Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Prowess of Bhagadatta

Sanjaya said When that dreadful battle was over, king Duryodhana, approaching the son of Ganga, and saluting him with humility,

Began to describe everything that had taken place, namely, victory by Ghatotkacha, and the defeat he himself has suffered.

the won That invincible warrior, O king, theli spoke these words, sighing repeatedly and addressing the grandsire of the Kurus namely Bhishma.

"Just as the son of Vasudeva has been relied upon by the foe, so replying upon yourself, I have commenced this dreadful war with the Pandavas, O lord.

My troops counting eleven Akshauhini in number, as also my own self, O grinder of foes, are all under your command.

Though thus supported, yet, О foremost of the Bharatas, I have been worsted in battle by the Pandava combatants headed by Bhimasena and dependent on Ghatotkacha.

This it is that is corroding my limbs like fire burning a withered tree. Therefore, O you of eminent parts, O slayer of foes, through your grace, I wish,

O grandsire, to slay that worst of Rakshasas myself, mainly depending upon your invincible self. It behaves you to see that my wish is fulfilled.”

Hearing, O foremost of the Bharatas, these words of the king, Bhishma the son of Shantanu addressed these words to Duryodhana.

"Hear, O king the words that I shall speak to you, O scion of the Kuru race, about how you should conduct yourself, Ogrinder of foes.

O sire, O slayer of foes, you should ever carefully protect yourself in battle, under all circumstances. O sinless one, you should always engage with the very virtuous king Yudhishthira.

Or with Arjuna or with Bhimasena or with the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. Keeping in view the duty of a king, a king strikes another royal compose.

Myself, Drona, Kripa, the son of Drona, Kritavarma of the Satvata race, Shalya, Somadatta's son, the might car-warrior Vikarna,

Your heroic brothers headed by Dushasana, we shall all right with that highly puissant Rakshasa for your sake.

Or if you bear implacable hatred for that fierce prince of Rakshasas, let this ruler of earth namely Bhagadatta, who is equal to Indra in battle, encounter in battle that evil-minded one." Having thus addressed the king, Bhishma eloquent in speech thus spoke of Bhagadatta even before that foremost of king “Proceed, O mighty monarch, without delay, against the son of Hidimba, invincible in battle.

Putting forth all your energies do you resist that Rakshasa of cruel deeds before the eyes of these bowmen, even as Indra resisted Taraka in days gone by.

Your weapons are of celestial make and o redresser of your foes, your prowess in divine. And before this, you have had encounters with many a host of Asuras.

O foremost of kings, you are a match for the Rakshasa in this fierce battle; and supported by your own divisions, O king, do you slay that foremost of Rakshasas.”

Hearing these words of Bhishma the generalissimo of the Kauravas, Bhagadatta rushed towards the enemy uttering his war cries.

Beholding him rush like a mass of roaring clouds, the mighty car-warriors of the Pandava host inflamed with wrath advanced with impetuosity.

Bhimasena, Abhimanyu, the Rakshasa Ghatotkacha, the son of Draupadi, Satyadhriti, Kshatradeva, and O sire,

Vasudeva, the ruler of the Chedis, the ruler of the Dasharnas, all these warriors assaulted Bhagadatta. Bhagadatta also mounted on his elephant Supratika, charged these heroes.

Then ensued a dreadful combat of awful aspect, between the Pandava hosts and Bhagadatta's divisions, increasing the population of Death's domain.

Fleet arrows charged with energy and shot by car-warriors, O mighty monarch, began to fall on elephants and chariots.

Huge-elephants with rent temples and goaded on by their riders, approached and fell upon one another dauntlessly.

Excited to the highest pitch of fury and blind with shedding the temporal juice, those elephants approaching one another ripped one another open with the point of their tusks resembling hard bludgeons.

Horses, graced with long-flowing tails and mounted by lancers, urged on by their riders, vehemently dashed against one another totally undaunted.

Foot-soldiers struck by other foot soldiers with lances and dares, fell down on the ground by hundreds and thousands.

Car-warriors riding on their cars, O king, having slain many heroes with Karnis (barbed arrows) Nalikas (fire-arms) and shafts to began to vociferate their war-cries.

When that hair string combat was thus raging, the fierce bowmen Bhagadatta assailed Bhimasena,

On his elephant with rent temples and with the temporal juice trickling down in seven distinct lines like so many billets flowing down the mountain barest.

That sinless one advanced on the neck of Supratika, scattering thousands of arrows like the almighty Purandara riding on the Airavata.

That ruler of men afflicted Bhima with an arrows down-pour, like clouds afflicting the mountains with a down-pour of rain at the end of the summer.

Then that fierce that bowman Bhimasena excited with rage, slew his showers of arrows those warriors numbering more than hundred who were engaged in protecting Bhagadatta's feet.

Seeing them slain, the highly powerful Bhagadatta, inflamed with wrath, goaded his foremost elephant towards chariot of Bhimasena.

Like an arrow shot from the bowstring, that elephant, O subduer of foes, directed by Bhagadatta, impetuously rushed against Bhimasena.

Beholding that elephant thus advance furiously, the mighty car-warriors of the Pandava host headed by Bhima assaulted it.

The five Kaikeya brothers, Abhimanyu the sons of Draupadi, the heroic, ruler of the Dasharnas, Kshatra, and O sire,

The ruler of the Chedis, and Chitraketu, all these powerful warriors wrought up with wrath, displaying their excellent weapons of celestial make,

Surrounded that single elephant on all sides. That huge elephant pierced with many shafts and shedding blood profusely, appeared beautiful like the king of mountains decked with red chalk solution. The ruler of the Dasharnas, mounted on an elephant prodigious like a mountain, dashed against the elephant of Bhagadatta. Beholding that elephant rush towards himself that foremost of elephants,

Namely Supratika withstood it like the banks of the ocean resisting its surging waves. Beholding the excellent elephant of the highsouled ruler of Dasharna thus checked,

The troops of the Pandavas, all applauded Bhagadatta saying 'excellent' 'excellent'. Thereupon the ruler of the Pragjyotishas waxing wrath, with fourteen lances,

Struck, O foremost of men, the elephant of the Dasharna king; these lances penetrating the fine Armour and caparisons of gold covering the elephant's body, entered into it like snakes entering into their holes on ant-hills. That elephant, O foremost of the Bharatas, thus deeply pierced and extremely pained,

With its fury quenched, turned back with great vehemence; then that elephant uttering dreadful roars of agony ran,

Crushing the army to which it belonged, like the strong wind crushing the trees with its velocity. When that elephant of the Dasharna king was defeated, the mighty car-warriors of the Pandava host,

Uttering their war cries aloud, proceeded for battle. Then placing Bhima at their head they assailed Bhagadatta,

Shooting arrows and weapons of various descriptions and shapes. Thereupon hearing the war-cries of those advancing and irate warriors longing for vengeance, that fierce bowman Bhagadatta Dauntless through rage, goaded his own elephant.

That foremost of elephants, thus urged on by the press and stroke of the toe and the hook, in that battle destructive like the fire of dissolution.

Then, O king the elephant careered, hither and thither, and crushed divisions of cars and elephants and horses mounted by cavalrysoldiers.

It also crushed foot-soldiers by hundreds and by thousands. Thus agitated by it, that mighty army of the Pandavas,

Contracted, O monarch, like a piece of hide held over a blazing fire. Beholding his own army thus routed by the highly inteiligent Bhagadatta,

Ghatotkacha excited to the highest pitch of fury, rushed against the former. That being of fierce aspect, with countenance and eyes flashing fire,

Burning with rage, assuming a dreadful form, took up a resplendent trident capable of rending even the mountains.

Then that highly powerful hero desirous of slaying the elephant, hurled the lance, emitting scintillations of fire from all sides.

Beholding that lance swiftly course towards the elephant, the ruler of the Pragjyotishas, sped dreadful crescent-shaped arrow of exceeding sharpness and effulgence.

Then with that arrow, that hero endued with energy, cut off the fierce trident; and that trident of golden effulgence then fell down on the ground divided in twain,

Like the mighty thunder bolt of Indra discharged by him, dropping through the skies. Then beholding that trident fallen and severed in twin, that ruler of the earth Bhagadatta,

Took up a lance furnished with a golden staff and blazing like the flames of fire, and then hurled it at the Rakshasa saying 'Stay' 'Stay.'

Beholding it course through the air like the thunder bolt itself, the Rakshasa lightly jumped up and caught hold of it uttering fierce warcries.

Then before before the very eyes eyes of the Pragjyotishas, O Bharata, he broke it into pieces placing it on his things. This feat was indeed wonderful.

Beholding that mighty feat achieved by the puissant Rakshasa, the celestial in the heavens, along with the Gandharvas and the sages were amazed.

The Pandavas also, O mighty monarch, headed by Bhimasena filled the earth with their shouts of 'well-done' 'well-done'.

Hearing the roars of the delighted Pandavas of high soul, the highly powerful Bhagadatta that fierce bowman was unable to brook them.

Then stretching his mighty bow equal to the thunder bolt of Indra in effulgence, he assailed with vehemence the mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas,

Discharging, as he advanced, resplendent dares of exceeding sharpness and of the effulgence of fire. He pierced Bhima with one shaft and the Rakshasas with nine,

Abhimanyu with three, and the Kaikeyas with five. Then with a shaft of straight joints, shot from his bow drawn to its fullest length,

He pierced in that battle the right arm of Kshatradeva, and suddenly the latter's excellent bow with shafts fixed on the string fell down, loosed from the grasp.

Then again he pierced the five sons of Draupadi with five shafts, and inflamed with rage he slew the chargers of Bhimasena.

Then with three shafts he cut down Bhima's standard bearing the device of the lion, and with another three winged shafts be penetrated the latter's charioteer.

The charioteer Vishoka thus deeply pierced and extremely pained by Bhagadatta in the conflict, squatted down on the terrace of the car, O foremost of the Bharatas.

Then O mighty monarch, that foremost of car-warriors Bhima, thus deprived of the use of his car, quickly leapt off from his excellent chariot with a mace in hand.

Beholding him with the uplifted mace resemble a crested mountain, your troops, O Bharata, were seized with panic.

At this juncture, O king, that son of Pandu, whose charioteer is Krishna, came destroying his foes right and left,

To that pare of the field where those two foremost of the men, those two mighty carwarriors, viz., Bhimasena and Ghatotkacha, father and son, were engaged with the ruler of the Pragjyotishas.

Beholding his brothers, all mighty carwarriors, thus engaged in battle, that son of Pandu (Arjuna), O foremost of the Bharatas, joined the fight scattering his shafts on all sides.

Then that mighty car-warrior namely Duryodhana himself in all haste urged on his army teeming with chariots and elephant.

Thereupon that son of Pandu owning white steeds, rushed with velocity against the mighty army of the Kauravas that was speedily advancing.

Then in that combat, O Bharata, Bhagadatta also, crushing the ranks of the Pandavas with that elephant of his, assailed Yudhishthira himself.

Thereat, O sire, a fierce battle commenced between Bhagadatta on one side, and the Panchalas, the Srinjayas, and the Kaikeyas on the other, all with weapons upraised.

In the course of that combat, Bhimasena apprised Keshava and Arjuna of the slaughter of Iravat as it had happened.