Sainya Niryana Parva — Entrance into Kurukshetra

Vaishampayana said The virtuous-souled king Yudhishthira the just, having heard these words of Janardana, said to his brothers in the presence of Keshava.

You have heard what happened in that assemblage of the Kurus and you have also understood what words Keshava has said.

Therefore do you, O best among men, make a division of my army; these are the seven Akshauhinis who have assembled for my victory.

Listen to the names of those renowned who to be their respective commanders. Drupada, Virata, Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandin,

Satyaki, Chekitana and Bhimasena endued with strength, these heroes who are prepared to sacrifice their lives will be the commanders of my army.

All of then are conversant with the Vedas, and all those heroes have made and observed excellent vows; all of them know very well the science of war and are endued with modesty and know diplomacy. men are

All of them besides can fight with all weapons and are skillful in the use of arrows and other weapons. He who will command these seven division must have a knowledge of all the divisions of the army.

He must besides withstand the flame of his arrows similar to those of fire. Speak out, O Sahadeva, O delighted of the Kuru race, your own opinion as to who has these qualifications, O best among men, and who is competent to be our general?

Sahadeva said Bound to us by a tie and having the same cause for sorrow as ourselves, the ruler of the earth, endued with prowess, the one conversant with virtue taking refuge with whom we seek to gain our share.

That mighty king of the Matsya's, Virata, a master in the use of weapons and hard to vanquish in battle, will withstand in battle Bhishma and those mighty car-warriors.

Vaishampayana said These words being spoken by Sahadeva, Nakula who was eloquent, said these words.

“In age, in a knowledge of the holy books, in patience, in nobility of birth and in high connections, he, who is respectable, who is well versed in all the holy books and sciences,

He who learnt the handing of weapons from Bharadvaja, he who is hard to vanquish and ever devoted to truth, who ever challenges Drona as also Bhishma endued with great strength,

He who is enviable in the races of the rulers of the earth, the foremost of all leaders of armies and who surrounded by sons and grandsons is like a tree with a hundred branches,

The lord of the earth who in company with his wife practiced hard austerities for destroying Drona, that hero who adorns an assembly,

That best among the rulers of the earth who ever supports us as a father, our father-inlaw Drupada, should stand at the head of our army.

He will be able to withstand both Drona and Bhishma. Such has been my opinion; that king is familiar with the use of celestial weapons and the king is the friend of Angiras.”

The two sons of Madri having spoken out their own opinions, that delighter of the Kuru race, Savyasachin, the son of Vasava, equal to Vasava himself, said these words.

He, who by the virtue of his austerity and by his gratification of the Rishis, that celestial being of long arms came out, looking like fire,

Armed with bows and swords, clad in amours and ascending a chariot drawn by celestial horses of superior breed, from the hole of the sacrificial fire.

That man endued with strength, whose chariot rattle is like the roar of the large masses of clouds, that hero, who endued with the strength of lions, is capable of slaying a lion;

That one of great effulgence and strength who has the heart of a lion, the arms of a lion, the chest of a lion, the roars of a lion as also the shoulders of a lion,

That man who has beautiful eyebrows, beautiful teeth, beautiful cheeks, beautiful arms, beautiful face, beautiful feet and beautiful frame of body,

Who can not be pierced by any weapon, like an infuriated elephant-this one, a speaker of truth, and a restrainer of his senses, was born for slaying Drona.

I think that this Dhrishtadyumra will be able to withstand the arrows of Bhishma, which strike with the force the thunderbolt and which look like blazing serpents,

Which in force are equal to the messengers of Yama and in causing havoc are like fire and which falling as they do with the heaviness of the thunderbolt could be borne only by Rama.

That man I do not see who can withstand that one of great vows (Bhishma) save and except Dhrishtadyumna, o king; and such is my opinion.

In my opinion this warrior, who is like the chief elephant of a herd, and endued with prosperity, lightness of hand, clad in a coat of mail that cannot be pierced, well versed in the use of all weapons, should be my commander,

Bhimasena said That Shikhandin, the son of Drupada who is born for the destruction ((of Bhishma) as it is used to be said, O chief among kings, by the assembled Siddhas and Rishis,

Whose form in the midst of the fight, while displaying celestial weapons, people will see to be like that of the great-souled Rama (should be the commander).

I do not see that man who could in battle subjugate Shikhandin while under arms, O king, and seated on his chariot clad in mail.

In hand single combat, no one save Shikhandin could slay that hero, Bhishma, of great vows and it is my opinion that he should be our general.

Yudhishthira said The truth or untruth, the strength and weakness of the entire world, my dear, brothers and the minds of these, the great souled Keshava knows.

He, whom Krishna, of the Dasharha race, will name, should be my general whether he is a master in the use of weapons or otherwise or whether he is old or young.

He, my dear brothers, in the root of our victory or our defeat and on him depend our lives, our kingdom, our success, our want, our happiness and our misery.

He is the lord he is the ordainer and on him depends success and let him, who is named by Krishna of the Dasharha race, be the leader of my forces.

Let the foremost of speakers speak, for it is now almost night; having selected our general, under the guidance of Krishna,

We shall at the end of this night march to the field of battle after having worshipped our weapons and duly performed all the auspicious ceremonies.

Vaishampayana said Hearing those words of the wise and virtuous king, the one of lotus eyes said looking on Dhananjaya.

In my opinion too, O great king, these powerful warriors who have been named by you, should be the leaders of your army.

All of them are competent to withstand your enemies and they will beget fear in even Indra in the great war,

What to speak of those sons of Dhritarashtra of wicked heart who are acting from covetousness. By me too, O you of long arms, has been taken great pains for your benefit in the forth-coming great war.

With that view, I have taken great pains so that there might be peace, O Bharata, and we have thus paid off the debt we owned to virtue and can besides not be blamed by fault-finding persons.

That boy thinks himself wise and a master in the use of weapons, and though the son of Dhritarashtra considers himself strong yet in reality he is weak.

Array your troops for battle for in my opinion it is possible to slay them. The son of Dhritarashtra will not be able to continue in their present attitude after seeing Dhananjaya.

As also when he sees Bhimasena excited with anger, and the twins who are like Yama himself and the wrathful Dhrishtadyumna having Yuyudhana for his second,

And Abhimanyu and the sons of Draupadi and Virata and Drupada and other chiefs of men of fierce strength, each the commander of an Akshauhini.

Our army has great strength and is besides hard to vanquish and is hard to withstand and I think that in the battle will slay the army of the son of Dhritarashtra-there is no doubt about it. O chastiser of foes, I consider that Dhrishtadyumna should be our general.

Vaishampayana said Krishna having said this all those best among men were highly rejoiced and there was a great shout sent up by these whose minds had been made cheerful.

There was a speedy moving about among the soldiers all crying "Dravup" and there was everywhere the roar of elephants, the neighing of horses and the clatter of the wheels of the chariots.

There was everywhere a loud uproar caused by the sounds of conches and of drums, and the assembling of that army caused a din like that of the sea in a tempest.

The army, composed of chariots, infantry and cavalry, with the soldiers running about summoning one another and buckling on their Armour.

And the Pandavas moving about, looked like the Ganga troubled by great waves and full to the brim. The army seemed to be hard to vanquish. In front of the army were Bhimasena and the two sons of Madri clad in coats of mail,

And the son of Subhadra and the (five) sons of Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Parshata race, the Prabhadrakash and the Panchalas under the leadership of Bhimasena.

The sound proceeding from these was like the roar of the sea on the day of the new moon; and the shouts, sent by the cheerful soldiers proceeding along, touched the very heavens as it were.

The cheerful soldiers, clad in coats of mail, were capable of piercing the hostile armies and in the midst of those went Yudhishthira the son of Kunti,

With carts and transport cars, and all descriptions of vehicles, the treasury, weapons and machines and physicians and surgeons,

The few invalids that there were in the army and all those that were weak and powerless-taking all these the king went with those that served him as attendants.

The truthful princess of Panchali, the daughter of Drupada in company with other ladies and surrounded by servant and maids remained at Upaplavya.

Those delighters of the Pandu race set out with a large army after having made due arrangements for guarding over their wealth and having erected a surrounding wall at a short distance and soldiers being placed at regular intervals.

They proceeded distributing cows and gold and surrounded by Brahmanas; O king, they proceeded, hymns being sung in their praise, on chariots ornamented with gems and precious stones.

The Kaikeya princes and Dhrishtaketu the son of the prince of the Kashis, Shrenimat, Vasudana, and Shikhandin who had never met with defeat,

With cheerful hearts, clad in coats of mail, well-armed, and with their persons well ornamented, all followed surrounding the king Yudhishthira.

In the rear were, Virata and the son of Yagasena of the Somaka race, Sudharman and Kuntibhoja and the sons of Dhrishtadyumna,

Forty thousand chariots, five times that number of horses, ten times that number of foot soldiers, and sixty thousand elephants.

Anadhristhi and Chekitana, Dhrishtaketu and Satyaki all went surrounding the king as also Vasudeva and Dhananjaya.

And having racing Kurukshetra with their army ready for action, those smiters, the Pandavas, looked like bulls wandering about with loud roars.

And reaching Kurukshetra those chastiser of foes blew their conches and in the same way did Vasudeva and Dhananjaya also blow their conches.

All the soldiers of the army became cheerful in every way at hearing the sound of the Panchajanya conch which was similar to the roaring of thunder.

Sounds of conches and drums mixed with the leonine roars of those soldiers endued with activity resounded in the earth and the sky and the seas also.