Drona-Vadha Parva — The sleep of the soldiers

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Sanjaya said Thus spoken to by Vyasa the very virtuous king Yudhishthira, endued with heroism, desisted himself from slaughtering Karna, O foremost of the Bharatas.

Upon the slaughter of Ghatotkacha during that night by Suta's Karna, king Yudhishthira was overwhelmed with grief and wrath.

Then beholding your vast host resisted by Bhima himself, he, addressing Dhistadyumna said, 'Hold the pot-born Drona in check.'

O afflicter of your foes, it was for the express purpose of slaying Drona, that you Sprang out of fire, armed with a bow and arrows and a sword and cased in a coat of mail.

Cheerfully assail Drona in battle. You have nothing to be afraid of. Let also Janamejaya, Siklandin and Durmukha's son and Jasadhara,

Wrathfully assail thc pot-born Drona from all sides. Nakula and Sahadeva, the son of Draupadi and the Pravadrakas.

And Drupada and Virata accompanied by their sons and brothers and Satyaki and the Kekayas, the Pandavas and Dhananjaya.

Let, the inspired with the desire for achieving the slaughter of Bharadvaja's son, assail him from all sides. So also, let all the other car-warriors and clephant riders and horsemen.

And foot soldiers strive to overthrow that mighty car-warrior Drona in battle.” Thus commanded by the illustrious son of Pandu (Yudhishthira).

Assailed the pot-born Drona with a view to defeat him. Then as the Pandavas rushed with great impetuosity and force.

Drona, that foremost of all wielders of weapons, received them (duly) in battle. Thereupon king Duryodhana. with all efforts, assailed the Pandavas excited as he was with rage and solicitous of protecting Drona's life. Then ensued the battle between the troops of the Kurus and the Pandavas whose animals were exhausted as they challenged one another furiously. Deprived of sleep and fatigued in battle, O mighty monarch.

The mighty car-warriors knew not what to do. That night consisting of three Yamas, hedious and dreadful.

And destructive of many lives, appeared to them to consist of a thousand Yamas. While they were being thus slain and mangled by another.

And while their eyes were being closed in sleep, mid-night set in. Then every one became depressed and their spirits became low.

Your troops as well as those of the enemy had their supply of weapons exhausted by that time. Passing the time thus the combatants, of both the armies, endued with modesty and energy.

And observant of the duties of their order, did not desert their divisions. Others again, oppressed with sleep, left their weapons aside and laid themselves down on the field.

Oppressed with sleep, some again laid themselves down on the back of elephants or on that of horses or on their chariots, O Bharata and O foremost of men, they were deprived of all moving powers.

Other warriors, that were awake in that battle, dispatched these to Yama's abode; others again, deprived of their senses in sleep and dreaming, slew their own comrades as also their opponents, regarding every one as their foes. Indeed they fought on in that fierce battle uttering dreadful exclamations.

Many again of your army, thinking that they should continue to fight with the foe, stood, O king, on the field of battle although their eyes were heavy with sleep.

Some heroic warriors, during that hour of darkness, though blind with sleep, yet gliding along the field, slew one another in that battle.

Many of the enemy, entirely confounded in sleep, were slain without being conscious of the strokes that put an end to their existence.

Then, O foremost of men, beholding this plight of the soldiers, Vibhatsu exclaiming to the top of his voice, said these words.

"You all are fatigued and oppressed with drowsiness; and your animals also are so. Both the armes are enveloped with darkness and clouds of dust.

O soldiers, if you like you may desist from the fight. Close your eyes, here on the field, only for a moment.

Then when the moon arises ye Kurus and the Pandavas, having taken rest and shaken off your fatigue, you may again meet one another in battle for securing paradise."

Hearing these word of the virtuous Arjuna, the pious warriors of the Kuru army agreed to follow up the former's suggestion and addressing one another.

Loudly said "O Karna, (king, Duryodhana, desist from fighting. The Pandava host has ceased to strike us."

Then, () Bharata, when Arjuna loudly uttered those words the Pandavas and your troop desisted from the fight.

Those generous words of the illustrious Arjuna were highly applauded by the Rishis, the celestials and the highly delighted soldiers.

Then applauding those noble words of Arjuna, O Bharata, O foremost of men, the fatigued troop laid themselves down only for a moment.

Then that army of yours, O Bharata, joyful at the prespect of sleep and rest, sincerely blessed Arjuna sayingत्वयि वेदास्तथास्राणि त्वयि बुद्धिपराक्रमौ।

"In you there are the knowledge of the Vedas and the weapons. In you there are intelligence and might. In you there are virtue, compassion for all creatures, O mighty-armed and sinless one.

As we have been comforted by you, we wish you well, O Partha. May you reap prosperity soon and may you get, O brave hero, those objects and that are dear to your heart."

Thus, O foremost of men, those mighty carwarriors, while praising Partha, thus were stupefied by sleep and soon became silent, O ruler of men.

Some laid themselves down on the back of horses, some on the elephants, some on the carterraces and some on the bare earth only.

Others soldiers, well-armed and with maces, swords, axes and lances in grasp and covered with coats of mail, laid themselves down separately.

Elephants, having trunks resembling the tapering bodies of serpents and adorned with the dust of the field, oppressed with sleep, began to make the carth's surface cool with breaths.

The elephants, as they breathed on the ground, appeared beautiful like mountains (scattered over the field of battle) on which mighty serpents hissed.

Steeds, in trappings of gold and with manes flowing down their yokes, began to paw and make the ground uneven with their hoops.

Thus O foremost of kings, every body slept there with the animal he rode. Steeds and clephants and soldiers, ( foremost of the Bharatas.

Exhausted with exertion, slept on the field desisting from the battle. That sleeping host, deprived of senses and plunged in sleep, appeared beautiful like a charming picture painted on canvas by a skillful artist.

Then those Kshatriyas all youthful and graced with earnings, mangled with one another's shaft-wounds, lying down on the back of clephants slept as if lying on the breasts of beautiful ladies.

Then the moon, that delighter of the eye and lord of the lilies of hue white as the cheeks of a youthful damsel, rose beautifying the quarter presided over by Indra himself.

Indeed like a lion of the Udaya mountain with beams constituting his manes of glittering yellow, he issued out of his cave in the cast, dispelling the palpable darkness of night, resembling a large herd of elephants.

That lover of all lilies, bright as the body of Mahadeva's excellent bull, full-arched and radiant the bow of cupid and delightful and charming as the smile on the lips of bashful bride shone in the sky.

Soon that Divine Lord having the hare for the emblem showed himself reddish, shedding brighter beams around.

After this, the moon seemed to spread gradually a bright halo of far-reaching light that resembled the glamour of gold.

Then the rays of that lustrous orb, dispelling the gloom of night gradually spread themselves on the earth, the welkin and the directions of the compass.

Then within a moment the world was flooded with a stream of light and the palpable cnvelop of gloom soon fled away.

When the world was illumined almost to the light of day. O king, some of the nightrangers began to rove about whils: hers desisted from doing so.

Then, O king, all the troops were awakened by the beams of the moon like louses blown by the rays of the sun.

Just as the ocean swells in consequence of the rising of the moon so that ocean of troops swelled at the rising of the moon.

Thereupon, O ruler of men, once more the battle between men desirous of getting heaven raged, a battle that was destructive of the world of creatures.

Just as the ocean swells in consequence of the rising of the moon so that ocean of troops swelled at the rising of the moon.

Thereupon, O ruler of men, once more the battle between men desirous of getting heaven raged, a battle that was destructive of the world of creatures.