Bhishma-Vadha Parva — The fierce fight

Sanjaya said Seeing his brother (Bhima) and other kings (of the Pandava host) engaged with Bhishma with weapons uplifted, Dhananjaya rushed against the son of Ganga.

Hearing the blare of the conch Panchajanya, and the twang of the bow Gandiva, and seeing the standard of the son of Pritha (Arjuna), every one of us was seized with terror.

O mighty monarch, we then beheld the standard of that wielder of the Gandiva bow, standard that resembled a lion's tail in shape and looked like a blazing mountain in the air; that could not be obstructed by the trees; that appeared like the risen comet; and that was of diverse hue and variegated and of celestial make and bore the device of the monkey.

In that terrible encounter, the warriors saw Arjuna's gold mounted Gandiva appear beautiful like flashes of lightning illumining a mass of clouds in the welkin.

While he was slaying the warriors of your army, we heard shouts that resembled those of Indra himself, uttered by Arjuna, as also the dreadful sounds he produced by striking his palms against his arms.

Arjuna poured in for rents his arrow showers in all the directions of the compass like a rain cloud surcharged with lightning and thunder and assisted by violent tempest pouring rain.

Then Dhananjaya, possessed of dreadful weapons rushed against the son of Ganga. Confounded with his weapons we then were unable to distinguish between the east and the west.

Then O foremost of the Bharata, your warriors, not knowing which point of the compass they were in, with their animals exhausted, steeds slain and hearts confounded, and huddling close to one another.

Threw themselves upon the protection of Bhishma, along of with your sons. In that battle Bhishma the son of Shantanu became their refuge.

Seized with panic, car warriors jumped down from their cars and cavalry soldiers from the back of their steeds and foot soldiers fell down even on the grounds where they stood.

Hearing the twang of the bow Gandiva, that resembled the rumble of thunder, O Bharata, all your warriors were struck with terror and began to fall off their ranks.

Then with fleet and mettled chargers of the Kamboja breed, and surrounded by many thousand Gopas and an army of the Gopayanas,

And O ruler of men, supported, by the Madras, the Souviras, the Gandharvas the Trigartas, and the foremost of all Kalinga warriors, the king of the Kalingas, and king Jayadratha accompanied by many kings and followed by a numerous force consisting of various races headed by Dushasana himself.

And supported by fourteen thousand picked cavalry soldiers urged by your son, encompassed on all sides the king of the Subala's.

Then in that battle, united together and riding on their respective vehicles, those foremost of Bharata's race, namely the sons of Pandu, began to slaughter the warriors of your army.

A thick clouds of dust, raised by carwarriors, elephants, steeds and foot soldiers, made the battle that raged all the more terrible.

Bhishma then, supported by a mighty force consisting of elephants-warriors, car-warriors and cavalry-soldiers, all armed with Tomaras, Narachas and Prasas fell to fight with the diadem decked Arjuna.

The ruler of Avanti encountered the king of the Kashis. Bhimasena engaged the ruler of the Sindhus; and Ajatashatru (Yudhishthira) with his sons and his counsellors, engaged with the renowned Shalya the foremost of the Madras. Vikarna became engaged with Sahadeva, and Chitrasena with Shikhandin.

The Matsyas, O ruler of men encountered Duryodhana along with Shakuni. Drupada, Chekitana and the mighty car-warrior Satyaki. Engaged with the illustrious Drona, supported by his son. Kripa and Kritavarma both charged Dhrishtadyumna.

Thus, running steeds and wheeling and whirling cars and elephants, in that battle, engaged with one another, all over the field. Flashes of lightning illumined the welkin although there was no cloud, and the points of the compass were shrouded in thick clouds of dust; and O ruler of men, large meteors were scen falling with terrible sounds.

A mighty tempest, raged and a shower of dust began to fall. The sun disappeared in the firmament being shrouded by the dust-clouds raised by the troops.

All the warriors, overwhelmed with that dust and fighting with their various weapons, were greatly confounded.

The whizzing noise produced by the arrows capable of piercing through every armour and discharged by the arms of heroes, was discharged by the arms of heroes, was indeed deafening.

O foremost of the Bharatas, weapons endued with the pure effulgence of the stars, illumined the firmament when they were shot by excellent arms.

In all directions were scattered, 0 foremost of the Bharatas, bucklers made of bull's hide, of variegated appearance, and covered with a net work of gold.

In all directions were seen heads and limbs falling, being cut off with swords of the effulgence of the sun.

Mighty car-warriors, having the wheel, the axle and the terraces of their cars broken, fell down on the grounds, with their steeds slain and their long arms severed. Steeds fell down on the battle-field mangled with the cut of weapons, and car wheeled around deprived of their warriors.

O Bharata, wounded with arrows with their bodies mangled, and their harnesses on, excellent steeds ran there dragging the caryokes after them. Many warriors, O king, with their cars, horses and drivers were seen slain in that battle by a single elephants possessed of great strength.

In that battle scenting the odour of the temporal juice shed by other compeers many elephants began to snuff the air in the very midst of that slaughter of troops. The field of battle was covered with elephants bearing wooden edifices and guides, as they fell down deprived of live being struck with piked lances. In the midst of large forces, many elephants with the standards and warriors on their back, fell down on the ground being crushed by other huge compeers urged on their guides.

In that battle, o king, were seen many chariot-shafts to be broken by elephants using their trunks that resembled the body of the serpent chief. In that battle car-warriors, the yokes of whose cars had been shattered, were seized by the hair by the tuskers and dragged down like branches of trees they were thoroughly crushed.

Other prodigious elephants dragging cars entangled with other cars, ran in all directions uttering loud roars. The appearance of those elephants dragging those chariots looked beautiful like that of others of their species tearing lotus-stems growing in the lakes.

Thus then the extensive field of battle was strewn over with cavalry-soldiers, and mighty car-warriors and their tall standards.