Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Display of Bhima's prowess

Dhritarashtra said I consider, O Sanjaya, destiny to by superior to human endeavor, in as much as, the troops of my son are always being slaughtered by those of the sons of Pandu.

You always, O Suta, tell me, that my troops are slaughtered, whilst on the other hand you say that the Pandava forces are not slaughtered and are all filled with delight.

You always, O Sanjaya, speak of my troops as being destitute of manliness, as felled and falling and massacred.

Yough they are fighting to the best of their powers, and striving hard to secure victory over them, whilst they are becoming reduced in number.

So, O son, I am always hearing of numerous causes of insufferable and poignant grief, engendered by misdeeds of Duryodhana.

I could discover no measure by which the Pandavas could be reduced, also by which, O Sanjaya, my sons would be able to secure victory in this battle.

Sanjaya said Listen, O monarch, with patience, to the description of the destruction of human hosts and of the hosts of steeds elephants and cars this mighty evil owes its origin to you.

Dhrishtadyumna, being afflicted by Shalya with nine arrows, was inflamed with wrath; and he afflicted the ruler of the Madras, in return, with dares made of steel.

Then we saw the highly wonderful prowess of the son of Prishata, as he speedily checked (the career of) Shalya the ornament of assemblies.

No weakness was detected in any one of them, when enraged, they were engaged in the battle. The combat between them seemed to last only for a moment.

Then, O mighty monarch, in that fight, Shalya cut down the bow of Dhrishtadyumna with a keen pointed yellow dare.

Also, Bharata, he covered Dhrishtadyumna with showers of arrows, like clouds, swelling with rain, covering a mountain at the rainy season.

When Dhrishtadyumna was being thus fermented, Abhimanyu, inflamed with wrath, rushed with violence against the car of the king of the Madras.

Then the highly excited nephew of Krishna, that hero of immeasurable should, having reached near the car of the Madra king, pierced Artayani with three whetted shafts.

Thereat, O monarch, your troops desirous of resting the son of Arjuna in battle, speedily formed themselves in a circle around the chariot of the ruler of the Madras.

Duryodhana, Vikarna, Dushasana, Vivingshati, Durmarshana Dusaha, Chitrasena, Durmukha.

Satyavrata, Purumitra and the mighty carwarrior Vikarna, these stationed themselves in the filed for protecting the chariot of the ruler of the Madras.

Threat Bhimsena, excited with rage, and Dhrishtadyumna of Prishata's race, the sons of Draupadi and Abhimanyu, the twin sons of Pandu by Madri.

These ten warriors opposed the ten warriors of Duryodhana's hosts, discharging 0 monarch, weapons of diverse shape.

It is, O monarch, through the wicked policy of yours that those warriors inflamed with rage then approached and encountered one another in battle, out of a desire for slaying one another.

When those ten warriors, wrought up with wrath, met the other ten in that awful battle, thereat of the car-warriors of your army and of the army of your foes became sight seers.

Those mighty car-warriors shooting weapons of diverse shape and roaring at one another began to smite one bother.

Then in the battle, inflamed with both and desirous of slaying one another, those heroes roared at one another, and boasted of their prowess.

Then O monarch, those kinsfolk that had met together, burning with jealousy and challenging one another, fell upon one another, discharging mighty weapons at the same time.

Inflamed with wrath, Duryodhana in that fierce battle pierced Dhrishtadyumna with four whetted arrows; and in battle, the feat was wonderful.

Durmarshana pierced him (Dhrishtadyumna) with twenty shafts, Chitrasena with five, Durmukha with nine, Dusaha with seven.

Vivingshati with five, and Dushasana with three. Them, O monarch, the son of Prishata, the slayer of his foes, pierced.

In return, each with twenty shafts displaying great lightness of hands. O Bharata Abhimanyu in that battle pierced Satyavrata and Purumitra each with ten shafts. The sons of Madri, the delighters of their mother, in that battle covered their maternal uncle with a shower of sharp shafts; and that seemed indeed marvelous. Thereupon, O mighty monarch, Shalya covered with innumerable arrows those nephews of his, those two foremost of car warriors, who were desirous of counteracting the stratagems of their uncle (Shalya himself). Yough thus covered over with arrows, the twin sons of Madri flinched not.

Thereafter the Pandava Bhimasena endued with great might beholding Duryodhana and desirous of putting and end to the strife, grasped his mace.

Seeing that mighty armed Bhimsena with uplifted mace look like the Kailasa mount towering with its peaks your sons fled out of terror.

Duryodhana however wrought up with anger urged against Bhima the Magadha division consisting of ten thousands swiftcoursing elephants.

King Suyodhana then accompanied by that division of elephants, and placing the ruler of the Maghadas in front of him, advanced towards Bhimasena.

Thereat Vrikodara, beholding that division of elephants make towards himself,, descended from his car, holding a mace in his hands and roaring out like a lion.

Grasping a mighty and heavy mace made of the essence of adamant, Bhimasena charged that division of elephants, like Death himself with his mouth wide open.

Then like the slayer of Vritra moving amidst the Danava host, the mighty armed Bhimasena, endued with great strength, careered on the filed of battle, slaughtering elephants with his mace.

Then at the defending shouts of the roaring Bhima-shouts that were capable of producing a tremor in the hare and in the mind, the elephants huddling together were deprived of the power of moving.

Then the sons of Draupadi, the mighty carwarrior the son of Subhadra, and Nakula, Sahadeva and Dhrishtadyumna the son of Prishata.

Supporting Bhima's car, proceeded behind him, checking the foe with their shower of arrows, like clouds drenching the mountains with rain.

With Kshuras the Kshurapras and Bhallas and Anjalikas, all well-sharpened and tempered, the Pandava warriors cut down the heads of those who were fighting on the backs of elephants.

In consequence of the thick falling of the heads (of elephants-riders), their arms decked with ornaments and their hands grasping the iron hook, a shower of stones appeared to fall.

And elephants-riders deprived of heads, seated as they were on the necks of those beasts, appeared like ties on a mountain with their heads broken.

We also saw many other mighty elephants, felled and falling, slain by Dhrishtadyumna, the high-souled son of Prishata.

Thereafter, the ruler of the Magadha territory, goaded in that battle, against the car not of Subhadra's son, an elephants that resembled Airavata itself.

Then the heroic son of Subhadra, that slayer of hostile heroes, beholding that mighty elephant of the ruler of the Magadhas make towards himself, killed it with a single shaft.

Then the nephew of Krishna that conqueror of hostile cities cut down with a Bhalla of silvery wings, the head of the king who could extricate himself from the (falling)elephants.

Then Bhimasena the son of Pandu, also penetrating that division of elephants, careered in the filed, crushing the elephants, like Indra crushing the mountains.

In that battle, we also beheld elephants smashed by Bhimasena, each with a single stoke, like cliffs rent open by the thunder-bolt.

Elephants prodigious like mountains were slain having their tusks broken, their temples, their bones, their backs and their frontal globes smashed.

We saw, O monarch, some of those beasts slain and some with mouths foaming (we saw) other mighty elephants with their frontal globes smashed, vomiting blood in profusion.

Some fell down on the grounds overwhelmed with terror, and they resembled huge hills and were soiled in every pare of their body with fat and blood, and were almost bathed in marrow and brain matter.

Bhima careered in the filed like the Destroyer himself with his mace in his hand. Vrikodara whirling his mace that was drenched with the blood of the elephants.

Appeared dreadful like Pinaki (Shiva) himself wielding the bow Pinaka. Crushed by the wrathful Bhimasena, the elephants.

Sorely afflicted, suddenly fled away, smashing the ranks of your own army. The mighty bowmen and car-warriors headed by the son of Subhadra, protected that hero as he battled, like the immortals protecting the wielder of the thunderbolt. Grasping his bloodstained mace almost bathed in the blood of clephants.

Bhimasena of fierce should then appeared like the destroyer himself. then O Bharata, we saw Bhimasena whirling his mace in all directions appear like the god Shiva in the course of his wild dance. We beheld, O mighty monarch, his heavy and sounding mace that resembled the club of the destroyer himself, the whiz of which equalled the roar of Indra thunder, which was fierce to look at, and which was stained copiously with blood and smeared with marrow and hair,

And (lastly) which resembled the Pinaka of the enraged Rudra engaged in slaughtering animals. Just as a herdsman belabours his herd with a cudgel,

So Bhima belaboured the elephants division with his mace. smitten by that mace, as also by means of arrows on all sides,

The elephants heavily fled away from the field, smashing the chariots of their own host. Like tempest driving away clouds, Bhimasena driving away from the field those elephants, stood there like the wielder of the trident (Shiva) standing on the cremation grounds.