“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding that army of thine exceedingly broken, the
valiant Vrishasena, single-handed, began to protect it, O king,
displaying the illusion of his weapons. Shot by Vrishasena in that
battle, thousands of arrows coursed in all directions, piercing through
men and steeds and cars and elephants. Mighty arrows, of blazing
effulgence, shot by him, coursed in thousands, like the rays, O monarch,
of the sun, in the summer season. Afflicted and crushed therewith, O
king, car-warriors and horse-men, suddenly fell down on the earth, like
trees broken by the wind. The mighty car-warrior Vrishasena, O king,
felled large bodies of steeds, of cars and of elephants, in that battle,
by thousands. Beholding that single warrior coursing fearlessly on the
field, all the kings (of the Pandava army) uniting together, surrounded
him on all sides. Nakula’s son, Satanika, rushed at Vrishasena and
pierced him with ten arrows capable of penetrating into the vitals. The
son of Karna, however, cutting off his bow, felled then his standard.
Thereupon, the other sons of Draupadi, desirous of rescuing that brother
of theirs, rushed at him. And soon they made Karna’s son invisible by
means of their arrowy showers. Against them thus smiting (the son of
Karna), many car-warriors headed by Drona’s son (Aswatthaman) rushed. And
those, O monarch, quickly covered those mighty car-warriors, viz., the
sons of Draupadi, with diverse kinds of arrows like clouds pouring rain
on mountain breasts. Thereupon, the Pandavas, from affection for their
sons, quickly encountered those assailants. The battle then that took
place between thy troops and those of the Pandavas, was exceedingly
fierce and made the hairs stand on their ends, resembling as it did that
between the Gods and the Danavas. Even thus did the heroic Kauravas and
the Pandavas, excited with rage, fight, eyeing one another (furiously)
and having incurred one another’s animosity for past offences. The bodies
of those heroes of immeasurable energy then seemed, in consequence of
(the) wrath (that inspired them), to resemble those of Garuda and
(mighty) Nagas battling in the sky. And with Bhima and Karna and Kripa
and Drona and Drona’s son and Prishata’s son and Satyaki, the field of
battle looked resplendent like the all-destructive sun that rises at the
end of the Yuga. The battle that took place between those mighty men
engaged with mighty antagonists and all smiting one another was fierce in
the extreme, resembling that (of yore) between the Danavas and the gods.
Then Yudhishthira’s host, uttering a shout, loud as that of the surging
sea, began to slaughter thy troops, the great car-warriors of thy army
having fled away. Beholding the (Kaurava) host broken and excessively
mangled by the foe, Drona said, “Ye heroes, ye need not fly away.” Then
he (Drona) owning red steeds, excited with wrath and resembling a
(fierce) elephant with four tusks, penetrated into the Pandava host and
rushed against Yudhishthira. Then Yudhishthira pierced the preceptor with
many whetted arrows equipped with Kanka feathers; Drona, however, cutting
off Yudhishthira’s bow, rushed impetuously at him. Then the protector of
Yudhishthira’s car-wheels, Kumara, the renowned prince of the Panchalas,
received the advancing Drona, like the continent receiving the surging
sea. Beholding Drona, that bull among Brahmanas, held in check by Kumara,
loud leonine shouts were heard there with cries of “Excellent,
Excellent!” Kumara then, in that great battle, excited with rage, pierced
Drona with an arrow in the chest and uttered many leonine shouts. Having
checked Drona in battle, the mighty Kumara, endued with great lightness
of hand, and above all fatigue, pierced him with many thousands of
arrows. Then that bull among men (Drona) slew that protector of
Yudhishthira’s car-wheels, Kumara, that hero observant of virtuous vows
and accomplished in both mantras and weapons. And then penetrating into
the midst of the (Pandava) host and careering in all directions, that
bull among men, Bharadwaja’s son, became the protector of thy troops. And
piercing Sikhandin with twelve arrows, and Uttamaujas with twenty, and
Nakula with five, and Sahadeva with seven, and Yudhishthira with twelve,
and each of the (five) sons of Draupadi with three, and Satyaki with
five, and the ruler of Matsyas with ten arrows, and agitating the entire
host in that battle, he rushed against one after another of the foremost
warriors (of the Pandavas). And then he advanced against Kunti’s son,
Yudhishthira, from a desire of seizing him. Then Yugandhara, O king,
checked Bharadwaja’s son, that mighty car-warrior, filled with rage and
resembling the very ocean lashed into fury by the tempest. Bharadwaja’s
son, however, having pierced Yudhishthira with many straight arrows,
felled Yugandhara with a broad-headed shaft from his niche in the car.
Then, Virata and Drupada, and the Kaikeya princes, and Satyaki, and Sivi,
and Vyaghradatta, the prince of the Panchalas, and the valiant Singhasena,
these, and many others, desirous of rescuing Yudhishthira, surrounded
Drona on all sides and impeded his way, scattering countless arrows.
Vyaghradatta, the prince of the Panchalas, pierced Drona with fifty
keen-pointed arrows, at which, O king, the troops uttered loud shouts.
Then Singhasena also, quickly piercing that mighty car-warrior, Drona,
roared aloud in joy, striking terror into the hearts of mighty
car-warriors; Drona then expanding his eyes and rubbing his bowstring and
producing loud sound of slaps by his palms, rushed against the latter.
Then the mighty son of Bharadwaja, putting forth his prowess, cut off
with a couple of broad-headed arrows the heads decked with earrings from
the trunks of both Singhasena and Vyaghradatta. And afflicting also, with
his arrowy showers, the other mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas, he
stood in front of Yudhishthira’s car, like all-destroying Death himself.
Then, O king, loud cries were heard among the warriors of Yudhishthira’s
army to the effect, “The king is slain,” when Bharadwaja’s son, of
regulated vows, thus, stood in his vicinity. And the warriors there all
exclaimed, beholding Drona’s prowess, “Today the royal son of
Dhritarashtra will be crowned with success. This very moment Drona having
seized Yudhishthira, will, filled with joy, assuredly come to us and
Duryodhana’s presence.” While thy soldiers were indulging in such talks,
Kunti’s son (Arjuna) quickly came there, filling (the welkin) with the
rattle of his car, and creating, as he came, owing to the carnage he
caused, a river whose waters were blood, and whose eddies were cars, and
which abounded with the bones and bodies of brave warriors and which bore
creatures away to where the spirits of the departed dwell. And the son of
Pandu came there, routing the Kurus, and quickly crossing that river
whose froth was constituted by showers of arrows and which abounded with
fish in the form of lances and other weapons. And the diadem-decked
(Arjuna) suddenly came upon Drona’s divisions, covering it with a thick
net-work of arrows and confounding the very sense (of those that followed
Drona). Incessantly placing his arrows on the bow-string and quickly
shooting them, none could notice any lapse of time between these two acts
of the renowned son of Kunti. Neither (four cardinal) directions, nor the
firmament above, nor the earth, O king, could any longer be
distinguished, for everything then became one dense mass of arrows.
Indeed, O king, when the wielder of Gandiva caused that thick darkness by
means of his arrows, nothing could be seen in that battle. Just then the
sun also set, enveloped with a dusty cloud. Neither friend nor foe could
any longer be distinguished. Then Drona and Duryodhana and others caused
the withdrawal of their troops. And ascertaining the foe to be inspired
with fear and unwilling to continue the fight, Vibhatsu also slowly
caused his troops to be withdrawn. Then the Pandavas and the Srinjayas
and the Panchalas, filled with joy, praised Partha with delightful
speeches like the Rishis praising the Sun. Having vanquished his foes
thus, Dhananjaya then, filled with joy, retired to his tent, proceeding
in the rear of the whole army, with Kesava as his companion. And
stationed on his beautiful car decked with the costliest specimens of
sapphires and rubies and gold and silver and diamonds and corals and
crystals, the son of Pandu looked resplendent like the moon in the
firmament bespangled with stars.’”