Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Bhishma and Arjuna's single combat

Sanjaya said O descendant of Bharata, when the night passed away, the illustrious Bhishma with his wrath excited followed by a very large numbers of troops, going at the head of the Kuru army charged the enemy's troops.

Drona, and Duryodhana, Balhika, Durmarshans, Chitrasena, the mighty Jayadratha and other royal heroes backed by a large number of troops accompanied him.

Surrounded by these great and mighty carwarriors all possessing great prowess and energy, O king, he shone in the midst of those foremost of royal heroes like the lord of the celestial in the midst of the celestial.

The magnificent standards on the backs of the elephants stationed in front of the various divisions of the army waved in the air and looked highly beautiful with yellow, black and brown colours.

That great army with the royal son of Shantanu (Bhishma) at its head and with other great car-warriors and with elephants and horses, looked as resplendent as a mass of clouds charged with lightning or as the sky with gathering clouds in the season of rains.

Then like the fearful current of the oceangoing Ganga, that great Kuru army, protected by Shantanu's son rushed with great force towards Arjuna.

With various kinds of forces possessing great strength and also with innumerable elephants, horses and foot soldiers and carwarriors, the Vyuha invade by the apebannered hero (Arjuna) looked from the distance like a great mass of clouds.

That illustrious hero, that foremost of men, standing on his car furnished with his standard and yoked with white steeds went against the enemy's army supported by a large force.

Seeing that ape-bannered hero accompanied by that foremost of the Yadu race, all the Kurus with your sons were filled with dismay.

Your troops saw that best of Vyuhas which was protected by that great car-warriors of the world Kiritin (Arjuna). It had thousands of weapons up-raised and on each of its concerns stood four thousand elephants.

This Vyuha of today was like the one which was formed on the day previous by that foremost of Kurus, king Dharamraja Yudhishthira and the like of which had never been seen or heard to before by any man.

Then thousands of drums were loudly beat on the field of battle. There rose from every quareer sounds of conchs and trumpets and lion-like shouts.

Then bows of loud twang, drawn by heroic warriors, with arrows fixed on the bow brings and the sounds of conchs rose above the uproar made by drums and cymbals.

The entire sky was filled with the sounds of conchs dust filled every place with that dust the atmosphere appeared as if a canopy had been over-spread. Having seen that canopy, all the brave warriors rushed to the battle.

Car-warriors struck with car-warriors were cut down with their charioteers, horses, car and standards. Elephants struck by elephants and foot soldiers struck by foot soldiers all fell (on the filled of battle).

Impetuous horsemen struck down by impetuous horsemen fell with fearful countenances. All appeared to be exceedingly wonderful.

Excellent shields adorned with golden stars and possessed of the effulgence of the sun, broken by battle axes, lances and swords dropped on the field of battle.

Many car-warriors, mangled and bruised by the tasks and the powerful trunks of elephants fell down with their charioteers, many foremost of car-warriors, struck by the foremost of carwarriors fell on the earth.

Having heard the wails of horsemen and foot soldiers, struck with the tusks and other limbs of elephants or crushed by their huge animals fell down on the field of battle.

Then when horsemen and foot soldiers were falling fast, and elephants, horses and cars were flying away in fear, Bhishma surrounded by many great car-warriors got a sight of the ape-mannered warrior (Arjuna).

The plmyra-bannered hero, the son of Shantanu, who had five palmyras on his standard, then rushed upon the diadem decked warrior (Arjuna) whose car was yoked with excellent steeds with possessed wonderful energy and which blazed like the lighting.

O king, thus against that son of Indra who was like Indra himself rushed many warriors headed by Drona, Kripa, Shalya, Vivingshati, Duryodhana and also Somadatta's son.

Then the heroic son of Arjuna Abhimanyu learned in all the weapons and clad in a handsome golden armour, rushed out of the ranks of attacked all your warriors.

That son of Arjuna baffled the weapons of all the mighty warriors. He looked effulgent as the exalted Agni on the sacrificial alter when invoked with high Mantras.

Then the greatly powerful Bhishma created a river in that field of battle. Its water was made by the blood of foes. But he quickly avoided the son of Subhadra and charged the great car-warrior Pareha.

Then Arjuna, adorned with diadem and garlands, with his wonderful Gandiva in his hand, the twang of which resembled the roars of clouds, shot showers of arrows and baffled the showers of arrows (shot by Bhishma).

That illustrious ape-bannered hero then poured upon Bhishma that foremost of all wielders of arms a shower of sharp arrows and broad-headed polished shafts.

Your troops then saw that shower of arrow, shot by that great ape-bannered hero, opposed and dispersed by Bhishma, as the sun dispels darkness.

Then the Kurus, the Srinjayas, and all other people saw the single combat between those two foremost of men, Bhishma and Arjuna both distinguished by the fearful twang of their bows.