Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) (6 page)

‘Sanjaya replied, “I will tell you about that extremely terrible encounter that took place between one and many. It was a tumultuous battle. Mounted on his chariot, Abhimanyu exerted himself. All the
ratha
s
⁵⁸
on your side were the scorchers of enemies and happily exerted themselves. There were Drona, Karna, Kripa, Shalya, Drona’s son, Bhoja,
⁵⁹
Brihadbala, Duryodhana, Somadatta’s son,
⁶⁰
the immensely strong Shakuni, many kings, many princes and many other soldiers. He roamed around like a circle of fire and pierced all of them with arrows. Subhadra’s powerful son was the destroyer of enemies and skilled in supreme weapons. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He exhibited his energy in all the directions. On witnessing the conduct of Subhadra’s infinitely energetic son, your soldiers trembled repeatedly. Bharadvaja’s powerful and immensely wise son dilated his eyes in delight. O venerable one! He quickly approached Kripa and addressed him, as if penetrating the inner organs of your son.
⁶¹
‘Abhimanyu, skilled in fighting, can be seen in the battle. Subhadra’s youthful son has come here, ahead of all the Parthas. He has caused delight to his well-wishers, all the kings, Yudhishthira, Nakula, Sahadeva, Pandava Bhimasena, his relatives, his kin and all the other well-wishers who are neutral. I do not think
there is any archer who is equal to him in battle. If he so wishes, he can kill all these soldiers. But for some reason, he does not desire that.’ On hearing Drona’s affectionate words, your son glanced smilingly at Drona. But he was enraged with Arjuna’s son.’

‘“Duryodhana spoke to Karna, Bahlika, Kripa, Duhshasana, the king of Madra and all the other maharathas. ‘The preceptor, knowledgeable about the brahman, is at the forefront of all of us. But because of affection and delusion, he does not wish to slay Arjuna’s son. In a battle, no assailant can escape from him, even if it were to be Death himself, not to speak of other mortals. I tell you this truthfully. He is protecting Arjuna’s son, as if he is his own student. Sons, students and the sons of students are always loved by those who follow dharma. Protected by Drona, he thinks himself to be brave. Though he is proud of himself, he is stupid. Let us swiftly crush him.’ Thus addressed by the king, while Bharadvaja’s son looked on, they rushed against Satvati’s son.
⁶²
They were angry and wished to kill him. On hearing Duryodhana’s words, Duhshasana, tiger among the Kuru lineage, replied to Duryodhana in these words. ‘O great king! I tell you that I am going to kill him, while the sons of Pandu and the Panchalas look on. I will devour Subhadra’s son, like Rahu grasping the sun.’
⁶³
He once again addressed the king of the Kurus in these loud words. ‘There is no doubt that, on hearing that Subhadra’s son has been devoured by me, the two Krishnas, who are extremely proud, will depart from the world of the living to the world of the dead. On hearing that they have died, the sons who have been born in Pandu’s field,
⁶⁴
together with all their well-wishers, will become impotent and will give up their lives on a single day. Therefore, if this one is killed, all your enemies, who wish you ill, will be destroyed. O king! Wish me well and I will slay this
enemy of yours.’ O king! Having spoken these words, your son, Duhshasana, was enraged and roared. He enveloped Subhadra’s son with a shower of arrows. Your son, the scorcher of enemies, descended on him. However, Abhimanyu pierced him with twenty-six sharp arrows. Duhshasana became wrathful, like an elephant with shattered temples. He fought with Abhimanyu, Subhadra’s son, in that battle. The chariots circled in wonderful ways, to the left and to the right. Those two warriors, skilled in the art of fighting with chariots, roamed around. Cymbals, drums, battle drums,
krikara
s,
⁶⁵
tambourines, kettledrums and
jharjhara
s
⁶⁶
were sounded. This loud noise mingled with the roar of the men. It was like the roar of lions, mingling with din of the salty ocean.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “The intelligent Abhimanyu’s body was mangled by the arrows. But he stationed himself before the enemy and smilingly spoke these words to Duhshasana. ‘It is through good fortune that I behold this insolent enemy in the battle today. He is cruel and has abandoned dharma. He is addicted to praising himself. In King Dhritarashtra’s hearing and in the assembly hall, you angered Dharmaraja Yudhishthira through your harsh words. Intoxicated with victory,
⁶⁷
you addressed many maddening words towards Bhima. You stole the property of others. You were enraged. You were not pacified. You were avaricious. Your wisdom was destroyed. You were hateful and you caused injury. You robbed my fathers, fierce archers, of their kingdom. You acted in rage against those great-souled ones. Because of all that, you are facing the consequences. O
evil-minded one! You will reap the fruits of terrible adharma. While all these soldiers look on, I will chastise you with my arrows today. Today, in the battle, I will free myself of the debt of anger I bear towards you. Krishna is intolerant towards you and this is what my fathers also desire. O Kouravya! In the battle, I will free myself of the debt I owe to Bhima. If you do not give up the battle, you will not escape with your life.’ Having spoken these words, the mighty armed one, the destroyer of enemy heroes, released an arrow towards Duhshasana. It was like death, like the fire at the time of destruction and like the wind in its energy. It swiftly approached and pierced him in his shoulder joint. He again pierced him with another twenty-five. O great king! Thus severely pierced and wounded, Duhshasana sat down on the floor of his chariot. He was overcome by a great swoon. His charioteer quickly carried away the unconscious Duhshasana, who was oppressed by the arrows of Subhadra’s son, from the midst of that battle. On witnessing this, the Pandavas, Droupadi’s sons, Virata, the Panchalas and the Kekayas roared like lions. The soldiers of the sons of Pandu were delighted and in all directions, played on many different kinds of musical instruments. On witnessing the feat accomplished by Subhadra’s son, they laughed.

‘“On seeing that the extremely hateful and insolent enemy had been vanquished, Droupadi’s maharatha sons, who had images of Dharma, Marut, Shakra and the Ashvins on the tips of their standards,
⁶⁸
Satyaki, Chekitana, Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi, the Kekayas, Dhrishtaketu, the Matsyas, the Panchalas, the Srinjayas and the Pandavas, with Yudhishthira at the forefront, were filled with joy. Wishing to fragment Drona’s array, they attacked together. An extremely great battle commenced between those on your side and the enemy. The brave ones were unwilling to retreat and desired victory. O great king! While that extremely fearful battle raged, Duryodhana spoke to Radheya. ‘Behold! Duhshasana has been conquered by the brave Abhimanyu. He
⁶⁹
is like the sun in his
energy and was slaughtering the warriors in battle. The Pandavas are advancing towards Subhadra’s son, with upraised weapons.’ At this, Karna became enraged. Wishing to ensure the welfare of your son, he covered the unassailable Abhimanyu with sharp arrows. In the field of battle, he pierced his followers with sharp and supreme arrows and was contemptuous of Subhadra’s brave son. O king! Abhimanyu swiftly pierced Radheya with seventy-three arrows that possessed iron heads. The great-minded one wished to confront Drona. In that battle, there was no one who could repulse his advance towards Drona. He oppressed the best of the rathas, like the one with the
vajra
⁷⁰
in his hand against the asuras. Karna was revered by all those who wielded the bow and desired victory. He exhibited his supreme weapons and pierced Subhadra’s son with hundreds of arrows. The powerful one was Rama’s
⁷¹
disciple and was supreme among those who possessed knowledge of weapons. In that battle, he oppressed Abhimanyu, whom enemies found invincible. He was afflicted by Radheya’s shower of weapons. But in that battle, Subhadra’s son did not waver. He was like an immortal. Arjuna’s son used sharp, broad-headed and straight-tufted arrows that had been sharpened on stone to sever the bows of the heroes and afflicted Karna. His standard and bow were severed and fell down on the ground. On seeing that Karna was confronting a hardship, Karna’s younger brother stretched his firm bow and quickly advanced against Subhadra’s son. The Parthas, and those who followed them, roared loudly. Satisfied with Subhadra’s son, they played on musical instruments.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “He
⁷²
repeatedly stretched the bow that he held in his hand and roared. He quickly placed himself between
those two
⁷³
great-souled rathas. As if smiling, he quickly pierced the unassailable Abhimanyu, his umbrella, his standard, his charioteer and his horses with ten arrows. Krishna’s son
⁷⁴
had performed superhuman deeds, like his father and his grandfather. On seeing him afflicted by the arrows, those on your side were delighted. Abhimanyu smiled at this. He stretched his bow and used a single arrow to sever his head,
⁷⁵
which fell down from the chariot onto the ground. It was like a karnikara tree uprooted from a mountain by the wind. O king! On seeing that his brother had been slain, Karna was overcome by grief. Having forced Karna to retreat, Subhadra’s son used arrows tufted with heron feathers to quickly rout the other great archers. He shattered that net of elephants, horses, chariots and infantry. The immensely illustrious Abhimanyu angrily routed them with his arrows. Karna was afflicted by Abhimanyu’s many arrows. He fled on swift horses and the array was shattered. O king! Abhimanyu’s arrows covered the sky, like locusts or like a shower, and nothing could be seen. The warriors on your side were slaughtered by those sharp arrows. O king! But for the king of Sindhu,
⁷⁶
no one remained. Subhadra’s son, bull among men, blew on his conch shell. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He swiftly descended on the army of the Bharatas. He quickly consumed the enemy, like a kindled fire on dry wood. Arjuna’s son circled around, in the midst of the soldiers of the Bharatas. He used his sharp arrows to mangle the chariots, elephants, horses and men. The earth became impassable, because it was strewn with large numbers of headless torsos. Supreme arrows were released from the bow of Subhadra’s son. Wishing to save their lives, they
⁷⁷
fled, killing those on their own side in the process. There were broad and sharp vipatha arrows, terrible, and the performer of cruel deeds. They killed charioteers, elephants and horses and swiftly covered the ground. Severed arms were seen in that battle. They held weapons
and were clad in finger guards. They held swords and were adorned with armlets. They were decorated in golden ornaments. They held bows and arrows. There were bodies and heads with earrings and garlands. There were thousands of these on the ground. It was impenetrable because of the decorations, seats, long poles, shattered axles and yokes, fragmented wheels and many chariots. There were javelins, swords and other weapons. Giant standards fell down. O lord of the earth! Kshatriyas, horses and elephants were slain. The earth became impassable and soon assumed an extremely terrible form. The princes were slain and lamented loudly. A great sound arose and it increased the fear of cowards. O best of the Bharata lineage! That sound filled all the directions. Subhadra’s son attacked the soldiers and killed the horses, rathas and elephants. He roamed in all the directions and nothing could be seen because of the dust that arose. Since they were enveloped in dust, we could not see the soldiers then. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He killed the elephants, horses and men. We saw him the next instant, like the midday sun. O great king! Abhimanyu scorched the masses of the enemy. The son of Vasava’s son was like Vasava in the battle. O great king! Abhimanyu roamed around in the midst of the soldiers.”’

‘Dhritarashtra said, “He was a mere child, reared in great happiness. He was noble and proud because of his strength. He was skilled in battle. He was brave. He was born in a noble lineage. He was ready to give up his own life. He immersed himself in that army, borne by well-trained horses that were three years old. Was there any ratha in Yudhishthira’s army who followed him?”

‘Sanjaya replied, “Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, Shikhandi, Satyaki, the twins, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, Drupada and the Kekayas, Dhrishtaketu and the Matsyas angrily advanced in that battle. Those armed ones, arranged in battle formation, sought to protect
him. On seeing those brave ones advance, all those on your side retreated. On seeing that the extremely large army of your son was retreating, your energetic son-in-law
⁷⁸
sought to restrain them. O great king! Jayadratha, the son of the king of Sindhu, repulsed the Parthas, together with their soldiers, when they sought to protect their son.
⁷⁹
That fierce and great archer, the son of Vriddhakshatra, invoked his divine weapons, like an elephant sporting on a sloping ground.”

‘Dhritarashtra said, “O Sanjaya! I think that an extremely heavy burden was placed on Saindhava, since he had to single-handedly repulse the enraged Pandavas who desired to protect their son. I think that Saindhava’s strength and valour were extremely wonderful. Tell me about the valour and extreme deeds of the great-souled one. O suta! What donations did he make? What oblations did he offer? What austerities did he torment himself with? How could the king of Sindhu counter the enraged Parthas single-handed?”

‘Sanjaya replied, “At the time of Droupadi’s abduction, he was vanquished by Bhimasena.
⁸⁰
The king was tormented by his dishonour and desiring a boon, performed extremely great austerities. He withdrew his sensual organs from all objects that brought them pleasure. He bore hunger, thirst and heat and became so thin that he seemed to be made out of veins. He chanted the name of the eternal brahman and worshipped the god Sharva.
⁸¹
The illustrious one, compassionate towards devotees, became merciful towards him. In a dream, Hara revealed himself to the son of the lord of Sindhu and said, ‘O Jayadratha! I am pleased with you. Ask for a boon. What do you desire?’ Thus addressed by Sharva, Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu, joined his hands in salutation, controlled his soul,
bowed in obeisance before Rudra and replied, ‘The Pandaveyas are terrible in battle because of their valour and prowess. I wish that I may alone be able to counter them in battle.’ O descendant of the Bharata lineage! This is what he asked for. Thus addressed, the lord of the gods spoke to Jayadratha in these words. ‘O amiable one! I will grant you the boon, but with the exception of Partha Dhananjaya. In a battle, you will be able to withstand the other four sons of Pandu.’ The king agreed to these words of the lord of the gods and awoke from his sleep. It is because of the boon that he obtained as a gift and because of the strength of his divine weapons, that he was able to repulse the army of the Pandavas single-handed. The twang of his bowstring and the slap of his palms overwhelmed the enemy kshatriyas with fear and also caused supreme delight among your soldiers. O king! The kshatriyas
⁸²
saw that Saindhava took up the entire burden and roared and rushed to the spot where Yudhishthira’s army was.”’