Bhishma-Vadha Parva — The dreadful battle and carnage

Sanjaya said Then for the sake of Bhishma's slaughter, the highly powerful Abhimanyu, o mighty monarch, engaged with your son supported by his large division.

Thereupon king Duryodhana waxing worth, pierced Krishna's nephew, on the beast first with nine arrows of straight knots, and then again with three shafts.

Then in that battle, Krishna's nephew, inflamed with wrath, let go at the car of Duryodhana his lance that looked like the sister of Death himself.

arms O majesty! Your son Duryodhana splitted up in two pieces that pierce Sakti by throwing a Kshurapra in defence when that great chariot holder saw it suddenly approaching very fast towards him. When the son of Arjuna saw that Sakti so splitted, he filled with anger and gave hard blows on the chest and of Duryodhana.

Then the battle that raged between the two horses became awful and admirable to look at; and, O Bharata, it was gratifying to the senses and applauded by the rulers of earth.

The two heroes, viz., the son of Subhadra and the chief of the Kurus, fought fiercely with one another, the former for bringing about the slaughter of Bhishma and the latter for gaining victory over Arjuna.

Then that afflicter of foes, viz., Drona's son that foremost of Brahmanas encountering Satyaki in battle and waxing worth, pierced the latter on the breast with a long shaft.

Then that grandson of Shini also possessed of generous heart, with nine shafts winged with Kanka feathers, pierced the preceptor's son, O Bharata, in all his vital parts.

Thereupon Ashvathama pierced Satyaki in that battle, first with nine shafts, and next with thirty more on the breast and the arms.

Then that illustrious descendant of the Satvata race that great bowman thus deeply pierced by the son of Drona struck the latter with three shafts in return.

The mighty car-warrior, the descendant of the Kuru having covered that fierce, bowman, viz., Dhrishtaketu with his shafts, wounded the latter on many parts of his body.

Similarly the mighty car-warrior Dhrishtketu endued with great might, pierced in that battle that descendant of Kuru with three hundred shafts of great sharpness.

Thereupon the descendant of Puru, that mighty car-warrior, having cut off the bow of Dhrishtaketu uttered a loud roar and pierced the latter with many sharp arrows.

The latter then taking up another bow, wounded, o king, that descendant of Kuru, with seventy three sharp shafts whetted on stone.

Then those two fierce bowmen, both mighty car-warriors, and of gigantic proportions pierced each other with their thick arrows showers.

Then, O Bharata, those two heroes waxed up with rage, having cut off one another's bow and slain one another's steeds, and being thus deprived of the use of their cars, rushed against one another for fighting with the sword.

Then, O king taking up two resplendent shields, made of bull's hide, and embossed and decked with hundred beautiful stars and moons on the ground, as also taking up two swords of dazzling effulgence, those two warriors assailed one another, like two lions, in deep woods, both striving to consort with the same lioness in her season.

Longing to get near each other, they wheeled and inoved, displaying various charming circles and various forward and backward movements.

Then the wrathful descendant of Puru, with his huge sword, struck Dhrishtaketu on the frontal bone, saying at the same time 'Stop, stop.'

The ruler of the Chedis also, with the sharp end of his mighty sword, wounded that descendant of Puru, that foremost of men, on his shoulder joint.

Then, O mighty monarch, those two subduers of foes, rushing against one another in that fierce combat, fell down, overthrown by one another's velocity. Thereupon your son Jayatsena taking up the descendant of Puru carried him away from the field of battle on his own vehicle.

The highly powerful son of Madri, viz., Sahadeva, possessed of great prowess and heroism bore away Dhrishtaketu from the field on his own car. Chitrasena having pierced Susharma with many iron shafts, again pierced him with sixty and again with nine shafts.

Susharma also waxing worth in battle, O ruler of men, pierced your son with sets of ten sharp arrows each time.

He also pierced Chitrasena, O king, with nine shafts of depressed knot; then the latter inflamed with rage in battle pierced the former in return (with many shafts compassing the death).

Then in that conflict for Bhishma 0 king, Subhadra's son, acquiring great fame and honour fought with prince Brihadbala,

Displaying his prowess, for helping his father Arjuna then rushing at the car of Bhishma. Then the ruler of the Kosalas having pierced Arjuna's son with five dares made of iron,

Once more pierced him with twenty shafts of straight knots. Then Subhadra's son pierced the ruler of the Kosalas with eight iron made dares.

But he could not make the latter tremble in battle before him, and so again pierced him with many arrows. Then the son of Phalguna cut off the bow of the Kosala king once more; and he struck him with thirty shafts furnished with wings of the Kanka feather. Thereupon that prince Brihadbala taking up another bow, and waxing irascible, pierced with many an arrow the son of Phalguna. Indeed, O afflicter of enemies, the battle, that took place for the sake of Bhishma, between them both, O king, inflamed with anger and both well versed in all manner of warfare, was like that between Bali and Vasava in the days of yore on the occasion of the war between the celestial and the Asuras.

Bhimasena then fighting with the elephant division looked highly beautiful, like the wielder of the thunder bolt himself running upon the mountains.

Those elephants, huge bodied like the hills, being thus slaughtered in battle fell down on the earth in large numbers, filling the earth with their roars.

Those elephants prodigious like hills and resembling broken heaps of antimony appeared beautiful, as they lay prostrate, like so many mountains covering the earth's surface.

Then king Yudhishthira that great bowman, protected by a mighty division encountering the Madra king in battle began to afflict him sorely.

The highly powerful ruler of the Madras also, for the sake of rescuing Bhishma began to afflict that mighty car-warrior the son of Dharma in battle.

The king of the Sindhus having pierced Virata with nine shafts of straight knots once more pierced him with thirty shafts of keen edges.

Then Virata also that leader of a division, O king, in return pierced the ruler of the Sindhus with thirty sharp arrows between his breast. Then those two kings of the Matsyas and the Sindhus, both of charming appearance and both furnished with beautiful armours, weapons and standards, and both wielding excellent bows and swords, appeared highly resplendent. Then Drona being engaged in that dreadful battle with the son of the Panchala king, fought on fiercely with arrows of close knots.

Then Drona, O mighty monarch, having cut off the mighty bow of Prishata's son pierced latter with a set of five shafts. Then that slayer of hostile heroes namely Prishata's son, took up another bow, and then he hurled at Drona a terrible mace resembling the bludgeon of Death himself.

Then Drona with fifty shafts, in that battle repulsed that mace decked with plates of gold as it flew swiftly towards himself. Then, O king, that mace cut into fragments by the arrows shot from Drona's bow, and splintered and shattered into pierces, fell down on the surface of the earth. Beholding his mace thus destroyed that afflicter of foes viz., the son of Prishata hurled at Drona his lance, excellent, and made of iron.

Drona, O Bharata, cut off that lance with nine arrows in the battle; and he then began to afflict the great bowman, viz., Prishata's son on battle. Then, O mighty monarch, for the sake of Bhishma, regard the fierce battle between Drona and Prishata's son, battle that was dreadful to the extreme and terrible in its aspects. Then Arjuna sighting the son of Ganga rushed at him discharging sharp arrows, like an infuriate elephant rushing in the woods at a compeer in the same state.

The highly puissant king Bhagadatta confronted Arjuna, and held the latter in check with a thick shower of arrows. Thereupon Arjuna pierced the elephant of Bhagadatta rushing towards himself in battle, with many keep pointed and iron made arrows, all bright as silver.

The son of Kunti, O king, urged on Shikhandin, saying “Advance, advance upon Bhishima and slay him.” Thereupon, O elder brother of Pandu the ruler of the Pragjyotishas abandoning Pandu's son in battle, rushed swiftly, o king, towards the chariot of Draupada. Thereat Arjuna, O mighty monarch, quickly advanced towards Bhishma, with Shikhandin in front of him, and then there raged a (dreadful) fight. Thereupon, in that battle your warriors, uttering fierce yells, rushed quickly at the son of Pandu. Then all this appeared marvelous. Then, O ruler of men, the army of your sons consisting of various divisions Arjuna began to scatter away like a strong gale scattering away clouds in the walk in.

Then Shikhandin confronting the grandsire of the Bharatas, pierced patiently the latter with myriad's of shafts.

Then Bhishma began to consume the Kshatriyas in battle, like a fire, having his chariot for its fire-chambers, his bow for its flames, his swords, lances and maces for its fuel and his numerous shafts for its dreadful scintillation's. Just as a conflagration fed with a constant supply of fuel leaps from house to house being aided by a breeze, so also old displaying his weapons of celestial make.

Then that mighty car-warrior Bhishma, holding in check the division of the son of Pandu (Arjuna), slew those Somakas in battle who followed Partha, with arrows furnished with golden wings and of great sharpness and depressed knots; and he filled the points cardinal and subsidiary of the compass with the echoes of his war-cries.

He dislodged car-warriors from their cars, and felled, O king, horsemen with their chargers; he also made the mighty car-division look like Palmyra groves, with trees deprived of their leafy heads. Then Bhishma that foremost of all wielders of weapons deprived, 0 king, the cars, the chargers and the elephants, of their respective riders, in that battle. The troops then, O king, began to tremble, hearing the twang of his bow-string and the slap of his palms, that resembled the thunder itself. Indeed, O lord of men, the arrows of Bhishma did never fail to hit their marks. Shot from his bow, the arrows did not stick merely on the skin of warriors and animals.

Then, O king, O ruler of men, we beheld cars deprived of their riders, dragged on all side, with the velocity of the wind by the fleet steeds that were yoked to them.

Full fourteen thousand high famed mighty car-warriors of illustrious extraction, ready to sacrifice their lives in battle, and unretreating and heroic, and owner of standards adorned with gold, all belonging to the race of the Chedis, the Kashis and Karushas, confronting the heroic Bhishma who them appeared like Death himself worth mouth wide open, were swiftly dispatched to the other world with all their cars, elephants and chargers. There was not a single mighty car-warrior, O king, among the Somakas,

Who having confronted Bhishma in that battle, was able to return alive from the engagement. Beholding all those warriors dispatched to the domain of the lord of the departed, people then thought high of Bhishma's prowess. No car-warrior then ventured to encounter that hero.

Save and except that heroic son of Pandu, owning cream-coloured steeds, and having Krishna for his charioteer, and that prince of the Panchalas, Shikhandin of immeasurable energy.