“Dhritarashtra said, ‘When those divisions (of mine), O Sanjaya, were
broken and routed, and all of you retreated quickly from the field, what
became the state of your minds? The rallying of ranks when broken and
flying away without beholding a spot whereon to stand, is always
exceedingly difficult. Tell me all about it, O Sanjaya!’
“Sanjaya said, ‘[Although thy troops were broken], yet, O monarch, many
foremost of heroes in the world, inspired by the desire of doing good to
thy son and of maintaining their own reputation, followed Drona. In that
dreadful pass, they fearlessly followed their commander, achieving
meritorious feats against the Pandava troops with weapons upraised, and
Yudhishthira within accessible distance.[58] Taking advantage of an error
of Bhimasena of great energy and of heroic Satyaki and Dhrishtadyumna, O
monarch, the Kuru leaders fell upon the Pandava Army.[59] The Panchalas
urged their troops, saying, “Drona, Drona!” Thy sons, however, urged all
the Kurus, saying, “Let not Drona be slain. Let not Drona be slain!” One
side saying, “Slay Drona”, “Slay Drona,” and the other saying, “Let not
Drona be slain,” “Let not Drona be slain,” the Kurus and the Pandavas
seemed to gamble, making Drona their stake. Dhrishtadyumna, the prince of
the Panchalas, proceeded to the side of all those Panchala car-warriors
whom Drona sought to crush. Thus no rule was observed as to the
antagonist one might select for battling with him. The strife became
dreadful. Heroes encountered heroes, uttering loud shouts. Their foes
could not make the Pandavas tremble. On the other hand, recollecting all
their woes, the latter made the ranks of their enemies tremble. Though
possessed of modesty, yet excited with rage and vindictiveness, and urged
by energy and might, they approached that dreadful battle, reckless of
their very lives for slaying Drona. That encounter of heroes of
immeasurable energy, sporting in fierce battle making life itself the
stake, resembled the collision of iron against adamant. The oldest men
even could not recollect whether they had seen or heard of a battle as
fierce as that which took place on this occasion. The earth in that
encounter, marked with great carnage and afflicted with the weight of
that vast host, began to tremble. The awful noise made by the Kuru army
agitated and tossed by the foe, paralysing the very welkin, penetrated
into the midst of even the Pandava host. Then Drona, coming upon the
Pandava divisions by thousands, and careering over the field, broke them
by means of his whetted shafts. When these were being thus crushed by
Drona of wonderful achievements, Dhrishtadyumna, the generalissimo of the
Pandava host, filled with rage himself checked Drona. The encounter that
we beheld between Drona and the prince of the Panchalas was highly
wonderful. It is my firm conviction that it has no parallel.
“‘Then Nila, resembling a veritable fire, his arrows constituting its
sparks and his bow its flame, began to consume the Kuru ranks, like a
conflagration consuming heaps of dry grass. The valiant son of Drona, who
from before had been desirous of an encounter with him, smilingly
addressed Nila as the latter came consuming the troops, and said unto him
these polite words,[60] “O Nila, what dost thou gain by consuming so many
common soldiers with thy arrowy flames? Fight with my unaided self, and
filled with rage, strike me.” Thus addressed, Nila, the brightness of
whose face resembled the splendour of a full-blown lotus, pierced
Aswatthaman, whose body resembled an assemblage of lotuses and whose eyes
were like lotus-petals with his shafts. Deeply and suddenly pierced by
Nila, Drona’s son with three broad-headed arrows, cut off his
antagonist’s bow and standard and umbrella. Quickly jumping down from his
car, Nila, then, with a shield and an excellent sword, desired to sever
from Aswatthaman’s trunk his head like a bird (bearing away its prey in
its talons). Drona’s son, however, O sinless one, by means of a bearded
arrow, cut off, from his antagonist’s trunk, his head graced with a
beautiful nose and decked with excellent ear-rings, and which rested on
elevated shoulders. That hero, then, the brightness of whose face
resembled the splendour of the full moon and whose eyes were like
lotus-petals, whose stature was tall, and complexion like that of the
lotus, thus slain, fell down on the earth. The Pandava host then, filled
with great grief, began to tremble, when the Preceptor’s son thus slew
Nila of blazing energy. The great car-warriors of the Pandavas, O sire,
all thought, “Alas, how would Indra’s son (Arjuna) be able to rescue us
from the foe, when that mighty warrior is engaged on the southern part of
the field in slaughtering the remnant of the Samsaptakas and the Narayana
force?”’”