The fierce fight

Sanjaya said Beholding his own army carnaged by highsouled warriors, your son, O ruler of men, was excited to the highest pitch of fury.

Then quickly approaching Karna and Drona that foremost of victorious heroes and burning with rage, he eloquent in speech, spoke these wordsभवद्भ्यामिह संग्रामः क्रुद्धाभ्यां सम्प्रवर्तितः।

Beholding the ruler of the Sindhus slain in battle by Savyasachin, you two, filled with rage, caused this battle to go on.

Though competent to slay the Pandava troops, still you are beholding the slaughter of my troops by them with great in-difference.

If you now abandon me, you should have told me of it in the beginning. We two shall vanquish the sons of Pandu in battle even these were the words, you said to me, o you givers of honor. Hearing those words of yours, I then allowed these proceedings. Otherwise I would never have provoked these hostilities with the Parthas-hostilities that are so destructive of heroic combatants.

If, O foremost of men, I do not deserve to be forsaken by you, then do you fight according to the measure of your prowess, O you that are possessed of great prowess.

Thus pierced with the goad of speech by your son, those two heroes once more engaged in battle like two snakes poked with sticks.

Then those two foremost of car-warriors, the best of all human bowmen, rushed against the Parthas headed by the grandson of Shini and others.

Similarly the Parthas supported by their own troops, rushed upon those two heroes, who were roaring repeatedly.

Then the enraged Drona that best of all wielders of weapons, quickly pierced that foremost of the descendants of Shini with ten sharp arrows.

Karna pierced him with ten shafts, your son with seven, Vrishasena with ten and Subala's son with seven arrows.

Those hosts of the Kurus together with those warriors, began to shower arrows on the grandson of Shini. Then beholding Drona slaughter the Pandava hosts.

The Somakas from all side began to pierce him with showers of arrows. Then Drona snatched out of the Kshatriyas their lives, O ruler of men.

Like the sun dispelling darkness with his rays. O ruler of men, when the Panchalas were being slaughtered by Drona.

A dreadful sound was heard as they challenged one another aloud. Some leaving their sons, some their fathers, some their brothers and some their uncles.

Some their nephews, their companions and their friends and some their relatives, fled in all quickness, desirous of saving their own lives.

Others, on the other hand, were confounded that they rushed even towards Drona himself. Indeed many warriors of the Pandava host were then dispatched to the other world.

Thus afflicted by that high-souled warrior, the Pandava army began to fly in all directions in that night, throwing down their blazing flambeaus.

Even before the very sight of Bhimsena and Achyuta and the twins and the virtuous Yudhishthira and the son of Prishata. some SO

Then the troops were shrouded in darkness and nothing could be discerned. Only the flight of the foe could be determined through the light that the torches of the Kauravas shed.

And as the army of the Pandavas was routed, the mighty warriors Karna and Drona, O king, pursued them from behind discharging numerous arrows.

When the Panchala ranks were broken down and reduced in number, Janaraddana cheerless at heart addressed Phalguna sayingद्रोणकर्णौ महेष्वासावेतौ पार्षतसात्यकी।

"Let Parsata and Satyaki supported by the Panchala troops rush against the mighty Drona and Karna, shooting as they proceed numerous arrows.

This mighty army of ours has been broken and routed by the showers of the enemies' shafts; and though checked in their flight, they could into again be sufficiently rallied.

beholding their troops fly away Kesava and Arjuna then addressed them thus-'Do you not flight from fear! Discard all your fears, O Pandavas.

Supported by all the troops and disposing them of in perfect order, we two with weapons upraised are even now dashing against Drona and Suta's son with a view to fight with them."

O Dhananjaya! Do whatever you consider matching with the specific circumstance and appropriate in respect of slaughtering Karna in the battle.

O majesty! Arjuna in response to the advice given by Yudhishthira said to Sri Krishna! O god! King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti is frightened of the valour shown by Karna, the son of Radha today.

Then Janaradana seeing Vrikodora advance, once more addressed Pandus' son Arjuna in these words as if for cheering him the while.

Yonder does the proud Bhima supported by the Somakas and Pandavas rush furiously against Drona and Karna, those two fierce bow-men.

Supported by these and by the mighty carwarrior of the Panchalas, do you proceed to the fight fore-assuring your troops, O delighter of Pandu.

Thereafter those two foremost of men, the son of Pandu and the scion of Madhu's race, encountering Drona and Karna, took up their station in the van of their army.

Sanjaya said Thereupon the mighty army of king Yudhishthira once more returned to the spot where Drona and Karna where crushing their enemies.

A tremendous clash was then produce on that part of the field, like to that, O monarch, which takes place when two oceans swelling under the influence of the moon dash against each other.

Then your soldiers throwing aside the flambeaus, with both their hands fought furiously with the Pandavas, like so many mad people.

When the field was thus covered with nocturnal darkness and dust, the combatants fought during that dreadful battle, guided only by the names they uttered (in their challenge.

The names of contending kings as they challenged one another were then heard there, O king, like to what takes places during a Sayamvara,

Sometimes as awful silence reigned over the field; next moment there was heard a tremendous din caused by enraged contending warriors and by the victorious and the vanquished.

Wherever the flambeaus were seen to blaze, thither the combatants rushed, like so many insects rushing upon a flame of light.

Thus when the Kouravas and the Pandavas were fighting with one another the dreadful night deepened into deadness, Bharata.