“Sanjaya said, ‘That joy of Vishnu’s sister (viz., Abhimanyu), that
Atiratha, decked with the weapons of Vishnu himself, looked exceedingly
beautiful on the field of battle and looked like a second Janardana. With
the end of his locks waving in the air, with that supreme weapon upraised
in his hands, his body became incapable of being looked at by the very
gods. The kings beholding it and the wheel in his hands, became filled
with anxiety, and cut that off in a hundred fragments. Then that great
car-warrior, the son of Arjuna, took up a mighty mace. Deprived by them
of his bow and car and sword, and divested also of his wheel by his foes,
the mighty-armed Abhimanyu (mace in hand) rushed against Aswatthaman.
Beholding that mace upraised, which looked like the blazing thunderbolt,
Aswatthaman, that tiger among men, rapidly alighted from his car and took
three (long) leaps (for avoiding Abhimanyu). Slaying Aswatthaman’s steeds
and two Parshni charioteers with that mace of his, Subhadra’s son,
pierced all over with arrows, looked like a porcupine. Then that hero
pressed Suvala’s son, Kalikeya, down into the earth, and slew seven and
seventy Gandhara followers of the latter. Next, he slew ten car-warriors
of the Brahma-Vasatiya race, and then ten huge elephants. Proceeding next
towards the car of Duhsasana’s son, he crushed the latter’s car and
steeds, pressing them down into the earth. The invincible son of
Duhsasana, then, O sire, taking up his mace, rushed at Abhimanyu, saying,
“Wait, Wait!” Then those cousins, those two heroes, with upraised maces,
began to strike each other, desirous of achieving each other’s death,
like three-eyed (Mahadeva) and (the Asura) Andhaka in the days of old.
Each of those chastisers of foes, struck with the other’s mace-ends fell
down on the earth, like two uprooted standards erected to the honour of
Indra. Then Duhsasana’s son, that enhancer of the fame of the Kurus,
rising up first, struck Abhimanyu with the mace on the crown of his head,
as the latter was on the point of rising. Stupefied with the violence of
that stroke as also with the fatigue he had undergone, that slayer of
hostile hosts, viz., the son of Subhadra, fell on the earth, deprived of
his senses. Thus, O king, was one slain by many in battle,--one who had
ground the whole army, like an elephant grinding lotus-stalks in a lake.
As he lay dead on the field, the heroic Abhimanyu looked like a wild
elephant slain by the hunters. The fallen hero was then surrounded by thy
troops. And he looked like an extinguished fire in the summer season
after (as it lies) having consumed a whole forest, or like a tempest
divested of its fury after having crushed mountain crests;[80] or like
the sun arrived at the western hills after having blasted with his heat
the Bharata host; or like Soma swallowed up by Rahu; or like the ocean
reft of water. The mighty car-warriors of thy army beholding Abhimanyu
whose face had the splendour of the full moon, and whose eyes were
rendered beautiful in consequence of lashes black as the feathers of the
raven, lying prostrate on the bare earth, were filled with great joy. And
they repeatedly uttered leonine shouts. Indeed, O monarch, thy troops
were in transports of joy, while tears fell fast from the eyes of the
Pandava heroes. Beholding the heroic Abhimanyu lying on the field of
battle, like the moon dropped from the firmament, diverse creatures, O
king, in the welkin, said aloud, “Alas, this one lieth on the field,
slain, while fighting singly, by six mighty car-warriors of the
Dhartarashtra army, headed by Drona and Karna. This act hath been, we
hold, an unrighteous one.” Upon the slaughter of that hero, the earth
looked exceedingly resplendent like the star-bespangled firmament with
the moon. Indeed, the earth was strewn with shafts equipped with wings of
gold, and covered with waves of blood. And strewn with the beautiful
heads of heroes, decked with ear-rings and variegated turbans of great
value, and banners and yak-tails and beautiful blankets, and begemmed
weapons of great efficacy, and the bright ornaments of cars and steeds,
and men and elephants, and sharp and well-tempered swords, looking like
snakes freed from their sloughs, and bows, and broken shafts, and darts,
and swords, and lances, and Kampanas, and diverse other kinds of weapons,
she assumed a beautiful aspect. And in consequence of the steeds dead or
dying, but all weltering in blood, with their riders (lying about them),
felled by Subhadra’s son, the earth in many places became impassable. And
with iron hooks, and elephants--huge as hills--equipped with shields and
weapons and standards, lying about, crushed with shafts, with excellent
cars deprived of steeds and charioteers and car-warriors, lying scattered
on the earth, crushed by elephants and looking like agitated lakes, with
large bodies of foot-soldiers decked with diverse weapons and lying dead
on the ground, the field of battle, wearing a terrible aspect, inspired
all timid hearts with terror.
“‘Beholding Abhimanyu, resplendent as the sun or the moon, lying on the
ground, thy troops were in transport of joy, while Pandavas were filled
with grief. When youthful Abhimanyu, yet in his minority, fell, the
Pandava divisions, O king, fled away in the very sight of king
Yudhishthira. Beholding his army breaking upon the fall of Subhadra’s
son, Yudhishthira addressed his brave warriors, saying, “The heroic
Abhimanyu, who without retreating from battle hath been slain, hath
certainly ascended to heaven. Stay then, and fear not, for we shall yet
vanquish our foes.” Endued with great energy and great splendour, king
Yudhishthira the just, that foremost of warriors, saying such words unto
his soldiers inspired with grief, endeavoured to dispel their stupor. The
king continued, “Having in the first instance, slain in battle hostile
princes, resembling snakes of virulent poison, the son of Arjuna hath
then given up his life. Having slain ten thousand warriors, viz., the
king of the Kosalas, Abhimanyu, who was even like Krishna or Arjuna
himself, hath assuredly gone to the abode of Indra. Having destroyed cars
and steeds and men and elephants by thousands, he was still not content
with what he did. Performing as he did such meritorious feats, we should
not certainly grieve for him, he hath gone to the bright regions of the
righteous, regions that men acquire by meritorious deeds.”’”