“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding those feats of the Satwata hero, Duryodhana and
others, filled with rage, quickly encompassed the grandson of Sini on all
sides. Kripa and Karna, and also thy sons, O sire, in that battle,
quickly approaching the grandson of Sini, began to strike him with keen
arrows. Then king Yudhishthira, and the two other Pandavas, viz., the two
sons of Madri and Bhimasena of great might surrounded Satyaki (for
protecting him). Karna, and the mighty car-warrior Kripa, and Duryodhana
and others, all resisted Satyaki, pouring showers of arrows on him. The
grandson of Sini, however, contending with all those car-warriors,
baffled, O monarch, that terrible downpour of arrows, so suddenly created
by his foes. Indeed, in that dreadful battle, Satyaki, by means of his
own celestial weapons, duly resisted all those celestial weapons aimed at
him by those illustrious warriors. The field of battle became full of
many cruel sights upon that encounter of those royal combatants,
resembling that scene of yore when Rudra, filled with rage, had destroyed
all creatures. Human arms and heads and bows, O Bharata, and umbrellas
displaced (from cars), and yak-tails, were seen lying in heaps on the
field of battle. The earth became quickly strewn with broken wheels and
cars, and massive arms lopped off from trunks, and brave horsemen
deprived of life. And, O foremost one among the Kurus, a large number of
warriors, mangled with falling arrows, were seen in that great battle to
roll and writhe on the ground in agony of the last spasms of death.
During the progress of that terrible battle, resembling the encounter in
days of old between the celestials and the Asuras, king Yudhishthira the
just, addressing his warriors, said, “Putting forth all your vigour, rush,
ye great car-warriors, against the Pot-born! Yonder the heroic son of
Prishata is engaged with Drona! He is endeavouring to the utmost of his
might, to slay the son of Bharadwaja. Judging from the aspect he is
presenting in this great battle, it is evident that filled with rage, he
will today overthrow Drona. Uniting together, all of you fight with the
Pot-born.” Thus ordered by Yudhishthira, the mighty car-warriors of the
Srinjayas all rushed with great vigour to slay the son of Bharadwaja.
That mighty car-warrior, viz., Bharadwaja’s son, quickly rushed against
those advancing warriors, knowing for certain that he would die. When
Drona, of sure aim, thus proceeded, the earth trembled violently. Fierce
winds began to blow, inspiring the (hostile) ranks with fear. Large
meteors fell, seemingly issuing out of the sun, blazing fiercely as they
fell and foreboding great terrors. The weapons of Drona, O sire, seemed
to blaze forth. Cars seemed to produce loud rattles, and steeds to shed
tears. The mighty car-warrior, Drona, seemed to be divested of his
energy. His left eye and left hand began to twitch. Beholding Prishata’s
son, again, before him, and bearing in mind the words of the Rishis about
his leaving the world for heaven, he became cheerless. He then desired to
give up life by fighting fairly. Encompassed on all sides by the troops
of Drupada’s son, Drona began to career in battle, consuming large
numbers of Kshatriyas. That grinder of foes, having slain four and twenty
thousand Kshatriyas, then despatched to Yama’s abode ten times ten
thousand, by means of his shafts of keen points. Exerting himself with
care, he seemed to stand in that battle like a smokeless fire. For the
extermination of the Kshatriya race, he then had recourse to the Brahma
weapon. Then the mighty Bhima, beholding the illustrious and irresistible
prince of the Panchalas carless and weaponless, quickly proceeded towards
him. Beholding him striking at Drona from a near point, that grinder of
foes took up Dhrishtadyumna on his own car and said unto him, “Save thee
there is no other man that can venture to fight with the preceptor. Be
quick to slay him. The burden of his slaughter rests upon thee.” Thus
addressed by Bhima, the mighty-armed Dhrishtadyumna speedily took up a
strong, a new and a superb bow capable of bearing a great strain. Filled
with rage, and shooting his arrows in that battle at the irresistible
Drona, Dhrishtadyumna covered the preceptor, desirous of withstanding
him. Those two ornaments of battle then, both foremost of fighters and
both filled with rage, invoked into existence the Brahma and diverse
other celestial weapons. Indeed, O king, Dhrishtadyumna covered Drona
with many mighty weapons in that encounter. Destroying all the weapons of
Bharadwaja’s son, the Panchala prince, that warrior of unfading glory,
began to slay the Vasatis, the Sivis, the Valhikas and the Kurus, that
is, them, who protected Drona in that battle. Indeed, O king, shooting
showers of arrows on all sides, Dhrishtadyumna at that time looked
resplendent like the sun himself shedding his thousands of rays. Drona,
however, once more cut off the prince’s bow and pierced the vitals of the
prince himself with many arrows. Thus pierced, the prince felt great
pain. Then Bhima, of great wrath, holding the car of Drona, O monarch,
slowly said these words unto him: “If wretches amongst Brahmanas,
discontented with the avocations of their own order, but well-versed in
arms, did not fight, the Kshatriya order then would not have been thus
exterminated. Abstention from injury to all creatures hath been said to
be the highest of all virtues. The Brahmana is the root of that virtue.
As regards thyself, again, thou art the foremost of all persons
acquainted with Brahma. Slaying all those Mlecchas and other warriors,
who, however, are all engaged in the proper avocations of their order,
moved thereto by ignorance and folly, O Brahmana, and by the desire of
wealth for benefiting sons and wives; indeed, for the sake of an only
son, why dost thou not feel ashamed? He for whom thou hast taken up
weapons, and for whom thou livest, he, deprived of life, lieth today on
the field of battle, unknown to thee and behind thy back. King
Yudhishthira the just hath told thee this. It behoveth thee not to doubt
this fact.” Thus addressed by Bhima, Drona laid aside his bow. Desirous
of laying aside all his weapons also, Bharadwaja’s son of virtuous soul
said aloud, “O Karna, Karna, O great bowman, O Kripa, O Duryodhana, I
tell you repeatedly, exert yourselves carefully in battle. Let no injury
happen to you from the Pandavas. As regards myself, I lay aside my
weapons.” Saying these words, he began loudly to take the name of
Aswatthaman. Laying aside his weapons then in that battle, and sitting
down on the terrace of his car, he devoted himself to Yoga and assured
all creatures, dispelling their fears. Beholding that opportunity,
Dhrishtadyumna mustered all his energy. Laying down on the car his
formidable bow, with arrow fixed on the bow-string, he took up a sword,
and jumping down from his vehicle, rushed quickly against Drona. All
creatures, human beings and others, uttered exclamation of woe, beholding
Drona thus brought under Dhrishtadyumna’s power. Loud cries of Oh and
Alas were uttered, as also those of Oh and Fie. As regards Drona himself,
abandoning his weapons, he was then in a supremely tranquil state. Having
said those words he had devoted himself to Yoga. Endued with great
effulgence and possessed of high ascetic merit, he had fixed his heart on
that Supreme and Ancient Being, viz., Vishnu. Bending his face slightly
down, and heaving his breast forward, and closing his eyes, and resting
on the quality of goodness, and disposing his heart to contemplation,
and thinking on the monosyllable Om, representing Brahma, and
remembering the puissant, supreme, and indestructible God of gods, the
radiant Drona of high ascetic merit, the preceptor (of the Kurus and the
Pandavas) repaired to heaven that is so difficult of being attained even
by the pious. Indeed, when Drona thus proceeded to heaven it seemed to us
that there were then two suns in the firmament. The whole welkin was
ablaze and seemed to be one vast expanse of equal light when the sun-like
Bharadwaja, of solar effulgence, disappeared. Confused sounds of joy were
heard, uttered by the delighted celestials. When Drona thus repaired to
the region of Brahman, Dhrishtadyumna stood, unconscious of it all,
beside him. Only we five amongst men beheld the high-souled Drona rapt in
Yoga proceed to the highest region of blessedness. These five were
myself, Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, and Drona’s son, Aswatthaman, and
Vasudeva of Vrishni’s race, and king Yudhishthira the just, the son of
Pandu. Nobody else, O king, could see that glory of the wise Drona,
devoted to Yoga, while passing out of the world. In fact, all human
beings were unconscious of the fact that the preceptor attained to the
supreme region of Brahman, a region mysterious to the very gods, and one
that is the highest of all. Indeed, none of them could see the preceptor,
that chastiser of foes, proceed to the region of Brahman, devoted to Yoga
in the company of the foremost of Rishis, his body mangled with arrows
and bathed in blood, after he had laid aside his weapons. As regards
Prishata’s son, though everybody cried fie on him, yet casting his eyes
on the lifeless Drona’s head, he began to drag it. With his sword, then,
he lopped off from his foe’s trunk that head,--his foe remained
speechless the while. Having slain Bharadwaja’s son. Dhrishtadyumna was
filled with great joy, and uttered leonine shouts, whirling his sword. Of
a dark complexion, with white locks hanging down to his ears, that old
man of five and eighty years of age, used, for thy sake only, to career
on the field of battle with the activity of a youth of sixteen. The
mighty-armed Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, (before Drona’s head was cut
off) had said, “O son of Drupada, bring the preceptor alive, do not slay
him. He should not be slain.” Even thus all the troops also had cried
out. Arjuna, in particular, melted with pity, had cried out repeatedly.
Disregarding, however, the cries of Arjuna as also these of all the
kings, Dhrishtadyumna slew Drona, that bull among men, on the terrace of
his car. Covered with Drona’s blood, Dhrishtadyumna then jumped from the
car down upon the ground. Looking red like the sun, he then seemed to be
exceedingly fierce. Thy troops beheld Drona slain even thus in that
battle. Then Dhrishtadyumna, that great bowman, O king, threw down that
large head of Bharadwaja’s son before the warriors of thy army. Thy
soldiers, O monarch, beholding the head of Bharadwaja’s son, set their
hearts on flight and ran away in all directions. Meanwhile Drona,
ascending the skies, entered the stellar path. Through the grace of the
Rishis Krishna (Dwaipayana), the son of Satyavati, I witnessed, O king,
the (true circumstances about the) death of Drona. I beheld that
illustrious one proceeding, after he had ascended the sky, like a
smokeless brand of blazing splendour. Upon the fall of Drona, the Kurus,
the Pandavas and the Srinjayas, all became cheerless and ran away with
great speed. The army then broke up. Many had been slain, and many
wounded by means of keen shafts. Thy warriors (in particular), upon the
fall of Drona, seemed to be deprived of life. Having sustained a defeat,
and being inspired with fear about the future, the Kurus regarded
themselves deprived of both the worlds. Indeed, they lost all
self-control.[255] Searching for the body of Bharadwaja’s son, O
monarch, on the field covered with thousands of headless trunks, the
kings could not find it. The Pandavas, having gained the victory and
great prospects of renown in the future, began to make loud sounds with
their arrows and conchs and uttered loud leonine roars. Then Bhimasena, O
king, and Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, were seen in the midst of
the (Pandava) host to embrace each other. Addressing the son of Prishata,
that scorcher of foes, viz., Bhima said, “I will again embrace thee, O
son of Prishata, as one crowned with victory, when that wretch of a
Suta’s son shall be slain in battle, as also that other wretch, viz.,
Duryodhana.” Having said these words, Bhimasena, the son of Pandu, filled
with transports of joy, caused the earth to tremble with slaps on his
armpits. Terrified by that sound, thy troops ran away from battle,
forgetting the duties of the Kshatriyas and setting their hearts on
flight. The Pandavas, having become victors, became very glad, O monarch,
and they felt great happiness, derived from the destruction of their foes
in battle.’”