“‘Bhima said, “That car which formerly bore Brahma and Isana and Indra and
Varuna (to battle), mounting upon that car, have two Krishnas gone. They
can have no fear of danger. Taking, however, thy command on my head, lo,
I am going. Do not grieve. Meeting with those tigers among men, I shall
send thee intelligence.”
“Sanjaya said, ‘Having said those words, the mighty Bhima began to
prepare for setting out, repeatedly making over Yudhishthira to
Dhrishtadyumna and the other friends (of the Pandava cause). Indeed,
Bhimasena of mighty strength addressing Dhrishtadyumna, said, “It is
known to thee, O thou of mighty arms, how the mighty car-warrior Drona is
always on the alert to seize king Yudhishthira the Just by all means in
his power. Indeed, O son of Prishata, I should never place my going (to
Arjuna and Satyaki) above my duty of protecting the king. King
Yudhishthira, however, hath commanded me to go, I dare not contradict
him. I shall go thither where the ruler of the Sindhus stayeth, at the
point of death. I should, in complete truthfulness, act according to the
words of my brother (Arjuna) and of Satyaki endued with great
intelligence. Thou shouldst, therefore, vigorously resolved on fight,
protect Yudhishthira the son of Pritha today. Of all tasks, this is thy
highest duty in battle.” Thus addressed by Vrikodara, O monarch,
Dhrishtadyumna replied, “I shall do what thou wishest. Go, O son of
Pritha, without any anxiety of the kind. Without slaying Dhrishtadyumna
in battle, Drona will never be able to humiliate king Yudhishthira in the
fight.” Thus making the royal son of Pandu over to Dhrishtadyumna, and
saluting his elder brother, Bhimasena, proceeded towards the spot where
Phalguna was. Before dismissing him, however, king Yudhishthira the Just,
O Bharata, embraced Bhimasena and smelt his head and pronounced
auspicious blessings upon him. After circumambulating a number of
Brahmanas, gratified with worship and presents, and touching the eight
kinds of auspicious articles, and quaffing Kairataka honey, that hero,
the corners of whose eyes had become red in intoxication, felt his might
to be doubled. The Brahmanas performed propitiatory ceremonies for him.
Various omens, indicative of success, greeted him. Beholding them, he
felt the delight of anticipated victory. Favourable winds began to blow
and indicate his success. Then the mighty-armed Bhimasena, the foremost
of car-warriors, clad in mail, decked with earrings and Angadas, and his
hands cased in leathern fences, mounted on his own excellent car. His
costly coat of mail, made of black steel and decked with gold, looked
like a cloud charged with lightning. His body was beautifully covered
with yellow and red and black and white robes. Wearing a coloured cuirass
that protected also his neck, Bhimasena looked resplendent like a cloud
decked with a rainbow.
“‘While Bhimasena was on the point of setting out against thy troops from
desire of battle, the fierce blasts of Panchajanya were once more heard.
Hearing those loud and terrible blasts, capable of filling the three
worlds with fear, the son of Dharma once more addressed Bhimasena,
saying, “There, the Vrishni hero is fiercely blowing his conch. Indeed,
that Prince of conchs is filling the earth and the welkin with its sound.
Without doubt, Savyasachin having fallen into great distress, the bearer
of the discus and the mace is battling with all the Kurus. Without doubt,
the venerable Kunti, and Draupadi, and Subhadra, are all, with their
relatives and friends, beholding today exceedingly inauspicious omens.
Therefore, O Bhima, go thither with speed where Dhananjaya is. All the
points of the compass, O Partha, seem empty to my eyes in consequence of
my (unsatisfied) desire to see Dhananjaya and owing also to Satwata.”
Repeatedly urged by his superior to go, the valiant son of Pandu, viz.,
Bhimasena, O king, casing his hands in leathern fence, took up his bow.
Urged by his eldest brother, that brother, Bhimasena, who was devoted to
his brother’s good, caused drums to be beat. And Bhima forcibly blew his
conch also and uttering leonine roars, began to twang his bow. Damping
the hearts of hostile heroes by those leonine roars, and assuming a
dreadful form, he rushed against his foes. Swift and well-broken steeds
of the foremost breed neighing furiously, bore him. Endued with the speed
of the wind or thought, their reins were held by Visoka. Then the son of
Pritha, drawing the bowstring with great force, began to crush the head
of the hostile array, mangling and piercing the combatants there. And as
that mighty-armed hero proceeded, the brave Panchalas and the Somakas
followed him behind, like the celestials following Maghavat. Then the
brothers Duhsasana and Chitrasena and Kundabhedin and Vivinsati, and
Durmukha and Duhsaha and Sala, and Vinda and Anuvinda and Sumukha and
Dirghavahu and Sudarsana, and Suhasta and Sushena and Dirghalochana, and
Abhaya and Raudrakarman and Suvarman and Durvimochana, approaching,
encompassed Bhimasena. These foremost of car-warriors, these heroes, all
looking resplendent, with their troops and followers, firmly resolved
upon battle, rushed against Bhimasena. That heroic and mighty
car-warrior, viz., Kunti’s son Bhimasena of great prowess, thus
encompassed, cast his eyes on them, and rushed against them with the
impetuosity of a lion against smaller animals. Those heroes, displaying
celestial and mighty weapons, covered Bhima with shafts, like clouds
shrouding the risen sun. Transgressing all those warriors with
impetuosity, Bhimasena rushed against Drona’s division, and covered the
elephant-force before him with showers of arrows. The son of the
Wind-god, mangling with his shafts almost in no time that elephant
division dispersed it in all directions. Indeed, like animals terrified
in the forest at the roar of a Sarabha, those elephants all fled away,
uttering frightful cries. Passing over that ground with speed, he then
approached the division of Drona. Then the preceptor checked his course,
like the continent resisting the surging sea. Smilingly, he struck the
son of Pandu in his forehead with a shaft. Thereupon, the son of Pandu
looked resplendent like the sun with upward rays. The preceptor thought
that Bhima would show him reverence as Phalguna had done before.
Addressing Vrikodara, therefore, he said, “O Bhimasena, it is beyond thy
power to enter into the hostile host, without vanquishing me, thy foe, in
battle, O thou of mighty strength! Although Krishna with thy younger
brother hath penetrated this host with my permission, thyself, however,
will never succeed in doing so.” Hearing these words of the preceptor,
the dauntless Bhima, excited with wrath, and his eyes red as blood or
burnished copper, quickly replied unto Drona, saying, “O wretch of a
Brahmana, it cannot be that Arjuna hath entered this host with thy
permission. He is invincible. He would penetrate into the host commanded
by Sakra himself. If he offered thee reverential worship, it was only for
honouring thee. But know, O Drona, that myself, I am not compassionate
like Arjuna. On the other hand, I am Bhimasena, thy foe. We regard thee
as our father, preceptor, and friend. Ourselves we look upon as thy sons.
Thinking so we always humble ourselves to thee. When, however, thou usest
such words towards us today, it seems that all that is altered. If thou
regardest thyself as our foe, let it be as thou thinkest. Being none else
than Bhima, I will presently act towards thee as I should towards a foe.”
Saying this, Bhima whirling a mace, like the Destroyer himself whirling
his fatal rod, hurled it, O king, at Drona. Drona, however, had quickly
jumped down from his car, (and that proved his safety). For that mace
pressed down into the earth the car of Drona, with its steeds, driver,
and standard. Then Bhima crushed numerous warriors like the tempest
crushing trees with its force. Then those sons of thine once more
encompassed that foremost of car-warriors. Meanwhile, Drona, that
foremost of smiters mounting another chariot, proceeded to the gate of
the array and stayed there for battle. Then, O king, the angry Bhima of
great prowess, covered the car-division in his front with showers of
shafts. Then those mighty car-warriors, viz., thy sons, thus struck in
battle, endued as they were with great strength fought with Bhima from
desire of victory. Then Duhsasana, excited with wrath, hurled at
Bhimasena a keen dart made entirely of iron, wishing to slay the son of
Pandu. Bhima however, cut in twain that fierce dart hurled by thy son, as
it coursed towards him. This feat seemed exceedingly wonderful. The
mighty son of Pandu, then, with three other keen shafts, slew the three
brothers Kundabhedin and Sushena and Dirghanetra. And, again, amongst
those heroic sons of thine battling with him, Bhima slew heroic
Vrindaraka, that enhancer of the fame of the Kurus. And again, with three
other shafts, Bhima slew three other sons of thine, viz., Abhaya and
Raudrakarman and Durvimochana. Thus slaughtered, O king, by that mighty
warrior, thy sons surrounded Bhima, that foremost of smiters on all
sides. They then showered their arrows upon that son of Pandu, of
terrible deeds, like the cloud at the end of summer pouring torrents of
rain on the mountain-breast. That slayer of hosts, the heir of Pandu,
received that arrowy shower, like a mountain receiving a shower of
stones. Indeed, the heroic Bhima felt no pain. Then the son of Kunti,
smiling the while, despatched by means of his shafts thy sons Vinda and
Anuvinda and Suvarman to the abode of Yama. Then the son of Pandu, O bull
of Bharata’s race, quickly pierced in that battle thy heroic son
Sudarsan. The latter, thereupon, fell down and expired. Within a very
short time, the son of Pandu, casting his glances on that car-force
caused it by his shafts to fly away in all directions. Then like a herd
of deer frightened at the clatter of car-wheels, or a loud shout, thy
sons, in that battle, O king, afflicted with the fear of Bhimasena,
suddenly broke and fled. The son of Kunti, however, pursued that large
force of thy sons, and began, O king, to pierce the Kauravas from every
side. Thy soldiers, O monarch, thus slaughtered by Bhimasena, fled away
from battle, avoiding the son of Pandu and urging their own excellent
steeds to their greatest speed. The mighty Bhimasena then, having
vanquished them in battle, uttered leonine roars and made a great noise
by slapping his armpits. And the mighty Bhima, having made also a fierce
noise with his palms, and thereby frightened that car-force and the
foremost of warriors that were in it, passed towards the division of
Drona, transgressing that car-force (which he had vanquished.)’”