Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Termination of the ninth day's battle

Sanjaya said Thereupon your father, waxing worth, began to pierce the sons of Pritha and their troops, with excellent shafts of exceeding sharpness. Piercing Bhima with twelve, Satyaki with nine shafts, Nakula with three, Sahadeva with seven, he pierced.

Yudhishthira with twelve shafts on the arms and on the breast. Then that highly powerful hero, having pierced Dhrishtadyumna also, uttered a loud roar. Nakula pierced him in return with twelve shafts, the descendant of Madhu's race with three, Sahadeva with seventy, Partha with nine, Dhrishtadyumna with seventy and Bhimasena with seven shafts.

Then Yudhishthira pierced the grandsire in return with twelve shafts. Drona having pierced Satyaki began to pierce Bhima,

Each time with five whetted shafts resembling the rods of Death himself. Those two heroes, each then with three straight shafts, pierced in return,

That foremost of Brahmanas namely Drona, like a guide piercing a mighty elephant with the hook. The Souviras, the Kitavas, the Easterners, the Westerners, the Northerners, the Malavas,

The Abhishahas, the Shurasenas, the Shibi's and the Vasatis, these did not avoid Bhishma through fearfully slaughtered by him in battle with whetted shafts.

So also many other kings, come from various other realms, rushed at the Pandavas, bearing in their hands weapons of diverse kinds.

The Pandavas also surrounded the grandsire on all sides. That invincible one (Bhishma) surrounded by that mighty division of cars,

Blazed forth destroying the foe, like a terrible conflagration in a wood. His car was his fire chamber, his bow was his flames, his sword, dares, and maces were his fuels.

His arrows were the scintillation's, and Bhishma himself was the fire that consumed the forest of the Kshatriyas. With arrows furnished with golden wings and the feathers of vultures and charged with great energy,

With barbed arrows, with Nalikas and Narachas, Bhishma covered that army of the Pandavas. He felled with whetted shafts elephants and car-warriors.

He made the large detachment of carwarriors look like a palmyra-forest with its trees deprived of their tops. In that battle, ) king, that mighty-armed hero, the foremost of all wielders of weapons, made cars, elephants and steeds deprived of their riders. Hearing the twang, that resembled the rumbling of the thunder, of your father's bow, ( Bharata, ali creatures began to tremble, and O foremost of the Bharatas, then the arrows of your father seemed to be incapable of being baffled.

Then the arrows, shot from the bow of Bhishma, did not only strike against the armours of combatants but penetrated through them. We saw, O monarch, many cars dragged over the field, by the fleet steeds that were harnessed to them, in consequence of the death of the heroes that rode them. Four and ten thousand car-warriors belonging to the Chedis, the Kashis and the Karushas, all well-known, and born of illustrious family, never retreating from field and owners of golden standards, prepared to lay down their lives in battle, encountering Bhishma who looked like Death himself with mouth wide open, were all dispatched to the regions of the departed along with their steeds, cars and elephants.

We beheld, O monarch, chariots by hundreds and thousands then, some with their Akihas shattered and bottoms broken, some with their wheels broken.

Then, O monarch, with cars broken along with their wooden fences, with fallen carwarriors, with arrows, with beautiful but broken armours, with battle axes,

With maces, with short arrows, and whetted shafts, with car bottoms, with quivers, shattered wheels, O sire,

With arms, bows, words, and heads graced with ear-rings, with finger-protectors and gloves, and broken standards,

With bows splintered into pieces, the earth become strewn over. Then, O king, elephants with their riders slain, and slaughtered horsemen,

Began to fall down dead on the field by hundreds and by thousands. Striving their least, the heroic warriors of the Pandava army could not rally the car-warriors who, afflicted by the arrows of Bhishma, were flying then in all directions. That mighty host (of the Pandavas), slaughtered by Bhishma who equaled even Indra in prowess, were so completely broken that no two persons were seen to fly together. With its chariots, elephants and horses laid low and with its standards and flags overthrown in profusion,

The army of the sons of Pandu, deprived of its consciousness began to utter cries of “Oh” and "Alas.” In that battle father slew his own son and son slew his own father, and friend slew his dear friend urged on to the deed by Destiny. Many combatants of the Pandava army, doffing their armours, were seen to run away in all directions with their hair disheveled. Then the troops belonging to the son of Pandu were seen to run hurriedly in fear like a herd of bulls throwing aside the yokes of cars, and the cries of distress that these troops then uttered were indeed fearful. Then the descendant of the Yadava race beholding the army thus routed,

Spoke to Vibhatsu the son of Pritha reining in the excellent chariot he drove, "O Partha, the hour which you so ardently looked forward to, has now arrived.

Now strike, O foremost of men, or you shall be unconscious being overwhelm by a swoon. O hero, the words you uttered before in the assemblage of kings.

In the city of Virata, before Sanjaya himself. O Pritha's son, those words are 'I will slay all the combatants of Dhritarashtra's son along with their followers, headed by Bhishma and Drona, all who will fight with me.' O son of Kunti, O grinder of foes, do you now verify those words of yours.

Remembering the duties of a Kshatriya go to fighting without harbouring any anxious feeling.” Thus spoken to, by the son of Vasudeva, with his head hung down and loO king askance, Arjuna as if unwilling said these words to the former. “Either to acquire monarchy with hell at the end by the slighter of those who ought not to be slain,

Or to suffer the woes of an exiled life, which of these should now be considered as my duty? However, O Hrishikesha, urged the steeds on, I shall do your bidding.

I will lay low Bhishma the grandsire of the Kurus." Thereupon that descendant of Madhu's race, drove those steeds of Argentine hue,

To the spot, O king, where Bhishma; incapable of being gazed at like the sun himself, was staying. Thereupon the mighty army of king Yudhishthira returned to the charge,

Beholding the mighty-armed son of Pritha rush for an encounter with Bhishma in that terrible fight. Thereupon, O foremost of the Kurus, Bhishma uttered his war-cry even like a roaring lion,

And then quickly covered the car of Dhananjaya with a shower of arrows. Within a moment Arjuna's car with the steeds and charioteer,

Were lost to view in consequence of that thick arrows shower. But the son of Vasudeva, with the least delay and with patience, fearlessly,

Drove forward those steeds mangled with the shafts of Bhishma. Then the son of Pritha taking up his bow of celestial make and of twang as loud as the rumble of clouds,

Felled the bow of Bhishma having burst it open with whetted shafts. Then deprived of his bow, that foremost of the Kurus, viz., your father, within a moment made another bow ready for use. But Arjuna, waxing worth, cut off even that bow of his.

Then the son of Shantanu highly praised Arjuna's lightness of hand saying "Well-done well-done, O mighty-armed one, well-done, 0 son of Kunti."

Having thus applauded Partha and taking up another bow of great excellence, Bhishma sped, in that battle, arrows against the chariot of the former.

Then the son of Vasudeva displayed superior skill in the management of horses in as much as he baffled Bhishma's arrows by a swift whirling of the car in a circular motion.

Mangled with the shafts of Bhishma, those two foremost of men, (Arjuna and Krishna) then appeared beautiful like two heifers, enraged, and mangled with scratches of their horns.

Then that slayer of hostile heroes, that mighty-armed descendant of Madhu's race, viz., the son of Vasudeva, seeing that Arjuna was fighting mildly, and that Bhishma was continually pouring his showers of arrows in battle, also that the latter standing in the centre of the two hosts, was scorching (every thing) like the sun himself and was slaying the foremost combatants of the army of Pandu's son, and was producing in the army of Yudhishthira a total annihilation like that at the end of a Yuga, was unable to bear it any longer.

Then, O sire, throwing away the reins of Partha's steeds of Argentine hue, that illustrious Yogin (Krishna) waxing irascible, jumped down from that huge chariot.

Then roaring repeatedly like a lion, Krishna endued with strength and fleetness, and of incomparable effulgence, that lord of the universe, having his bare arms for his weapons and wielding the whip in his hands, and with his eyes coppery in rage, rushed towards Bhishma, splitting the earth with his tread, and desirous of slaying the latter.

In that mighty battle, the hearts of your warriors were filled with terror as they beheld him of Madhu's race near Bhishma, ready to fall upon the latter.

Then, O mighty monarch, exclamations of 'Bhishma is slain, Bhishma is slain' were heard there, uttered by your troops inspired with the fear of Vasudeva's son.

Then Janardana, vested in yellow silk raiment’s and blue in complexion like the lapis lazuli, rushing towards Bhishma appeared beautiful like a rain cloud charged with lightning.

Just as the king of beasts uttering loud roars rushes towards the leader of an elephant-herd, so then that foremost of Madhu's race rushed impetuously towards Bhishma, uttering loud roars.

Then beholding in that dreadful battle, Krishna of eyes like lotus petals rush furiously towards him, Bhishma began to stretch his strong and mighty bow.

Then addressing Govinda with a dauntless heart, he said "Come, come, O you of eyes like lotus petals! O god of gods, I do bow down unto you.

Lay me low, O foremost of the Satvata race, this day in this dreadful fight! O sinless one, slain by you in this battle, O god,

I shall reap great good, O Krishna, in every respect in this world. O Govinda, today, in the three worlds, have I attained great honour in battle.

Strike me as it pleases you, O sinless one, as I am merely a slave of yours.” Meanwhile the mighty-armed son of Pritha, running behind Keshava, seized the latter embracing him with his two arms. That foremost of men viz., Krishna of eyes like expanded lotuses, thus held by the son of Pritha proceeded even carrying the latter with him. Then that slayer of hostile heroes, that puissant warrior, the son of Pritha, forcibly encircling (with his two arms) the two legs of Hrishikesha stopped him when he was going to take the tenth step.

Then his friend Arjuna, highly distressed, affectionately addressing Keshava, who was then breathing like a snake and whose eyes were rolling in wrath, said 'Stop, O mightyarmed one! It behooves you not to falsify those words of yours viz., 'I will not fight,' that you had spoken before, O Keshava. Then, O descendant of Madhu's race, men will call your a liar.

Let all the burden be on me, I will slay the grandsire! Ishvara, O Keshava, o Keshava, by my weapons, by my troth and by iny good achievements,

That, O destroyer of foes, I will do everything by which the destruction of the enemy may be accomplished. Even this day behold the invincible mighty car-warrior overthrown.

By me, with the least difficulty like the crescent moon at the end of a Yuga.” Hearing those words of the high-souled Phalguna, that descendant of Madhu's race, became cheerful knowing the prowess of Partha.

Without speaking any thing, again mounted the chariot in rage. Then Bhishma the son of Shantanu, once more covered those two foremost of men on their cars, with an arrows downpour, like clouds drenching the mountain breast with showers of rain. Then your sire Devavrata took the lives of all hostile warriors,

Like the sun drawing energies from all things with his rays at the end of the winter season. As the sons of Pandu broke the ranks of the Kuru troops in battle.

So your father also broke the Pandava ranks in battle. The soldiers thus routed, and despondent and cheerless, slain, by hundreds and thousands, by Bhishma, were unable to gaze at the incomparable Bhishma, who was scorching the foe like the sun in the meridian. The Pandava troops then afflicted with terror, O monarch, (fearfully) looked at Bhishma who was achieving great feats with his superhuman prowess. Then, O Bharata, the Pandava troops thus crushed by Bhishma, could not find a protector, like kine sunk in slough, or like an ephemeral ant afflicted by a powerful creature.

The combatants of the Pandava hosts, O Bharata, were unable to look at that mighty car-warrior Bhishma, who was incapable of being shaken, who with his arrow showers was afflicting the hostile kings, and who in consequence of his blazing shafts looked like the shining sun.

While he was thus crushing the Pandava troops, the sun of thousand rays went below the horizon. Then the hearts, of all those warriors exhausted with fatigue, yearned for the order of withdrawal.