Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Colloquy between Bhishma and Duryodhana

Sanjaya said Having seen Arjuna in battle, the kings angrily surrounded him on all sides with many thousands of cars.

O descendant of Bharata, having surrounded him with many thousand cars, they covered him from all sides with many hundreds of arrows.

They angrily hurled at Falguna's (Arjuna's) car bright and sharp pointed lances, maces, clubs with spikes, bearded darts, battle-axes, mallets, and bludgeons. That. shower of weapons came to him like a flight of locusts. But Pritha's son checked it with his gold decked arrows. Seeing on that occasion the extraordinary lightness of the hands of Vibhatsu (Arjuna), the celestials, in the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Pishachas the Uragas and the Rakshasas praised Phalguna, exclaiming “Excellent” “Excellent”.

The heroic Gandharvas with Subala's son at their head surrounded Satyaki and Abhimanyu.

Then those brave warriors led by Subala's son angrily cut down into fragments the excellent car of the Vrishni hero (Satyaki) with various kinds of weapons.

O chastiser of foes, in that fearful battle, Satyaki abandoned his own car and mounted on that of Abhimanyu.

Then those two heroes, mounting on the same car, began to slaughter the army of Subala's son (Shakuni) with innumerable sharp pointed arrows.

Drona and Bhishma fighting bravely began to slaughter the troops under Dharmaraja Yudhishthira with sharp arrows furnished with feathers of Kanka bird.

Then the son of Dharma (Yudhishthira) and the two sons of Madri, in the very sight of the whole army, began to chastise the troops of Drona.

Then the batile that was fought was fearful and terrible, like the one that was fought in the days of yore between the celestials and the Danavas.

Bhimasena and Ghatotkacha both performed great feats. Then Duryodhana came and checked them both.

O descendant of Bharata, the prowess that we saw displayed by the son of Hidimba was exceedingly wonderful; for he transcended even his father (Bhima).

Then the Pandava Bhimasena angrily and smilingly wounded the vindictive Duryodhana in the breast with an arrow.

Then king Duryodhana, mortally wounded by that arrow, sat dowin on his car and fainted.

O king, seeing him senseless, his charioteer specdily carried him away from the field of battle. Then the the troops that supported Duryodhana broke and fled away.

Then striking those flying Kuru troops with his sharp-pointed arrows Bhima pursued them.

Then that foremost of warriors, the Prishata prince and the Pandava king Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, O descendant of Bharata, in the very sight of Drona and Ganga's son (Bhishma).

Slaughtered their troops with sharp arrows, each capable of destroying hostile heroes. Your those troops thus fled from the battle;

And those two great car-warriors Bhishma and Drona could not stop them. Though attempted to be stopped by Bhishma and the high souled Drona.

Those troops fled away in the very sight of Drona and Bhishma. When those thousands of car-warriors fled away in all directions.

O chastiser of foes, then Subhadara's son (Abhimanyu) and that best of the Shini's race, both mounting the same car began to slaughter the army of the son of Subala.

Shini's grandson and that foremost of Kuru race looked as effulgent as the sun and the moon when they are seen both in the sky after the last lunation of the dark fort-night has passed away.

O king, then Arjuna angrily poured shower of arrows on your army as clouds pour rain in torrents..

Thus slaughtered in the battle with the arrows of Partha, the Kuru army, trembling in grief and fear fled away.

Seeing the army flying, the mighty Bhishma and Drona both enraged and both eager to do Duryodhana's good tried to stop them.

Then king Duryodhana himself cheering his troops stopped them from flying away in all directions.

Thereupon all the Kshatriya car-warriors stopped, each on the spot from which they saw your son.

O king, then the common soldiers having seen them stop, stopped of their own accord from shame and from the desire of displaying their prowess.

O king, the army thus rallied appeared then like the surging sea at the time of moon's rising.

Having seen his army relied for fight, king Suyodhana soon went to the son of Shantanu and thus spoke to him.

“O grandfather, hear what I say; O descendant of Bharata, O scion of the Kuru race, when you, and that foremost of men learned in arms, Drona, with his son and with all our other friends, and also the great bowman Kripa are alive. I do not consider it creditable that my troops should run away.

I do not consider the Pandavas a match for you, or for Drona or for Drona's son or for Kripa.

O grandfather, the Pandavas are certainly being favoured by you. O hero, therefore you forgive them this slaughter of my troops.

O king, you should have told me, before this battle began, that you would not fight with the Pandavas.

O descendant of Bharata, hearing such words from you and from the preceptor (Drona), I would have then with Karna reflected what we should have done.

O foremost of men, if I do not deserve to be abandoned by you two, then fight at the utmost of your power".

Having heard these words. Bhishma laughed and turned his eyes in anger. He then thus spoke to your son.

"O king, I have innumerable times said to you words worthy of your acceptance and fraught with your good. The Pandavas are invincible even to the celestials with Vasava at their head.

O foremost of kings, what I am capable of doing, aged as I am, I shall certainly do in this battle to the utmost of my power. See it now with your kinsmen.

In the sight of all I shall today alone chastise the Pandavas with their troops and with all their kinsmen".

Having been thus addressed by Bhishma, O king, your son was filled with delight. He ordered conchs to be blown and drums to be beat.

O king, having heard the loud uproar, the Pandavas blew their conchs and ordered their drums and cymbals to be sounded.