“Sanjaya said, ‘Then the intelligent Abhimanyu, with limbs mangled with
arrows, smilingly addressed his foe, Duhsasana, stationed before him
saying, “By good luck it is that I behold in battle that vain hero
arrived before me, who is cruel, who hath cast away all righteousness,
and who brawleth out lustily his own praises. In the assembly (for the
Kurus) and in the hearing of king Dhritarashtra, thou hadst, with thy
harsh speeches, angered king Yudhishthira. Relying on the deception of
the dice and the skill (therein) of Suvala’s son, thou hadst also
maddened by success, addressed many delirious speech to Bhima![67] In
consequence of the anger of those illustrious persons, thou art, at last,
about to obtain the fruit of that conduct of thine![68]. O thou of wicked
understanding, obtain thou without delay the fruit[69] of the robbery of
other people’s possessions, wrathfulness, of thy hatred of peace, of
avarice, of ignorance, of hostilities (with kinsmen), of injustice and
persecution, of depriving my sires--those fierce bowmen--of their
kingdom, and of thy own fierce temper. I shall today chastise thee with
my arrows in the sight of the whole army. Today, I shall in battle
disburden myself of that wrath which I cherish against thee. I shall
today free myself of the debt I owe to angry Krishna and to my sire who
always craveth for an opportunity to chastise thee. O Kaurava, today I
shall free myself of the debt I owe to Bhima. With life thou shalt not
escape me, if indeed, thou dost not abandon the battle.” Having said
these words, that mighty-armed warrior, that slayer of hostile heroes,
aimed a shaft endued with the splendour of Yama or of Agni or of the
Wind-god, capable of despatching Duhsasana to the other world. Quickly
approaching Duhsasana’s bosom, that shaft fell upon his shoulder-joint
and penetrated into his body up to the very wings, like a snake into an
ant-hill. And soon Abhimanyu once more struck him with five and twenty
arrows whose touch resembled that of fire, and which were sped from his
bow drawn to its fullest stretch. Deeply pierced and greatly pained,
Duhsasana, sat down on the terrace of his car and was, O king, overtaken
by a swoon. Afflicted thus by the arrows of Subhadra’s son and deprived
of his senses, Duhsasana was speedily borne away from the midst of the
fight by his charioteer. Beholding this, the Pandavas, the five sons of
Draupadi, Virata, the Panchalas, and the Kekayas, uttered leonine shouts.
And the troops of the Pandavas, filled with joy, caused diverse kinds of
musical instruments to be beat and blown. Beholding that feat of
Subhadra’s son they laughed with joy. Seeing that implacable and proud
foe of theirs thus vanquished, those mighty car-warriors, viz., the
(five) sons of Draupadi, who had on their banners the images of Yama and
Maruta and Sakra and the twin Aswins, and Satyaki, and Chekitana, and
Dhrishtadyumna, and Sikhandin, and the Kekayas, and Dhrishtaketu, and the
Matsyas, Panchalas, and the Srinjayas, and the Pandavas headed by
Yudhishthira, were filled with joy. And all of them rushed with speed,
desirous of piercing Drona’s array. Then a dreadful battle took place
between the warriors and those of the foe. All of them were unretreating
heroes, and inspired by desire of victory. During the progress of that
dreadful encounter, Duryodhana, O monarch, addressing the son of Radha,
said, “Behold, the heroic Duhsasana, who resembleth the scorching sun who
was hitherto slaying the foe in battle, hath at last himself succumbed to
Abhimanyu. The Pandavas also, filled with rage and looking fierce like
mighty lions, are rushing towards us, desirous of rescuing the son of
Subhadra.” Thus addressed, Karna with rage and desirous of doing good to
thy son, rained showers of sharp arrows on the invincible Abhimanyu. And
the heroic Karna, as if in contempt of his antagonist, also pierced the
latter’s followers on the field of battle, with many excellent shafts of
great sharpness. The high-souled Abhimanyu, however, O king, desirous of
proceeding against Drona, quickly pierced Radha’s son with three and
seventy shafts. No car-warrior of thy army succeeded at that time in
obstructing the progress towards Drona, of Abhimanyu, who was the son of
Indra’s son and who was afflicting all the foremost car-warriors of the
Kaurava host. Then Karna, the most honoured of all bowmen, desirous of
obtaining victory, pierced the son of Subhadra with hundreds of arrows,
displacing his best weapons. That foremost of all persons conversant with
weapons, that valiant disciple of Rama, by means of his weapons, thus
afflicted Abhimanyu who was incapable of being defeated by foes. Though
afflicted in battle by Radha’s son with showers of weapons, still
Subhadra’s son who resembled a very celestial (for prowess) felt no pain.
With his shafts whetted on stone and furnished with sharp points, the son
of Arjuna, cutting off the bows of many heroic warriors, began to afflict
Karna in return. With shafts resembling snakes of virulent poison and
shot from his bow drawn to a circle, Abhimanyu quickly cut off the
umbrella, standard, the charioteer, and the steeds of Karna, smiling the
while. Karna then shot five straight arrows at Abhimanyu. The son of
Phalguna, however, received them fearlessly. Endued with great valour and
courage, the latter then, in a moment, with only a single arrow, cut off
Karna’s bow and standard and caused them to drop down on the ground.
Beholding Karna in such distress, his younger brother, drawing the bow
with great force, speedily proceeded against the son of Subhadra. The
Parthas then, and their followers uttered loud shouts and beat their
musical instruments and applauded the son of Subhadra [for his heroism].’”