Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Withdrawal of the force after the Sixth day's fight

Sanjaya said Then when the sun assumed a crimsons hue, king Duryodhana, ardently longing for battle, rushed towards Bhima, out of a desire for slaying him.

Beholding that best of human heroes, that most implacable enemy of his, make towards himself Bhimasena, excited to the highest pitch of wrath, said these words,

The hour has come that I have been loO king forward to so anxiously for all these years. Today I will slay you, if indeed you, you do not abandon fighting.

Slaying you, I will this day soothe the sorrows of Kunti and also those of Draupadi, today will I avenge the woes that we did suffer during our exile in the woods.

O son of Gandhari, inflated with pride in days past, you disregarded the sons of Pandu, Reap now the dire fruit of that act of yours.

Acting upon the counsel of Karna and the son of Subala, and thoroughly disregarding the Pandavas, you formerly treated the latter as it had pleased you.

You also despised the descendant of the Dasharnas (Krishna) when be begged you (for peace). Filled with joy, you sent Uluka to us with your messages.

For all these act of yours, I will, this day, slay you with all your relations, and will avenge all those wrongs you did formerly inflict on us".

Having spoken these words, and bending and repeatedly stretching his bow and taking up terrible arrows that resembled the thunder boit itself in effulgence Bhima.

Excited with rage, quickly shot at Suyodhana thirty six arrows resembling the flames of a blazing fire, loO king like the thunderbolt and coursing straight through the air.

Thereafter he struck Duryodhana's bow with two arrows, his charioteer with another two; and with four others, he dispatched the latter's fleet steeds to the abode of Death.

Then that grinder of foes, with two other arrows drawn a long way back at the time of being discharged, cut down, in that conflict, the umbrella of the king from his excellent car.

With three more arrows he cut down the excellent standard that was indeed blazing. Having severed it, he uttered a loud roar even before ihe very eyes of your son.

And that beautiful standard, decked with diverse kinds of gems, suddenly felt down on the ground from the chariot, like lighting from the clouds shooting down on the earth.

And all the rulers of men then beheld that blazing and propitious standard of the Kuru king, effulgent like the sun, bearing the device of an elephants and embossed with gems, fall down, (served by Bhima).

Then the mighty car-warrior Bhima, as if smiling, struck Duryodhana with ten shafts, in that battle, like and elephants-rider piercing the huge animal with the hook.

Thereupon the king of the Sindhus, that foremost of car-warrior, that highly powerful one, stationed himself on the flank of Duryodhana, being supported by many excellent warriors.

Then that foremost of car-warrior, namely Kripa took upon his own car, O king, the vindictive Duryodhana, that descendant of the Kuru race, endued with immeasurable energy.

Then in that conflict, king Duryodhana,, pierced deep and afflicted sore by Bhimasena, squalled down on the terrace of his car.

Thereafter king Jayadratha, desirous of slaying Bhima, surrounded him on all sides with thousands of chariots, and warriors, and thus intercepted him.

Thereupon, O king, Dhrishtaketu and Abhimanyu endued with prowess, the Kaikeyas, and the sons of Draupadi, engaged with your sons.

In that battle the eight great archer and chivalrous warriors-Chitrasena, Suchitra, Chitranga, Chitradarshana, Caruchitra, Sucharu, Nanda and Upananda had trapped in a circle the chariot of delicate Abhimanyu.

The high-souled Abhimanyu quickly struck them all piercing each with five shafts.

Resembling the thunder-bolt itself or the mace of Death, shot from his beautiful bow. Thereupon all of them unable to bear it, showered an arrow down pour on that excellent car-warrior namely Subhadra's son, like clouds showering rain on the Meru mountain. Thus afflicted in the battle, that hero, accomplished in the use of weapons, and invincible in fight.

Namely, Abhimanyu, O king, made your warriors tremble, like the wielder of the thunder-bolt making the Asuras tremble in the war between them and the celestial.

Thereafter, O Bharata, that foremost of carwarrior, hurled at Vikarna fourteen mortal broad-headed shafts that looked like snakes of most virulent venom.

Possessed of great prowess, and as if dancing in battle, with those shafts he cut down the standard of Vikarna from this car and also slew his charioteer and steeds.

Again that mighty car-warrior viz., the son of Subhadra shot at Vikarna other arrows, well tempered, kcen-pointed and straight-coursing.

Those arrows decked with the feathers of the Kanka bird, coming upon Vikarna and passing through his body stuck on the ground like so many hissing snakes.

Those arrows, with wings and points decorated with gold and bathed in the blood of Vikarna, and stuck on the earth appeared to the vomit-blood.

Beholding Vikarna thus penetrated through and through, his other uterine brothers, rushed in that conflict against those warriors who were headed by the son of Subhadra.

When those warriors formidable in battle riding on their own chariots quickly came upon the combatant of the Pandava army seated on their car like so many effulgent suns, they began to pierce one another in that battle.

Then Durmukha piercing Shrutakarma with five swift-coursing arrows cut down the latter's standard with a single arrow, and pierced his charioteer also with seven others.

Advancing closer, with six arrows he pierced Shrutakarman's steedscaparisoned with a net work of gold and fleet as the wind itself; he also felled the letters charioteer.

Thereupon standing on that chariot of his of which the steeds were slain, that mighty carwarrior Shrutakarma, excited to the highest pitch of fury, hurled a great dart blazing like a fierce meteor.

That very resplendent dart charge with great energy penetrating through the massive armour of the renowned Durmukha, and shattering it, stuck itself on the ground.

Thereupon Sutosoma, possessed of great prowess beholding Shrutakarma deprived of his chariot, took him up on his car even before the very eyes of the assembled host.

Thereafter, 0 monarch, Shrutakirti possessed of heroism, rushed, in that battle, against your illustrious son Jayatsena, out of a desire for slaying him.

Then in that conflict ( monarch your son Jayatsena with a sharp edged Kshurapra (horse-shoe-headed shaft), as if smiling, cut off the bow of that high-souled warrior, namely Shrutakirti, 0 Bharata, as the latter came repeatedly stretching it. Thereupon Shatanika seeing his uterine brother deprived of his bow.

Endued as he was with great energy, quickly rushed to the shop, every moment uttering roars resembling those of a lion. Then in that conflict stretching his bow with a strong hand, Shatanika.

With great lightness of hands, pierced Jayatsena with ten sharp arrows and then uttered a loud roar like that of an elephants in rut.

Then again with another sharp arrow capable of penetrating through all kinds of main, Shatanika deeply pierced Jayatsena on the breast.

At this crisis, Dushkarna, who was near his brother, overwhelmed with wrath cut off the bow and arrows of the son of Nakula (Shatanika).

Thereat, grasping another bow of excellent make and capable of bearing great strain the highly powerful Shatanika fixed on the bow string shafts of exceeding sharpness.

Then he (Shatanika) challenged Dushkarna before his brothers, saying "Wait” “Wait", and then he discharged at him those keen pointed arrows that resembled so many blazing snakes.

Then the former cut off the latter's bow with a single shaft; and pierced his charioteer with two shafts; and, O sire, in that conflict the former also quickly pierced the latter with feathered shafts.

Thereafter that sinless warriors, with twelve shafts of great sharpness, pierced all the steeds of Dushkarna, steeds that we effect as the mind and decked with gold trappings.

Then highly excited with rage, he in that conflict, deeply pierced, Dushkarna on the chest with another broad-headed arrow welldirected and swift coursing.

There at the latter fell down on the ground like a tree smitten by the thunder bolt. Beholding Dushkarna slain, the five mighty car-warrior, O king.

encompassed Shatanika on all sides, out of a desire for slaying him; and they began to strike the illustrious Shatanika with a showers of arrows.

Thereupon the five Kaikeya princes excited with rage, rushed (to the rescue of Shatanika). Beholding them advance, your sons all mighty car-warriors.

O mighty monarch, encountered them like so many elephants encountering their huge compeers. Durmukha, Durjaya, the youthful Durmarshana.

Shatrunjaya and Shatrusaha, all these illustrious warriors, proceeded, O king, in a body against the Kaikeya brothers.

Riding their chariots resembling (fortified) cities, to which were steed decked with precious caparisons and which were decorated wonderful streamers of variegated hue.

on Those heroes, welding excellent bows, owing finest armours and best standards, entered the hostile array like lions going from one forest to another.

Then between them and the foe, raged a fierce and dreadful combat in which cars and elephants got entangled together and in which the combatants (mercilessly) slew one another,

Out of a feeling of animosity, they fought the dreadful fight that lasted for a few moments only before sun-set, adding to the population of Death's kingdom,

Then car-warriors and cavalry-soldiers were strewn by thousand on the filed of battle. Thereupon excited with wrath, the son of Shantanu namely Bhishma, with straightknotted shafts, began to slay the troops of the high-souled Pandavas. with his arrows he also dispatched to the regions of Death the troops belonging to the Panchala Princes.

Thus, O king, having broken the ranks of the Pandava host, the grandsire, withdrawing his force, retired to his own encampment.

The very virtuous king Yudhishthira also seeing Dhrishtadyumna and Vrikodara, smelt their heads, and with a delighted heart repaired to his camps.