Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Second day of the battle

Sanjaya said O descendant of Bharata when that day passed away, when the destruction of car, elephants, horses, foot-soldiers and horsemen went apace.

The Panchala prince fought with Drona's son (Ashvathama), Shalya, and the illustrious Kripa.

The mighty heir-apparent of the king of Panchala with many sharp arrows killed the horses of Drona's who is celebrated all over the world.

Deprived of his horses, Drona's son soon got upon the car of Shalya and showered his arrows on the Panchala prince.

O descendant of Bharata, seeing Dhrishtadyumna fighting with Drona's son, the son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu) ran up showering his fearful arrows.

O best of the Bharata race, he wounded Shalya with twenty-five arrows and Kripa with nine arrows and Ashvathama with eight.

Drona's son also soon wounded Arjuna's son with many winged arrows; Shalya also pierced him with twelve arrows, Kripa shot at him three sharp arrows.

Your grandson Lakshmana then rushed at Subhadra's son in anger, and a fearful battle began between the two.

In that fight Duryodhana's son in anger wounded Subhadra's son with many sharp arrows. O king, it was a wonderful feat.

O best of the Bharata race, the light-handed Abhimanyu, also being very much enraged, soon wounded his cousin with five hundred arrows.

O king, Lakshmana also with his arrows cut down (his adversary's) bow staff, on seeing which all the troops sent up a loud shout.

Then that slayer of hostile heroes, Subhadara's son, throwing aside the broken bow, took up another beautiful and tough bow.

Thereupon those two foremost of men, thus fighting together with the desire of counteracting each other's feat, wounded each other with innumerable sharp arrows.

O king, Duryodhana on seeing his mighty son thus hard pressed by your grand son ran towards the spot.

When your son went to the spot, all the kings surrounded Arjuna's son with many thousands of cars.

O king, being as invincible and powerful as Krishna himself, that hero, being thus surrounded by those heroes, was not the least agitated.

Seeing Subhadra's fighting, Dhananjaya (Arjuna) hastened to the spot in great anger, with the intention of rescuing his son son.

Thereupon the kings headed by Bhishma and Drona and accompanied by many elephants, horses and cars rushed with great force on Savyasachin (Arjuna).

Then a thick shower of dust, being raised by foot-soldiers, horses and cars and cavalrymen, covered the sky.

When those thousands of elephants and hundreds of kings came within the reach of scen Arjuna's arrows, they could not make any further advance.

All the troops sent up loud shouts, and all directions became dark. Then the army of the Kurus assumed a fearful and dreadful aspect.

Neither the sky, nor the sun, nor the cardinal points, nor the earth, O best of men, could be distinguished, in consequence of the continuous showers of arrows shot by Kiritin (Arjuna).

Many clephants were deprived of their standards, and many car-warriors were also deprived of their horses. Having abandoned their cars, many car-warriors were wandering (over the field).

Many other car-warriors, deprived of their cars, were seen to rove about with their weapons in their hands and other arm adorned with Angadas.

O king, horsemen, urging their horses and elephant-men urging their elephants fled away in all directions from the fear of Arjuna.

Kings were seen falling from their cars; elephants and horses were also seen to fall cut down by Arjuna's arrows.

Assuming a fierce countenance, Arjuna cut down with fearful arrows the upraised arms of warriors with maces in their hands, also with swords, darts, quivers arrows, bows, hooks and standards.

O sire, O descendant of Bharata, spiked mace broken in fragment, mallets, bearded darts, short arrows, swords, sharp edged battle axes, lances, broken shields, armours, standards, every sort of weapons, umbrellas with golden staves, iron-hooks, goads, whips, and traces were all seen strewn over the field of battle in heaps.

O sire, there was none in your army who could advance against Arjuna in battle.

O king, whoever advanced against the son of Pritha, was immediately shot down and sent to the abode of Yama.

When all your troops broke down and fled away, Arjuna and Vasudeva blew their excellent conchs.

Your sire Devavrata then, on seeing the Kuru army routed, smilingly thus spoke to the heroic son of Bharadvaja (Drona) on that field of battle.

“This mighty and heroic son of Pandu Dhananjaya, accompanied as he is by Krishna, is treating our troops as he alone is able to deal with them.

Seeing him resemble today the destroyer himself as the universal dissolution, we find that he is invincible today.

This our vast army is now impossible to be rallied. Behold, loO king at me, they are running away.

Sun god here has reached now at the best mountain Astacala as if contracting completely the eye-sight of the entire world,

O foremost of men, I think, the time has come now to withdraw our army. The troops will never fight, they are tired and struck with panic".

Having said this to Drona that foremost of all preceptors, that great car-warriors Bhishma withdrew his army. Then when the sun went down, O sire, both the armies were withdrawn and twilight came in.