“Sanjaya said, ‘Then Drona caused a great carnage among the Panchalas,
like the slaughter caused by Sakra himself in rage amongst the Danavas in
the days of yore. The great car-warriors of the Pandava army, endued with
might and energy, though slaughtered, O king, by Drona’s weapons, were
not yet afraid of Drona in that battle. Indeed, O monarch, those mighty
car-warriors, viz., the Panchalas and the Srinjayas, all rushed against
Drona himself, for fighting with him. Loud and fierce were the yells they
uttered as they rushed towards Drona for encompassing him on all sides
and were slaughtered by him with shafts and darts. Beholding the
slaughter of the Panchalas in that battle by the illustrious Drona, and
seeing his weapons overwhelm all sides, fear entered the hearts of the
Pandavas. Beholding that dreadful carnage of steeds and human beings in
that battle, the Pandavas, O monarch, became hopeless of victory. (They
began to say unto each other) “Is it not evident that Drona, that warrior
conversant with the mightiest of weapons, will consume us all like a
raging conflagration consuming a heap of straw in the season of spring?
There is none competent to even look at him in battle. Conversant with
the ways of morality, Arjuna (who alone is a match for him) will not
fight with him.” Beholding the sons of Kunti afflicted with the shafts of
Drona and inspired with fear, Kesava, endued with great intelligence and
devoted to their welfare, addressed Arjuna and said, “This foremost of
all bowmen is incapable of being ever vanquished by force in battle, by
the very gods with Vasava at their head. When, however, he lays aside his
weapons, he becomes capable of being slain on the field even by human
beings. Casting aside virtue, ye sons of Pandu, adopt now some
contrivance for gaining the victory, so that Drona of the golden car may
not slay us all in battle. Upon the fall of (his son) Aswatthaman he will
cease to fight, I think. Let some man, therefore, tell him that
Aswatthaman hath been slain in battle.” This advice, however, O king was
not approved by Kunti’s son, Dhananjaya. Others approved of it. But
Yudhishthira accepted it with great difficulty. Then the mighty-armed
Bhima, O king, slew with a mace a foe-crushing, terrible and huge
elephant named Aswatthaman, of his own army, belonging to Indravarman,
the chief of the Malavas. Approaching Drona then in that battle with some
bashfulness Bhimasena began to exclaim aloud, “Aswatthaman hath been
slain.” That elephant named Aswatthaman having been thus slain, Bhima
spoke of Aswatthaman’s slaughter. Keeping the true fact within his mind,
he said what was untrue. Hearing those highly disagreeable words of Bhima
and reflecting upon them, Drona’s limbs seemed to dissolve like sands in
water. Recollecting however, the prowess of his son, he soon came to
regard that intelligence as false. Hearing, therefore, of his slaughter,
Drona did not become unmanned. Indeed, soon recovering his senses, he
became comforted, remembering that his son was incapable of being
resisted by foes. Rushing towards the son of Prishata and desirous of
slaying that hero who had been ordained as his slayer, he covered him
with a thousand keen shafts, equipped with kanka feathers. Then twenty
thousand Panchala car-warriors of great energy covered him, while he was
thus careering in battle, with their shafts. Completely shrouded with
those shafts, we could not any longer see that great car-warrior who then
resembled, O monarch, the sun, covered with clouds in the season of
rains. Filled with wrath and desirous of compassing the destruction of
those brave Panchalas, that mighty car-warrior, that scorcher of foes,
viz., Drona, dispelling all those shafts of the Panchalas, then invoked
into existence the Brahma weapon. At that time, Drona looked resplendent
like a smokeless, blazing fire. Once more filled with rage the valiant
son of Bharadwaja slaughtering all the Somakas, seemed to be invested
with great splendour. In that dreadful battle, he felled the heads of the
Panchalas and cut off their massive arms, looking like spiked maces and
decked with golden ornaments. Indeed, those Kshatriyas, slaughtered in
battle by Bharadwaja’s son fell down on the earth and lay scattered like
trees uprooted by the tempest. In consequence of fallen elephants and
steeds, O Bharata, the earth, miry with flesh and blood, became
impassable. Having slain twenty thousand Panchala car-warriors, Drona, in
that battle, shone resplendent like a smokeless, blazing fire. Once more
filled with rage, the valiant son of Bharadwaja cut off, with a
broad-headed arrow, the head of Vasudana from his trunk. Once more
slaying five hundred Matsyas, and six thousand elephants, he slew ten
thousand steeds. Beholding Drona stationed on the field for the
extermination of the Kshatriya race, the Rishis Viswamitra, and
Jamadagni, and Bharadwaja, and Gautama, and Vasishtha, and Kasyapa, and
Atri, and the Srikatas, the Prisnis, Garga, the Valkhilyas, the Marichis,
the descendants of Bhrigu and Angiras, and diverse other sages of subtle
forms quickly came thither, with the Bearer of sacrificial libations at
their head, and, desirous of taking Drona unto the region of Brahman,
addressed Drona, that ornament of battle, and said, “Thou art fighting
unrighteously. The hour of thy death is come. Laying aside thy weapons in
battle, O Drona, behold us stationed here. After this, it behoveth thee
not to perpetrate such exceedingly cruel deeds. Thou art versed in the
Vedas and their branches. Thou art devoted to the duties enjoined by
truth, especially, thou art a Brahmana. Such acts do not become thee. Lay
aside thy weapons. Drive away the film of error that shrouds thee. Adhere
now to the eternal path. The period for which thou art to dwell in the
world of men is now full. Thou hast, with the Brahma weapon, burnt men on
earth that are unacquainted with weapons. This act that thou hast
perpetrated, O regenerate one, is not righteous. Lay aside thy weapons in
battle without delay, O Drona, do not wait longer on earth. Do not, O
regenerate one, perpetrate such a sinful act.” Hearing these words of
theirs as also those spoken by Bhimasena, and beholding Dhrishtadyumna
before him, Drona became exceedingly cheerless in battle. Burning with
grief and exceedingly afflicted, he enquired of Kunti’s son Yudhishthira
as to whether his son (Aswatthaman) had been slain or not. Drona firmly
believed that Yudhishthira would never speak an untruth even for the sake
of the sovereignty of the three worlds. For this reason, that bull among
Brahmanas asked Yudhishthira and not any body else. He had hoped for
truth from Yudhishthira from the latter’s infancy.
“‘Meanwhile, O monarch, Govinda, knowing that Drona, that foremost of
warriors, was capable of sweeping all the Pandavas off the face of the
earth, became much distressed. Addressing Yudhishthira he said, “If Drona
fighteth, filled with rage, for even half-a-day, I tell thee truly, thy
army will then be annihilated. Save us, then, from Drona. Under such
circumstances, falsehood is better than truth. By telling an untruth for
saving a life, one is not touched by sin. There is no sin in untruth
spoken unto women, or in marriages, or for saving a king, or for rescuing a
Brahmana.”[252] While Govinda and Yudhishthira were thus talking with
each other, Bhimasena (addressing the king) said, “As soon, O monarch, as
I heard of the means by which the high-souled Drona might be slain,
putting forth my prowess in battle, I immediately slew a mighty elephant,
like unto the elephant of Sakra himself, belonging to Indravarman, the
chief of the Malavas, who was standing within thy army. I then went to
Drona and told him, ‘Aswatthaman has been slain, O Brahmana! Cease, then,
to fight.’ Verily, O bull among men, the preceptor did not believe in the
truth of words. Desirous of victory as thou art, accept the advice of
Govinda. Tell Drona, O King, that the son of Saradwat’s daughter is no
more. Told by thee, that bull among Brahmanas will never fight. Thou, O
ruler of men, art reputed to be truthful in the three worlds.” Hearing
those words of Bhima and induced by the counsels of Krishna, and owing
also to the inevitability of destiny, O monarch, Yudhishthira made up his
mind to say what he desired. Fearing to utter an untruth, but earnestly
desirous of victory, Yudhishthira distinctly said that Aswatthaman was
dead, adding indistinctly the world elephant (after the name). Before
this, Yudhishthira’s car had stayed at a height of four fingers’ breadth
from the surface of the earth; after, however, he had said that untruth,
his (vehicle and) animals touched the earth. Hearing those words from
Yudhishthira, the mighty car-warrior Drona, afflicted with grief, for the
(supposed) death of his son, yielded to the influence of despair. By the
words, again, of the Rishis, he regarded himself a great offender against
the high-souled Pandavas. Hearing now about the death of his son, he
became perfectly cheerless and filled with anxiety; upon beholding
Dhrishtadyumna, O king, that chastiser of foes could not fight as
before.’”