BHISHMA
PARV MAHABHARAT BOOK 6 CHAPTER 112
Mahabharat
Book 6 Chapter 112 : English
SECTION CXVII
Mentions tribes fighting the Mahabharat War
Sanjay said, "Abhimanyu, O king, displaying his prowess for
the sake of Bhishma, fought with thy son who was supported by a
large force. Then Duryodhan, excited with wrath, struck Abhimanyu
in the chest with rune straight arrows, and once more with three.
Then in that battle, Arjun's son, inflamed with wrath, hurled at
Duryodhan's car a terrible dart resembling the rod of Death himself.
Thy son, however, that mighty car-warrior, O king, with a broad-headed
arrow of great sharpness, cut off in twain that dart of terrible
force coursing towards him with great speed. Beholding that dart
of his drop down on the earth, Arjun's wrathful son pierced Duryodhan
with three shafts in his arms and chest. And once more, O Chief
of the Bharats, that mighty car-warrior of Bharat's race struck
the Kuru king with ten fierce shafts in the centre of his chest.
And
the battle, O Bharat, that took place between those two heroes,
viz., Subhadra's son, and that bull of Kuru's race, the former fighting
for compassing Bhishma's death and the latter for Arjun's defeat,
was fierce and interesting to behold, and gratifying to the senses,
and was applauded by all the kings. That bull among Brahmanas and
chastiser of foes, viz., the son of Dron, excited with wrath in
that battle, forcibly struck Satyaki in the chest with fierce arrow.
The grandson of Sini also, that hero of immeasurable soul, struck
the preceptor's son in every vital limbs with nine shafts winged
with the feathers of the Kank bird. Aswatthaman then, in that battle,
struck Satyaki (in return) with nine shafts, and once more, quickly,
with thirty, in his arms and chest. Then that great bowman Of the
Satwat race, possessed of great fame, deeply pierced by Dron's son,
pierced the latter (in return) with arrows. The mighty car-warrior
Paurava, covering Dhrishtaketu in that battle with his shafts, mangled
that great bowman exceedingly.
The
mighty car-warrior Dhrishtaketu, endued with great strength, quickly
pierced the former with thirty arrows. Then the mighty car-warrior
Paurava cut off Dhrishtaketu's bow, and uttering a loud shout, pierced
him with whetted shafts. Dhrishtaketu then taking up another bow,
pierced Paurava, O king, with three and seventy shafts of great
sharpness. Those two great bowmen and mighty car-warriors, both
of gigantic stature, pierced each other with showers of arrows.
Each succeeded in cutting off the other's bow, and each slew the
other's steeds. And both of them, thus deprived of their cars, then
[p. 292]: encountered each other in a battle with swords. And each
took up a beautiful shield made of bull's hide and docked with a
hundred moons and graced with a hundred stars. And each of them
also took up a polished sword of brilliant lustre. And thus equipt,
they rushed, O king at each other, like two lions in the deep forest,
both seeking the companionship of the same lioness in her season.
They
wheeled in beautiful circles, advanced and retreated, and displayed
other movements, seeking to strike each other. Then Paurava, excited
with wrath, addressed Dhrishtaketu, saying--Wait, Wait,--and struck
him on the frontal bone with that large scimitar of his. The king
of the Chedis also, in that battle, struck Paurava, that bull among
men, on his shoulder-joint, with his large scimitar of sharp edge.
Those two repressors of foes thus encountering each other in dreadful
battle and thus striking each other, O king, both fell down on the
field. Then thy son Jayatsena, taking Paurava up on his car, removed
him from the field of battle on that vehicle. And as regards Dhrishtaketu,
the valiant and heroic Sahadeva, the son of Madri, possessed of
great prowess, bore him away from the field.
"Chitrasen,
having pierced Susarman with many arrows made wholly of iron, once
more pierced him with sixty arrows and once more with nine. Susarma,
however, excited with wrath in battle, pierced thy son, O king,
with hundreds of arrows. Chitrasen then, O monarch, excited with
rage, pierced his adversary with thirty straight shafts. Susarman,
however, pierced Chitrasen again in return.
"In
that battle for the destruction of Bhishma, Subhadra's son, enhancing
his fame and honour, fought with prince Vrihadvala, putting forth
his prowess for aiding (his sire) Parth and then proceeded towards
Bhishma's front. The ruler of the Kosals, having pierced the son
of Arjun with five shafts made of iron, once more pierced him with
twenty straight shafts. Then the son of Subhadra pierced the ruler
of Kosalas with eight shafts made wholly of iron. He succeeded not,
however, in making the ruler of the Kosalas to tremble, and, therefore,
he once more pierced him with many arrows. And Phalguni's son then
cut off Vrihadval's bow, and struck him again with thirty arrows
winged with feathers of the Kanka bird. Prince Vrihadval then, taking
up another bow, angrily pierced the son of Phalguni in that battle
with many arrows. Verily, O scorcher of foes, the battle, for Bhishma's
sake, that took place between them, both excited with rage and both
conversant with every mode of fight, was like the encounter of Vali
and Vasav in days of old on the occasion of the battle between the
gods and the Asurs.
"Bhimsen,
fighting against the elephant-division, looked highly resplendent
like Sakra armed with the thunder after splitting large [p. 293]:
mountains. 1 Indeed, elephants, huge as hills, slaughtered by Bhimsen
in battle, fell down in numbers on the field, filling the earth
with their shrieks. Resembling massive heaps of antimony, and of
mountain-like proportions, those elephants with frontal globes split
open, lying prostrate on the earth, seemed like mountains strewn
over the earth's surface.
The
mighty bowman Yudhishthir, protected by a large force, afflicted
the ruler of the Madras, encountering him in that dreadful battle.
The ruler of the Madras, in return, displaying his prowess for the
sake of Bhishma, afflicted the son of Dharma, that mighty car-warrior,
in battle. The king of Sindhus, having pierced Virat with nine straight
arrows of keen points, once more struck him with thirty. Virat,
however, O king, that commander of a large division, struck Jayadratha
in the centre of his chest with thirty shafts of keen points. The
ruler of the Matsyas and the ruler of the Sindhus, both armed with
beautiful bows and beautiful scimitars, both decked with handsome
coats of mail and weapons and standards, and both of beautiful forms
looked resplendent in that battle.
"Dron,
encountering Dhrishtadyumna the prince of the Panchalas in dreadful
battle, fought fiercely with his straight shafts. Then Dron, O king,
having cut off the large bow of Prishata's son, pierced him deeply
with fifty arrows. Then that slayer of hostile heroes, viz., the
son of Prishata, taking up another bow, sped at Dron who was contending
with him, many arrows. The mighty car-warrior Dron however, cut
off all those arrows, striking them with his own. And then Dron
sped at Drupad's son five fierce shafts. Then that slayer of hostile
heroes, viz., the son of Prishata, excited with rage, hurled at
Dron in that battle a mace resembling the rod of Death himself.
Dron
however, with fifty arrows checked that mace decked with gold as
it coursed impetuously towards him. Thereupon that mace, cut into
fragments, O king, by those shafts shot from Dron's bow, fell down
on the earth. Then that scorcher of foes, viz., the son of Prishata,
beholding his mace baffled, hurled at Dron an excellent dart made
wholly of iron. Dron, however, O Bharat, cut that dart with nine
shafts in that battle and then afflicted that great bowman, viz.,
the son of Prishata. Thus took place, O king, that fierce and awful
battle between Dron and the son of Prishata, for the sake of Bhishma.
"Arjun,
getting at the son of Ganga, afflicted him with many arrows of keen
points, and rushed at him like an infuriate elephant in the forest
upon another. King Bhagadatta, however, of great prowess then rushed
at Arjun, and checked his course in battle with showers of arrows.
Arjun then, in that dreadful battle, pierced Bhagadatta's elephant
coming towards him, with many polished arrows of iron, that were
all bright as silver and furnished with keen points. The son of
Kunti, meanwhile, O king, urged Sikhandin, saying,--Proceed, proceed,
towards Bhishma, and slay him!--Then, O elder brother of Pandu,
the ruler of Pragjyotishas, [p. 294]: abandoning that son of Pandu,
quickly proceeded, O king, against the car of Drupada.
Then
Arjun, O monarch, speedily proceeded towards Bhishma, placing Sikhandin
ahead. And then there took place a fierce battle, for all the brave
combatants of thy army rushed with great vigour against Arjun, uttering
loud shouts. And all this seemed extremely wonderful. Like the wind
dispersing in the summer masses of clouds in the welkin, Arjun dispersed,
O king, all those diverse divisions of thy sons. Sikhandin, however,
without any anxiety, coming up at the grandsire of the Bharats,
quickly pierced him with great many arrows. As regards Bhishma,
his car was then his fire-chamber. His bow was the flame of that
fire. And swords I and darts and maces constituted the fuel of that
fire. And the showers of arrows he shot were the blazing sparks
of that fire with which he was then consuming Kshatriyas in that
battle. As a raging conflagration with constant supply of fuel,
wandereth amid masses of dry grass when aided by the wind, so did
Bhishma blaze up with his flames, scattering his celestial weapons.
And the Kuru hero slew the Somakas that followed Partha in that
battle.
Indeed
that mighty car-warrior checked also the other forces of Arjun,
by means of his straight and whetted shafts furnished with wings
of gold. Filling in that dreadful battle all the points of the compass,
cardinal and subsidiary, with his leonine shouts, Bhishma felled
many car-warriors, O king, (from their cars) and many steeds along
with their riders. And he caused large bodies of cars to look like
forests of palmyras shorn of their leafy heads. That foremost of
all wielders of weapons, in that battle, deprived cars and steeds
and elephants, of their riders. Hearing the twang of his bow and
the slap of his palms, both resembling the roll of the thunder,
the troops, O king, trembled all over the field. The shafts, O chief
of men, of thy sire were never bootless as they fell. Indeed, shot
from Bhishma's bow they never fell only touching the bodies of the
foe (but pierced them through in every case).
We
saw crowds of cars, O king, deprived of riders, but unto which were
yoked fleet steeds, dragged on all sides with the speed of the wind.
Full fourteen thousand great car-warriors of noble parentage, prepared
to lay down their lives, unretreating and brave, and possessed of
standards decked with gold, belonging to the Chedis, the Kasis,
and the Karushas, approaching Bhishma, that hero who resembled the
Destroyer himself with wide-open mouth, were despatched to the other
world, with their steeds, cars and elephants. There was not, O king,
a single great car-warrior among the Somakas, who, having approached
Bhishma in that battle, returned with life from that engagement.
Beholding Bhishma's prowess, people regarded all those warriors
(who approached him) as already despatched to the abode of the king
of the Dead. Indeed, no car-warrior ventured to approach Bhishma
in battle, except the heroic Arjun having white steeds (yoked unto
his car) and owning Krishna for his charioteer, and Sikhandin, the
prince of Panchala, of immeasurable energy."
Footnotes :
292:1
This Susarman was not the king of the Trigartas but another person
who was on the Pandava side.
293:1
Both the Bengal and the Bombay texts have Rathanika. The correct
reading as settled by the Burdwan Pundits, is Gajanika.
Source
:
https://www.jatland.com/
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