“Sanjaya said, ‘Having passed the night, that mighty car-warrior viz.,
Bharadwaja’s son, addressed Suyodhana, O monarch, saying, “I am
thine![33] I have made arrangements for Partha’s encounter with the
Samsaptaka.”[34] After Partha went out for slaying the Samsaptakas, Drona
then, at the head of his troops arrayed for battle, proceeded, O chief of
the Bharatas, for seizing king Yudhishthira the just. Seeing that Drona
had arrayed his forces in the form of a Garuda, Yudhishthira disposed his
troops in counter array in the form of a semi-circle. In the mouth of
that Garuda was the mighty car-warrior Drona himself. And its head was
formed by king Duryodhana, surrounded by his uterine brothers. And
Kritavarman and the illustrious Kripa formed the two eyes of that Garuda.
And Bhutasarman, and Kshemasarman, and the valiant Karakaksha, and the
Kalingas, the Singhalas, the Easterners, the Sudras, the Abhiras, the
Daserakas, the Sakas, the Yavanas, the Kamvojas, the Hangsapadas, the
Surasenas, the Daradas, the Madras, and the Kalikeyas, with hundreds and
thousands of elephants, steeds, cars, and foot-soldiers were stationed at
its neck. And Bhurisravah, and Salya, and Somadatta, and Valhika, these
heroes, surrounded by a full Akshauhini, took up their position in the
right wing. And Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, and Sudakshina, the ruler
of the Kamvojas, stationed themselves in the left wing at the head,
however, of Drona’s son Aswatthaman. In the back (of that Garuda) were
the Kalingas, the Amvashthas, the Magadhas, the Paundras, the Madrakas,
the Gandharas, the Sakunas, the Easterners, the Mountaineers, and the
Vasatis. In the tail stood Vikartana’s son Karna, with his sons, kinsmen
and friends, and surrounded by a large force raised from diverse realms,
Jayadratha, and Bhimaratha, and Sampati, and the Jays, and the Bhojas,
and Bhuminjaya, and Vrisha, and Kratha, and the mighty ruler of the
Nishadhas, all accomplished in battle, surrounded by a large host and
keeping the region of Brahma before their eyes, stood, O king, in the
heart of that array. That array, formed by Drona, in consequence of its
foot-soldiers, steeds, cars and elephants, seemed to surge like the
tempest-tossed ocean (as it advanced to battle). Warriors, desirous of
battle, began to start out from the wings and sides of that array, like
roaring clouds charged with lightning rushing from all sides (in the
welkin) at summer. And in the midst of that army, the ruler of the
Pragjyotishas, mounted on his duly equipped elephant, looked resplendent,
O king, like the rising sun. Decked, O monarch, in garlands of flower,
and with a white umbrella held over his head, he looked like the full
moon when in conjunction with the constellation Krittika. And blind with
the wine-like exudation, the elephant, looking like a mass of black
antimony, shone like a huge mountain washed by mighty clouds (with their
showers). And the ruler of the Pragjyotishas was surrounded by many
heroic kings of the hilly countries, armed with diverse weapons, like
Sakra himself surrounded by the celestials. Then Yudhishthira, beholding
that superhuman array incapable of being vanquished by foes in battle,
addressed Prishata’s son, saying, “O lord, O thou that ownest steeds
white as pigeons, let such measures be adopted that I may not be taken a
prisoner by the Brahmana.”
“‘Dhrishtadyumna said, “O thou of excellent vows, never shalt thou be
placed under the power of Drona, however much may he strive. Even I shall
check Drona today with all his followers. As long as I am alive, O thou
of Kuru’s race, it behoveth thee not to feel any anxiety. Under no
circumstances will Drona be able to vanquish me in battle.”’
“Sanjaya continued, ‘Having said these words, the mighty son of Drupada
owning steeds of the hue of pigeons, scattering his shafts, rushed
himself at Drona. Beholding that (to him) evil omen in the form of
Dhrishtadyumna stationed before him, Drona soon became exceedingly
cheerless. Beholding this, that crusher of foes, viz., thy son Durmukha,
desirous of doing what was agreeable to Drona, began to resist
Dhrishtadyumna. Then a terrible and a fierce battle took place, O
Bharata, between the brave son of Prishata and thy son, Durmukha. Then
Prishata’s son, quickly covering Durmukha, with a shower of arrows,
checked Bharadwaja’s son also with a thick arrowy downpour. Beholding
Drona checked, thy son Durmukha quickly rushed at Prishata’s son and
confounded him with clouds of arrows of diverse kinds. And while the
prince of the Panchalas and that foremost one of Kuru’s race were thus
engaged in battle, Drona consumed many sections of Yudhishthira’s host.
As a mass of clouds is dispersed in different directions by the wind,
even so was Yudhishthira’s host, in many parts of the field, scattered by
Drona. For only a short while did that battle look like an ordinary
combat. And then, O king, it became an encounter of infuriated persons in
which no consideration was shown for anybody. And the combatants could no
longer distinguish their own men from the foe. And the battle raged on,
the warriors being guided by inferences and watch-words. Upon the gems on
their headgears, upon their necklaces and other ornaments, and upon their
coats of mail, rays of light like those of the Sun seemed to fall and
play. And cars and elephants and steeds, decked with streaming banners,
seemed in that battle to resemble masses of clouds with flocks of cranes
under them. And men slew men, and steeds of fiery metal slew steeds, and
car-warriors slew car-warriors and elephants slew elephants. And soon a
fierce and terrible encounter took place between elephants with tall
standards on their backs and mighty compeers (rushing against them). All
in consequence of those huge creatures rubbing their bodies against those
of hostile compeers and tearing one another (with their tusks), fires
mixed with smoke were generated there by (such) friction of countless
tusks with tusks. Shorn of the standards (on their backs), those
elephants, in consequence of the fires caused by their tusks, looked like
masses of clouds in the welkin charged with lightning. And the earth,
strewn with elephants dragging (hostile compeers) and roaring and falling
down, looked beautiful like the autumnal sky overspread with clouds. And
the roars of those elephants while they were being slaughtered with
showers of shafts and lances, sounded like the roll of clouds in the
rainy season. And some huge elephants, wounded with lances and shafts,
became panic-stricken. And others amongst those creatures, left the field
with loud cries.[35] And some elephants there, struck by others with
their tusks, uttered fierce yells of distress that resounded like the
roll of the all-destroying clouds at the end of the Yuga. And some,
turned back by huge antagonists, returned to the charge, urged on by
sharp hooks. And crushing hostile ranks, they began to kill all who came
in their way. And elephant-drivers, attacked by elephant-drivers with
arrows and lances, fell down from the backs of their beasts, their
weapons and hooks being loosened from their hands. And many elephants,
without riders on their backs, wandered hither and thither like clouds
torn from mightier masses, and then fell down, encountering one another.
And some huge elephants, bearing on their backs slain and fallen
warriors, or those whose weapons had fallen down, wandered in all
directions singly.[36] And in the midst of that carnage, some elephants
attacked, or in course of being attacked with lances, swords and battle
axes, fell down in course of that awful carnage, uttering sounds of
distress. And the earth, suddenly struck with the falling bodies, huge as
hills, of those creatures all around trembled and emitted sounds. And
with those elephants slain along with their riders and lying all about
with the standards on their backs, the earth looked beautiful as if
strewn with hills. And the drivers on the backs of many elephants, with
their breasts pierced by car-warriors with broad-headed shafts in that
battle, fell down, their lances and hooks loosened from their grasp. And
some elephants, struck with long shafts, uttered crane-like cries and ran
in all directions, crushing friends and foes by trampling them to death.
And covered with countless bodies of elephants and steeds and
car-warriors, the earth, O king, became miry with flesh and blood. And
large cars with wheels and many without wheels, crushed by the points of
their tusks, were thrown up by elephants, with the warriors mounted on
them. Cars were seen deprived of warriors. And riderless steeds and
elephants ran in all directions, afflicted with wounds. And there father
slew his son, and son slew his sire, for the battle that took place was
exceedingly fierce and nothing could be distinguished. Men sank
ankle-deep in the gory mire and looked like tall trees whose lower parts
were swallowed up in a blazing forest-conflagration. And robes and coats
of mail and umbrellas and standards having been dyed with blood,
everything seemed to be bloody on the field. Large bodies of slain
steeds, of cars, and of men, were again cut into fragments by the rolling
of car-wheels. And that sea of troops having elephants for its current,
and slain men for its floating moss and weeds, and cars for its fierce
eddies, looked terribly grim. Warriors, having steeds and elephants for
their large vessels, and desirous of victory as their wealth, plunged
into that sea, and instead of sinking in it endeavoured to deprive their
enemies of their senses. When all the warriors, each bearing particular
signs, were covered with arrowy showers, there was none amongst them lost
heart, though all were deprived of their signs. In that fierce and awful
battle, Drona confounding the senses of his foes, (at last) rushed at
Yudhishthira.’”