bravo,” arose among hundreds of Pandava and Kaurava warriors rushing
towards each other. There is none else among all the kings, O Bharata,
save the ruler of Madras who can venture to bear the might of Bhimasena
in battle; similarly, who else save Vrikodara, in the world, can venture
to bear the impetus of the illustrious Salya’s mace in battle? Bound in
hempen strings mixed with wires of gold, the prodigious mace of Bhima,
capable of delighting by its beauty all spectators, being grasped by him,
shone brilliantly. And similarly the mace of Salya, also, who coursed in
beautiful circles, looked like a blazing flash of lightning. Both of them
roared like bulls, and both coursed in circles. And both Salya and
Vrikodara, standing as they did, with their maces slightly bent, looked
like a couple of horned bulls. Whether as regards coursing in circles or
in whirling and striking with their maces, the combat that took place
between those two lions among men was in every way equal. Struck by
Bhimasena with his mace, the prodigious mace of Salya, emitting fierce
sparks of fire, soon broke unto fragments. And similarly, Bhimasena’s
mace, struck by the foe, looked beautiful like a tree covered with
fire-flies during the season of rains at even-tide. And the mace that the
ruler of Madras hurled in that battle, irradiating the welkin, O Bharata,
frequently caused sparks of fire (to fly around). Similarly, the mace
hurled by Bhimasena at the foe scorched his antagonist’s forces like a
fierce meteor falling down (from the firmament). And both those best of
maces, striking against each other, resembled sighing she-snakes and
caused flashes of fire. Like two large tigers attacking each other with
their claws, or like two mighty elephants with their tusks, those mighty
warriors coursed in circles, encountering each other with those two
foremost of maces, and soon covered with blood, those two illustrious
warriors seemed to resemble a couple of flowering Kinsukas. And the
blows, loud as Indra’s thunder, of the maces wielded by those two lions
among men were heard on all sides. Struck by the ruler of Madras with his
mace on both the left and the right side, Bhima moved not in the least,
like a hill riven by the thunder. Similarly, the mighty ruler of Madras,
struck by Bhima with his mace, patiently stood still like a hill struck
with the thunder. Both of them, with upraised maces, endued as they were
with great impetus, fell upon each other, coursing in shorter circles.
Quickly nearing each other, then by eight steps and falling upon each
other like two elephants, they suddenly struck each other with those
maces of theirs made entirely of iron. And each of those heroes, in
consequence of the other’s impetuosity and violence being struck with
each other’s mace, fell down at the same instant of time like a couple of
Indra’s poles. Then the mighty car-warrior Kritavarman quickly approached
Salya who, deprived of his senses, was breathing hard as he lay on the
field. And beholding him, O king, struck violently with the mace, and
writhing like a snake, and deprived of his senses in a swoon, the mighty
car-warrior Kritavarman, taking him upon his car, quickly bore the ruler
of Madras away from the field. Reeling like a drunken man, the heroic
Bhima of mighty arms, rising up within the twinkling of an eye, stood
mace in hand. Thy sons then, beholding the ruler of the Madras turn away
from the fight, began, O sire, to tremble, along with their elephants,
and foot-soldiers, and cavalry, and cars. Ground then by the Pandavas
desirous of victory, those warriors of thy army, struck with fear, fled
away in all directions, like masses of clouds driven away by the wind.
And those mighty car-warriors, viz., the Pandavas, having vanquished the
Dhritarashtras, looked resplendent in that battle, O king, like blazing
fires. And they uttered loud leonine roars, and blew their conchs, elated
with joy. And they beat their drums, large and small, and cymbals and
other instruments.’”