(Drona-vadha Parva)
“Sanjaya said, ‘Thus addressed by Vyasa, the heroic king Yudhishthira the
just refrained, O bull of Bharata’s race, from himself seeking to slay
Karna. In consequence, however of the slaughter of Ghatotkacha by the
Suta’s son that night, the king became filled with grief and anger.
Beholding thy vast host held in check by Bhima, Yudhishthira, addressing
Dhrishtadyumna, said, “Resist the Pot-born! O scorcher of foes, thou
hadst, clad in mail, and armed with bow and arrows and scimitar, sprung
from fire, for the destruction of Drona! Cheerfully rush thou to battle,
thou needst have no fear. Let also Janamejaya and Sikhandin and
Durmukha’s son and Yasodhara, rush in wrath against the Pot-born on every
side. Let Nakula and Sahadeva and the sons of Draupadi and the
Prabhadrakas, and Drupada and Virata with their sons and brothers, and
Satyaki and the Kaikeyas and the Pandavas and Dhananjaya, rush with speed
against Bharadwaja’s son, from desire of slaying him. Let also all our
car-warriors and all the elephants and horses we have, and all our
foot-soldiers, overthrow the mighty car-warrior Drona in battle.” Thus
ordered by the illustrious son of Pandu, all of them rushed impetuously
against the Pot-born from desire of slaughtering him. Drona, however,
that foremost of all wielders of arms, received in battle all those
Pandava warriors thus rushing towards him suddenly with great force and
perseverance. The king Duryodhana, desiring to protect Drona’s life,
rushed, filled with wrath, against the Pandavas, with great force and
perseverance. Then commenced the battle between the Kurus and the
Pandavas who roared at each other. The animals of both hosts as also the
warriors were all tired. The great car-warriors also, O king, with eyes
closing in sleep and worn out with exertion in battle, knew not what to
do. That night of nine hours, so terrible and awful[242] and so
destructive of creatures, appeared to them to be everything.[243] While
they were being thus slain and mangled by one another, and while sleep
sat heavy on their eyes, it became midnight. All the Kshatriyas became
cheerless. Thy troops, as also those of the foe, had no more weapons and
arrows. Passing the time thus (most of), the warriors (of both armies)
endued with modesty and energy and observant of the duties of their
order, did not abandon their divisions. Others, blind with sleep,
abandoning their weapons, laid themselves down. Some laid themselves down
on the backs of elephants, some on cars, and some on horseback, O
Bharata! Blind with sleep, they became perfectly motionless, O king.
Other warriors (that were yet awake) in that battle, despatched these to
Yama’s abode. Others, deprived of their senses, and dreaming in sleep,
slew themselves, that is, their own comrades, as also foes. Indeed, these
fought in that dreadful battle, uttering various exclamations. Many
warriors, O monarch, of our army, desirous of continuing the fight with
the foe, stood with eyes drowsy with sleep. Some brave warriors, during
that terrible hour of darkness, though blind with sleep, yet gliding
along the field, slew one another in that battle. Many amongst the foe,
entirely stupefied by slumber, were slain without their being conscious
(of the strokes that launched them into eternity). Beholding this
condition of the soldiers, O bull among men, Vibhatsu in a very loud
voice, said these words: “all of you, with your animals, are worn out with
exertion and blind with sleep. Ye warriors, ye are enveloped in darkness
and with dust. Therefore, if ye like, ye may rest. Indeed, here, on the
field of battle close your eyes for a while. Then when the moon will
rise, ye Kurus and Pandavas, ye may again, having slept and taken rest,
encounter each other for the sake of heaven.” Hearing these words of the
virtuous Arjuna, the virtuous warriors (of the Kuru army) assented to the
suggestion, and addressing one another, loudly said, “O Karna, O Karna, O
king Duryodhana, abstain from the fight. The Pandava host hath ceased to
strike us.” Then at those words of Phalguna, uttered loudly by him, the
Pandava army as also thine, O Bharata, abstained from battle. Indeed,
these noble words of Partha were highly applauded by the gods, the
high-souled Rishis, and all the gladdened soldiers. Applauding those kind
words, O Bharata, all the troops, O king, worn out with exertion, laid
themselves down for sleep, O bull of Bharata’s race. Then that army of
thine, O Bharata, happy at the prospect of rest and sleep, sincerely
blessed Arjuna saying, “In thee are the Vedas as also all weapons! In
thee are intelligence and prowess! In thee, O mighty armed one, are
righteousness and compassion for all creatures, O sinless one! And since
we have been comforted by thee, we wish thy good, O Partha! Let
prosperity be to thee! Soon do thou get, O hero, those objects that are
dear to thy heart!” Blessing him thus, O tiger among men, those great
car-warriors, overcome with sleep, became silent, O monarch! Some laid
themselves down on horseback, some on the car-boxes, some on the necks of
elephants, and some on the bare ground. Many men, with their weapons and
maces and swords and battle axes and lances and with their armours on,
laid themselves down for sleep, apart from one another. Elephants, heavy
with sleep, made the earth cool with the breath of their nostrils, that
passed through their snake-like trunks spotted with dust. Indeed, the
elephants, as they breathed on the ground, looked beautiful like hills
scattered (on the field of battle) over whose breasts hissed gigantic
snakes. Steeds, in trappings of gold and with manes mingling with their
yokes, stamping their hoofs made even grounds uneven. Thus every one, O
king, slept there with the animal he rode. Thus steeds and elephants and
warriors, O bull of Bharata’s race, very much worn out with exertion,
slept, abstaining from battle. That slumbering host, deprived of sense
and sunk in sleep, then looked like a wonderful picture drawn on canvas
by skilful artists. Those Kshatriyas, decked in ear-rings and endued with
youth, with limbs mangled by shafts, and immersed in sleep, having laid
themselves down on the coronal globes of elephants, looked as if they
were lying on the deep bosom of beautiful ladies. Then the moon, that
delighter of eye and lord of lilies, of hue white as the checks of a.
beautiful lady, rose, adorning the direction presided over by Indra.[244]
Indeed, like a lion of the Udaya hills, with rays constituting his manes
of brilliant yellow, he issued out of his cave in the east, tearing to
pieces the thick gloom of night resembling an extensive herd of
elephants.[245] That lover of all assemblage of lilies (in the world),
bright as the body of Mahadeva’s excellent bull, full-arched and radiant
as Karna’s bow, and delightful and charming as the smile on the lips of a
bashful bride, bloomed in the firmament.[246] Soon, however, that divine
lord having the hare for his mark showed himself shedding brighter rays
around. Indeed, the moon, after this seemed to gradually emit a bright
halo of far-reaching light that resembled the splendour of gold. Then the
rays of that luminary, dispelling the darkness by their splendour, slowly
spread themselves over all the quarters, the welkin, and the earth. Soon,
therefore, the world became illuminated. The unspeakable darkness that
had hidden everything quickly fled away. When the world was thus
illuminated into almost daylight by the moon, amongst the creatures that
wander at night, some continued to roam about and some abstained. That
host, O king, awakened by the rays of the sun. Indeed, that sea of troops
was awakened by the rays of the moon bloomed (into life) like an
assemblage of lotuses expanded by the rays of the sun. Indeed, that sea
of troops was awakened by the risen moon like the ocean swelling up in
agitated surges at the rise of that luminary. Then, O king, the battle
once more commenced on earth, for the destruction of the earth’s
population, between men that desired to attain to heaven.’”