“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing of the slaughter of his sire by Dhrishtadyumna,
of sinful deeds, Drona’s son was filled with grief and rage, O bull among
men. Filled with rage, O king, his body seems to blaze forth like that of
the Destroyer while engaged in slaughtering creatures at the end of Yuga.
Repeatedly wiping his tearful eyes, and breathing hot sighs in rage, he
said unto Duryodhana, “I have now learnt how my sire has been slain by
those low wretches after he laid aside his weapons, and how also has a
sinful act been perpetrated by Yudhishthira disguised in the grab of
virtue![257] I have now heard of that unrighteous and exceedingly cruel
act of Dharma’s son. Indeed, to those engaged in battle, either of the
two things must happen, viz., victory or defeat. Death in battle is
always to be applauded. That death, in battle, of a person engaged in
fight, which takes place under circumstances of righteousness, is not
deserving of grief, as has been observed by the sages. Without doubt, my
sire has gone to the region of heroes. He having met with such a death, I
should not grieve for him. The humiliation, however, of a seizure of his
locks, that he sustained in the very sight of all the troops, while he
was righteously engaged in battle, is tearing the very core of my heart.
Myself alive, my sire’s locks were seized, why should sonless people then
entertain a desire of offspring?[258] People perpetrate unrighteous acts
or humiliate others, moved by lust or wrath or folly or hatred or levity.
The cruel and wicked-souled son of Prishata hath perpetrated this
exceedingly sinful act in total disregard of me. Dhrishtadyumna,
therefore, shall surely suffer the dreadful consequence of that act, as
also the false-speeched son of Pandu, that has acted so wrongly. Today,
the earth shall certainly drink the blood of that king Yudhishthira the
just, who caused the preceptor, by an act of deceit to lay aside his
weapons. I swear by truth, O Kauraveya, as also by my religious acts,
that I shall never bear the burden of life if I fail to exterminate the
Panchalas. By every means I contend with the Panchalas in dreadful
strife. I shall certainly slay in battle Dhrishtadyumna, that perpetrator
of unrighteous deeds. Mild or violent, let the means be what they will, I
shall effect the destruction of all the Panchalas before peace becomes
mine. O Kaurava! O tiger among men, persons desire children so that
obtaining them they may be rescued from great fears both here and
hereafter. My sire, however, fell unto that plight, like a friendless
creature, although myself am alive, his disciple and son, resembling a
mountain (in might). Fie on my celestial weapons. Fie on my arms. Fie on
my prowess. Since Drona, although he had a son in me, had his locks
seized! I shall, therefore, O chief of the Bharatas, now achieve that by
which I may be freed from the debt I owe to my sire, now gone to the
other world. He that is good never indulges in self-praise. Unable,
however, to brook the slaughter of my sire, I speak of my prowess. Let
the Pandavas, with Janardana among them, behold my energy today, while I
grind all their troops, achieving what is done (by the destroyer himself)
at the end of the Yuga. Neither the gods, nor the Gandharvas, nor the
Asuras, the Uragas, and the Rakshasas, nor all the foremost of men, shall
today be able to vanquish me on my car in battle. There is none in the
world equal to me or Arjuna in knowledge of weapons. Entering into the
midst of the troops, like the sun himself in the midst of his blazing
rays, I shall today use my celestial weapons. Today, applied by me,
innumerable shafts, sped from my bow in dreadful battle, displaying their
terrible energy, I shall grind the Pandavas. Today, all the points of the
compass, O king will be seen by the warriors of our army shrouded with my
winged arrows of keen points, as if with torrents of rain. Scattering
showers of shafts on all sides with a loud noise, I shall overthrow my
foes, like a tempest felling trees. Neither Vibhatsu, nor Janardana, nor
Bhimasena, nor Nakula, nor Sahadeva, nor king Yudhishthira, nor
Prishata’s wicked-souled son (Dhrishtadyumna), nor Sikhandin, nor
Satyaki, O Kauravya, knoweth that weapon which I have, along with the
mantras, for hurting and withdrawing it. Formerly on one occasion,
Narayana, assuming the form of a Brahmana, came to my father. Bowing unto
him, my father presented his offerings unto him in due form. Taking them
himself, the divine Lord offered to give him a boon. My father then
solicited that supreme weapon called Narayana. The divine Lord, the
foremost of all gods, addressing my sire, said, ‘No man shall ever become
thy equal in battle. This weapon, however, O Brahmana, should never be
used in haste. It never comes back without effecting the destruction of
the foe. I know none whom it may not slay, O lord! Indeed, it would slay
even the unslayable. Therefore, it should not be used (without the
greatest deliberation). This mighty weapon, O scorcher of foes, should
never be hurled upon persons that abandon their cars or weapons in
battle, or upon those that seek for quarter or those that wield
themselves up. He who seeketh to afflict in battle the unslayable with
it, is himself exceedingly afflicted by it![259]’--My sire thus received
that weapon. Then Lord Narayana, addressing myself also, said, ‘With the
aid of this weapon, thou too shalt pour diverse showers of celestial
weapons in battle and blaze with energy in consequence of it.’ Having said
these words, the divine Lord ascended to heaven. Even this is the history
of the Narayana weapon which has been obtained by my sire’s son. With
that I will rout and slay the Pandavas, the Panchalas, the Matsyas, and
the Kaikeyas, in battle, like Sachi’s lord routing and slaying the
Asuras. My shafts, O Bharata, will fall upon the contending foes, in
those particular forms which I shall wish them to assume. Staying in
battle, I will pour showers of weapons as I desire. I will rout and slay
all the foremost of car warriors with sky-ranging arrows of iron-points.
Without doubt, I will shower innumerable battle-axes upon the foe. With
the mighty Narayana weapon, a scorcher of foes that I am, I will destroy
the Pandavas, causing an immense carnage amongst them. That wretch
amongst the Panchalas, (viz., Dhrishtadyumna), who is an injurer of
friends and Brahmanas and of his own preceptor, who is a deceitful wretch
of the most reprehensible conduct, shall never escape from me today with
life.” Hearing these words of Drona’s son, the (Kuru) army rallied. Then
many foremost of men blew their gigantic conchs. And filled with delight,
they beat their drums and dindimas by thousands. The earth resounded with
loud noises, afflicted with the hoofs of steeds and the wheels of cars.
That loud uproar made the earth, and the firmament also echo with it.
Hearing that uproar, deep as the roll of the clouds, the Pandavas, those
foremost of car-warriors, uniting together, took counsel of one another.
Meanwhile, Drona’s son, having said those words, O Bharata, touched water
and invoked the celestial weapon called the Narayana.’”