Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) (34 page)

‘Sanjaya replied, “O Kourava! You are sorrowing because of the destruction of men that is occurring. But there is no doubt that you are the root behind this destruction of the earth. Devoted to the words of your sons, you are yourself the cause of this great enmity. Though you were urged, like a dying man, you did not accept the diet and the medicines. O great king! You have yourself drunk
kalakuta
, which is impossible to digest.
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O supreme among men! You are now suffering the fruits of that action. The warriors on your side are fighting to the utmost of their strength, but you are censuring them. Let me describe to you the raging battle.

‘“O venerable one! On seeing that Karna had been defeated by Bhimasena, five brothers who are your sons, Durmarshana, Duhsaha, Durmada, Durdhara and Jaya, could not tolerate this. Clad in colourful armour, they advanced against Pandava. They surrounded the mighty-armed Vrikodara from all directions and covered him with arrows that were like flying locusts. On seeing those princes, who were like the gods in their beauty, suddenly advance against him in that battle, Bhimasena smiled and received them. On seeing your sons approach Bhimasena, Radheya attacked the immensely strong Bhimasena. O king! He showered arrows that were gold-tufted and sharpened on stone. However, Bhima attacked quickly and repulsed your sons. The Kurus surrounded Karna from all directions and countered Bhimasena with arrows with straight tufts. O king! But Bhima used his terrible bow to shoot twenty-five arrows and dispatched those bulls among men,
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with their charioteers, to Yama’s eternal abode. With their charioteers, they lost their lives and fell down from their chariots. They were like giant trees with colourful blossoms, uprooted by a storm. We witnessed Bhimasena’s extraordinary valour. He countered Adhiratha’s son and killed your sons with his arrows. O great king! In every direction, the son of the suta was checked by Bhima’s sharp arrows and he could only look at Bhimasena. Bhimasena was angry and his eyes were red with rage. He repeatedly stretched his giant bow and glanced at Karna.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “On seeing that your sons had fallen down, the powerful Karna was overcome by great rage and lost all hope of remaining alive. Adhiratha’s son censured himself.
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Without any fear, he angrily attacked Bhimasena. Radheya smiled and pierced Bhima with five arrows. He again pierced him with seventy arrows
that were gold-tufted and sharpened on stone. Partha Vrikodara laughed at them and intolerantly, pierced Radheya with a hundred arrows with drooping tufts. He again pierced him with five sharp and swift arrows. O venerable one! With a broad-headed arrow, he severed the bow of the son of the suta. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Karna was distressed and took up another bow. In every direction, he enveloped Bhimasena with arrows. However, Bhima smiled and killed his horses and his charioteer. Having done this, he laughed out loudly. O great king! The bull among men severed his bow,
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with a golden back, with arrows and it fell down with a loud noise. At this, maharatha Karna descended from his chariot. In that battle, he grasped a club and hurled it at Bhimasena. O king! On seeing that club suddenly descend, Vrikodara countered it with his arrows, while all your soldiers looked on. Wishing to kill the son of the suta, the brave and spirited Pandava shot a thousand arrows at him. In that great battle, Karna countered these arrows with arrows of his own and with his arrows, brought down Bhimasena’s armour. While all the beings looked on, he then struck him with twenty-five kshudraka arrows and it was extraordinary. O great king! O venerable one! Bhima became angry. In that battle, he dispatched nine sharp arrows with drooping tufts towards the son of the suta. They pierced his armour and his right arm and penetrated the ground, like snakes entering a termite hill. In that encounter, on seeing that Radheya was on foot and was agitated by Bhimasena, King Duryodhana said, ‘All of you hasten towards Radheya’s chariot.’ O king! On hearing the words of their brother, your sons advanced against Pandava in the battle and shot sharp arrows. They were Chitra, Upachitra, Chitraksha, Charuchitra, Sharasana, Chitrayudha, Chitravarma and Chitrayodhina. O king! In that battle, these maharathas suddenly advanced against Bhima. In that encounter, he killed them and their horses, charioteers, standards and brought them down on the ground, like trees uprooted by a storm. O king! On beholding that your maharatha sons had been killed, Karna’s eyes were filled with tears and his face was full of dejection. He again
mounted a chariot that had been properly prepared. In that encounter, the brave one spiritedly attacked Pandava. They pierced each other with gold-tufted arrows that were sharpened on stone. O great king! They looked as beautiful as blossoming kimshukas. Pandava angrily struck the armour of the son of the suta with thirty six sharp and broad-headed arrows that were fierce in their energy. They had deep wounds on their bodies, caused by the arrows, and they smeared red sandalwood paste on these. They were covered with blood and were as resplendent as the sun that arises at the time of destruction. Blood flowed from the wounds on their bodies. Their armour was shattered by arrows. Bereft of armour, they were as beautiful as snakes that had cast off their skins. Like tigers attacking each other with their teeth, those tigers among men mangled each other with arrows that were like teeth. Those scorchers of enemies were resplendent in that arena, like clashing elephants. They were like crazy elephants in their valour and persecuted each other with sharp arrows. In that battle, they enveloped each other with nets of arrows. O great king! As they roamed around, their chariots roared in all the directions. Those chariots executed circular motions. Those great-souled ones roamed around like Vritra and the wielder of the vajra. As he stretched his bow with his arms, with arm-guards on them, Bhima roamed around in that battle like a cloud tinged with lightning. The twang of his bow was like thunder and there was a shower of arrows from that great cloud. O great king! The cloud that was Bhima rained down on the mountain that was Karna. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Pandava shot a thousand arrows from his bow and shrouded Karna with that dense shower, like rain on a mountain. Your sons witnessed Bhimasena’s valour there. He enveloped Karna with arrows that were well-tufted with the feathers of herons. As Bhima fought with Karna in that battle, he delighted Partha,
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the illustrious Keshava, Satyaki and the two who guarded the chariot wheels.
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O great king! Pandava knew about his own valour, strength of arms and fortitude. But your sons witnessed it.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “On hearing the slap of Bhimasena’s bowstring against his palms, Radheya could not tolerate it and advanced like a mad elephant against another elephant. He had moved away from the reach of Bhima’s arrows for only an instant. Adhiratha’s son saw that your sons had been brought down from their chariots and had been killed by Bhimasena. He was distressed and miserable. He sighed long and warm sighs and again attacked Pandava. His eyes were coppery red in anger and he sighed like a giant serpent. As he released his arrows, Karna was as resplendent as the sun with its rays. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Vrikodara was shrouded by the arrows released from Karna’s bow, which were like the rays of the sun. The colourful arrows released from Karna’s bow were tufted with the feathers of peacocks. They penetrated all over Partha, like birds entering a tree. The arrows released from Karna’s bow descended incessantly. They were gold-tufted and looked like a continuous array of swans. O king! Such was the power of the arrows shot by Adhiratha’s son that it seemed as if they were issuing not only from the bow, but also the standard, the seat, the umbrella, the yoke and the floor.
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The arrows released by Adhiratha’s son filled the sky with their great force and were tufted with the feathers of birds. They were colourful and decorated with gold. Vrikodara saw that they were descending towards him, like Death. He became ready to give up his life and angrily pierced him
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with nine arrows. The brave Pandava saw the great force of Karna’s storm of arrows, but did not waver. Pandava shot a net of arrows towards Adhiratha’s son and again pierced Karna with another twenty sharp arrows. In that encounter, just as Partha enveloped the son of the suta with arrows, Karna also shrouded Pandava. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On witnessing Bhimasena’s valour in that fight, those on your side were delighted and praised him, as did the charanas. Ten of the foremost of rathas among the Kurus and the Pandavas—Bhurishrava,
Kripa, Drona’s son, the king of Madra, Jayadratha, Uttamouja, Yudhamanyu, Satyaki, Keshava and Arjuna—uttered words of praise and roared loudly, like lions. There was a tumultuous sound and it made the body hair stand up.

‘“O king! Your son, Duryodhana, quickly spoke to the kings and the princes, and especially to his brothers. ‘O fortunate ones! Advance towards Karna and save him from Vrikodara. Ahead of us, the arrows released by Bhima are striking Radheya. All of you great archers should make efforts to protect the son of the suta.’ O venerable one! Having been instructed by Duryodhana, seven of his brothers angrily attacked Bhimasena and surrounded him from all sides. They approached Kounteya and covered him with showers of arrows. This was like the slayer of Bala showering down rain on a mountain. O king! Bhimasena was oppressed by those seven angry maharathas, like seven planets afflicting the moon at the time of destruction. O king! Pandava Kounteya drew the well-decorated and firm bow with his left hand and held it in his hand.
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Knowing that they were only men,
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the lord affixed and released seven arrows that were as bright as the rays of the sun. O great king! Bhimasena remembered the earlier enmity and took away the lives from the bodies of your sons. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Bhimasena shot arrows at those descendants of the Bharata lineage. These were gold-tufted and sharpened on stone and coursed through the sky. Those arrows were decorated with gold and pierced through their hearts. O great king! They were as resplendent as Suparna
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travelling through the sky. O Indra among kings! They were fierce and decorated with gold and now had blood on their tips. They drank the blood of your sons. Those arrows penetrated their inner organs and brought them down from the chariots onto the ground. They were like giant trees on mountain tops, shattered by an elephant. Shatrunjaya, Shatrusaha, Chitra, Chitrayudha, Dridha, Chitrasena and Vikarna—these seven were brought down.

‘“Having killed them, the mighty-armed one saw Radheya. The descendant of the Pandu lineage roared terribly, like the roar of a lion. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The brave one’s roar resounded in the sky and informed Dharmaraja about his victory in the battle. On hearing the great roar emitted by the archer Bhimasena in the battle, Dharmaraja was supremely delighted. O great king! In joy, musical instruments were played in loud tones. Having heard Bhimasena’s roar, Partha
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attacked Drona, supreme among the wielders of weapons, from every direction. On receiving the sign from Vrikodara, he was filled with great delight. O great king! On seeing that thirty-one of your maharatha sons had been killed, Duryodhana remembered the words of Kshatta,
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which had been spoken at the time of the gambling match to your evil-minded son, when Karna had spoken harsh words to Krishna
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in the assembly hall. O lord of the earth! This was in your presence and in that of the sons of Pandu and in the presence of all the Kouravas and the preceptor. ‘O Krishna!
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The Pandavas have been destroyed and have gone to eternal hell. Accept someone else as a husband.’ Those harsh words spoken to Droupadi in the assembly hall are now bearing fruit. Thinking of this, the king
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did not know what to do next. The Pandavas wield fierce bows and will kill your sons in their anger. O Kourava! The fire of Bhimasena’s anger has been restrained for thirteen years. It is now being released and will convey your sons towards destruction. Having lamented a lot, Kshatta failed to obtain peace from you. O foremost among the Bharata lineage! With your sons, enjoy the fruits of that now. O Indra among kings! Vikarna and the valiant Chitrasena, foremost among your sons, have been killed and so have other maharatha sons, all those who have come within the range of Bhima’s sight. O mighty-armed one! He swiftly slew your sons. It is only because of your deeds that I saw our arrays
being scorched, as a result of the thousands of arrows released by Pandava and Vrisha.”’
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‘Dhritarashtra said, “O suta! O Sanjaya! Though I sorrow, I think that this great calamity that has now confronted us is especially because of what I did. But so far, I had the belief that what has happened, has happened. O Sanjaya! What should I do now? Tell me about the destruction of heroes that is going on. O Sanjaya! I have pacified myself. Tell me about it.”

‘Sanjaya replied, “O great king! Karna and Bhima were both valorous. In that great battle, they showered down arrows, like rain pouring down from clouds. There were gold-tufted arrows that were sharpened on stone and marked with Bhima’s name. These pierced Karna, as if penetrating his life. In that fashion, Bhima was struck in that battle by hundreds and thousands of arrows released by Karna and these were like venomous serpents. O great king! Those arrows descended in every direction and agitated the armies, which were like oceans. O scorcher of enemies! The arrows released from Bhima’s bow were as terrible as virulent serpents and killed your soldiers in the midst of the army. O king! Elephants fell down and mixed with horses and men. They were seen to be strewn around on the ground, like trees shattered by a storm. In that battle, they were slain by the arrows released from Bhima’s bow. Your warriors were driven away, exclaiming, ‘What is this?’ The great force of arrows released by Karna and Pandava made the soldiers from Sindhus, Souviras and Kouravas move a great distance away. Many horses, men and mounts were afflicted and slain by the arrows. They abandoned Karna and Bhima and fled in all the directions, saying,
‘There is no doubt that, for the sake of the Parthas, the residents of heaven are confounding us, since the force of Karna and Bhima’s arrows are killing our troops.’ Having said this, the warriors on your side were afflicted by fear. They moved away from the range of the arrows and stationed themselves, wishing to see the encounter. In that great battle, a river, terrible in form, began to flow. It was beautiful and in particular, increased the fear of cowards. This was created from the blood of elephants, horses and men. It covered the bodies of men, elephants and horses, who had lost their lives. Housings, flags, elephants, horses and chariots were like ornaments. There were shattered chariots and fragmented wheels, axles and yokes. There were extremely expensive bows that were decorated with gold. There were gold-tufted arrows and thousands of iron arrows. These were released by Karna and Pandava and were like snakes that had cast off their skins. There were masses of lances, spears, swords, battleaxes, clubs, maces, spikes, vajras of different types, javelins, bludgeons and shataghnis. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! They were decorated with gold and made the ground beautiful. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! There were golden bracelets, armlets, sparkling and bejewelled earrings, body armour, palm-guards and golden necklaces. There were garments and umbrellas and shattered whisks and fans. There were elephants, horses and men who were mangled by weapons and ornaments from chariots. Shattered and broken, they were strewn around here and there on the ground, making it as beautiful as the sky with the planets. These superhuman deeds were extraordinary and could not be thought of. On beholding these, the charanas and the siddhas were overcome by wonder. A fire, when aided by the wind, burns down dry grass. Like that, aided by Bhima and engaging with him, Adhiratha’s son fiercely brought down standards and chariots and slew horses, elephants and men. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! As they engaged with each other in that battle, they were like a couple of elephants amidst a clump of reeds. As they clashed in that supreme battle, Karna and Bhima, caused carnage in that great army.”’