The prowess of Ashvatthama

Sanjaya said Thus addressed by Duryodhana, the son of Drona invincible in battle, tried to destroy the enemies like Indra the Daytas.

(And) that mighty-armed one said these words to your son. O Kaurava of mighty-arms, what you have said is indeed true.

The sons of Pandu are always dear to me as well as to my father. Similarly, we too also dear to them. But this is otherwise in battle.

O affectionate one, putting forth our (utmost) strength engage in fight dauntlessly regardless of our very lives. Myself we Karna, Shalya, Kripa and the son of Hridika i.e., Kritavarma.

Can destroy the army of the Pandavas, O most excellent of kings, in the twinkling of an eye. And O best of the Kurus, O mighty armed one, they too can destroy the army of the Kauravas within the twinkling of an eye, if we are not present in battle. We are fighting with Pandavas putting forth our utmost prowess and they too are battling with us to the best of their might.

(Therefore) one energy encountering the other is neutralising (each other). O Bharata. (We are) incapable of putting down the Pandava's army by force.

So long as the sons of Pandu are alive. What I tell you is true. The sons of Pandu are fighting for their own sake and they are very competent also.

Why will not they, therefore, destroy your troops, O Bharata? O descendant of Kuru, O king, you are most avaricious, deceitful.

Self-conceited and suspicious of everybody, It is for this reason that you suspect ourselves too. O king, I deem you are a mean, wickedsouled and sinful person.

As you are mean and your thoughts are sinful you suspect ourselves and others.

(However) for your sake, regardless of my very life I will do my best.

O foremost of Kurus, I am now going to fight for your sake. I will engage with your foes and destroy a large number of your enemies.

In order to do what is agreeable to you, O chastiser of foes, I will fight with the Panchalas, the Somakas as well as with the Kaikeyas and the Pandavas, in battle.

Today the Chedis, the Panchalas and the Somakas, scorched with my darts, like cows afflicted by a lion, will fly on all sides.

Witnessing my prowess today, king (Yudhishthira), the son of Dharma, together with the Somakas, will deem the whole world full of Ashvatthamas.

Beholding the destruction of the Panchalas as well well as of the Somakas in battle, Yudhishthira, the lord of Dharma, will experience a great pain.

O Bharata, I will destroy all those that will confront me in battle. O hero, afflicted with the prowess of my arms no one shall escape.

Having thus addressed your Duryodhana, that one, possessed of mighty arms (i.e., Ashvatthama), distressing all bow men, proceeded to battle.

son

(And) that foremost of those that bear life was desirous of doing what was agreeable to your sons. Then the son of Goutama's daughter said thus to the Panchalas together with the Kaikeyas.

All of you, O mighty car-warriors, strike me in the body and displaying your dexterity in handling weapons engage in battle with calmness.

Thus addressed (by Ashvatthama), all of them, O great monarch, began to discharge showers of weapons upon the son of Drona as clouds pour down showers of rain.

having destroyed those (showers of weapons), the son of Drona, even in the very presence of the sons of Drona, even in the very presence of the sons of Pandu and in that of Dhristadyumna, slew ten (warriors) among them in battle,olord.

Sore oppressed in battle, the Panchalas and the Somakas, abandoning the son of Drona, took to flight in ten directions.

Witnessing the flight of those heroes that is, the Panchalas and the Somakas, Dhristadyumna, O great king, rushed against the son of Drona in that battle.

Then surrounded by one hundred heroic and unretreating car-warriors riding on cars adorned with gold and the rattle of which resembled the roar of clouds full of rain.

That great car-warrior, Dhristadyumna, the son of the king of Panchala, beholding the carnage of his warriors, said these words to the son of Drona.

O son of the preceptor, O you that are possessed of wicked understanding, why are you slaughtering the common soldiers? If you are (really) a hero, then fight with me in battle.

I will (surely) slay you. Now stay (here) and be quiet.” The puissant Dhristadyumna, the, struck the son of the preceptor with keen and highly dreadful arrows capable of piercing the vital parts. (And) those thick flights of arrows, moving swiftly, furnished with golden wings, having keen points and capable of riving all the parts of the body, pierced (through the body of the son of Drona like maddened black-bees seeking for honey-entering into a flowering tree.

The proud and dauntless son of Drona, (thus) deeply pierced (with Dhristdyumna's arrows) became as enraged as a serpent crushed by foot and (then), arrow in hand, thus said

O Dhristadyumna, wait a moment quietly before I send "you to the abode of Yama with sharpened darts."

having thus addressed the son of Prishata, the son of Drona, the slayer of hostile heroes, like one endued with great nimbleness of hand, covered him completely with deluges of arrows.

Thus covered (with arrows) in that battle by the son of Drona, the son of the Panchala king, invincible in battle, thundered forth these words to the son of Drona.

O Brahmana, you are neither aware of my promise nor of my of my origin. Of wicked understanding as you are, I will slay you after killing Drona.

I will not therefore slay you today in battle, since Drona is alive. O man of greatly vicious understanding, at the expiration of this night, when the bright dawn will appear.

I will (first) slay your father and then send yourself too, in battle, to the abode of the departed spirits, I chariot this (thought) in my mind.

Now assuming a quiet attitude show all your hatred towards the sons of Pritha and your devotion towards the Kauravas. You will not escape alive (from me).

That twice-born one, who giving up the practices of the Brahmana, gives himself up to the practices of the Kshaytrias, deserves to be slain by all the Kshaytrias like you, O vilest of men."

That foremost of the twice-born ones (i.e. Ashvatthama), thus addressed in harsh words by the son of Prishata, became terrible excited with wrath and said (to Dhristadyumna) “Wait, wait."

(And) as if to burn the son of Prishata with his eyes, he gazed at him. Heaving sighs like a snake he covered (Dhristadyumna with arrows) in that battle.

Though) that foremost of car-warriors, the son of Prishata, who was surrounded by all the Panchala troops, was (thus) struck with arrows by the son of Drona in that battle,

(Yet) that mighty-armed one did not tremble; (but) resorting to his own prowess discharged at Ashvatthama numerous arrows.

Those two (warriors), who resisted each other, baffled the arrowy showers of each other and could not tolerate each other, were engaged in the game of battle in which the wager was life itself.

Those two mighty wielders of bow poured down showers of arrows on a sides. Beholding the fight between the son of Drona and that of one Prishata which was awe-inspiring and dreadful to look at, the Siddhas, the Charanas and the (other) sky-ranging creatures highly extolled them. Filling the firmament and (all) the directions with a downpour of arrows.

And creating a great darkness with the shafts, they fought with another unobserved (by other combatants). As if dancing in battle and drawing their bows to circles.

And bent on killing each other and filling all the creatures with consternation, those two mighty-armed (heroes) fought admirably and with (great nimbleness and dexterity).

(And they) were highly adored by thousands of foremost of warriors in battle. Seeing them engaged in battle like two wild elephants (encountering each other) in the forest.

Both the armies experienced a great delight. The soldiers emitted forth roars like lions and blew their conches.

And sounded hundreds and thousands of musical instruments. And in that terrific battle enhancing the terror of the coward.

The encounter (between the sons of Drona and Prishata) seemed to go on equally for a moment only. Then O mighty monarch, the son of Drona, cutting off the bow, the standard, the umbrellas, the two Parshni drivers, the charioteer and the four steeds of the highsouled son of Prishata in battle, rushed against him.

And that one, of immeasurable soul, began ! to afflict all those Panchalas in hundreds and thousands with his straight coursing arrows. Then the arıny of the Pandavas, beholding that brilliant exploit, resembling that of Vasava, achieved by the son of Drona in battle, became greatly dejected, the most exalted of the Bharatas.

Destroying one hundred mighty carwarriors of the Panchalas with a hundred arrows and slaying three foremost of (their) men with three sharpened arrows.

In the very presence of Phalguna and of the son of Drupada, the son of Drona slaughtered all those Panchalas who had confronted him.

Thus slaughtered in battle, the Panchalas together with the Srinjayas fled from the son of Drona, on their cars with their standards cut down.

Having defeated his enemies in battle, that mighty car-warrior, the son of Drona, began to send forth thundering roars like those of the clouds at the end of summer.

Having destroyed numerous heroes, Ashvatthama shone like the fire at the end of a Yuga after having consumed all the creatures.

Highly adored by the Kauravas after having vanquished thousands of enemies in battle, the puissant son of Drona shone like the lord of the celestials himself after the destruction of his foes.