Drona-Vadha Parva — The battle between Nakula and Duryodhana

Sanjaya said The warriors then, O monarch, clad as they were in coats of mail, worshipped the sun of thousand rays as he made its appearance on the morning sky.

Upon the rise of the thousand-rayed sun of the effulgence of heated gold and upon the illumination of the world, battle raged anew.

The same soldiers, that were engaged with one another before sun rise, once more fought with each other, OBharata, after the sun rise.

Horsemen fought with car-warriors and elephants with horsemen and foot-soldier with elephants and horsemen with horsemen and infantry with infantry.

Car-warriors with car-warriors elephants with elephants, horsemen with horse men O foremost of the Bharatas, Sometimes, in a body and sometimes individually, the warriors assailed one another in battle.

Having fought hard during the previous night many combatants, worn out with toil and weak with hunger and thirst, lost their senses in a swoon.

The noise, O foremost of the Bharata race, created by the blowing of conchs, the bear of drums, the roar of elephants and the twang of bows stretched with force, reached the very heavens, O monarch. The tumult, made also by running foot-soldiers and falling weapons.

And neighing steeds and rattling chariots and shouting and challenging warriors, became tremendous.

That tremendous din, momentarily increasing, touched the very heavens. The moans and groans of pain, uttered by falling and fallen foot-soldiers and car-warriors and elephants, became exceedingly loud and pitiable as they were heard on the field.

When the divisions were inter-mingled and confused, both sides slew each other and also their own men.

Swords, hurled by the hands of heroic warriors upon combatants and elephants, in large heaps, were seen on the field, like cloths on the washing ground.

The whizz, of lifted and descending swords, wielded by the arms of heroes, resembled that of clothes thrashed for wash.

Then that general engagement, in which the warriors encountered one another with swords and scimitars and lances and battle, axes, became extremely terrible.

The brave warriors then caused a river to flow there towards the region of the departed; the blood of elephants and steeds and human beings constituted its currents. Weapons constituted the large number of blood and flesh. Wails of grief and pain constituted its murmuring sound. Banners and cloths constituted its foam.

Afflicted with shafts and arrows, tired with fatigue, worn out with exertion of the previous night and robbed of their strength, elephants and horses, stood on the field utterly incapable of moving their limbs.

Heroes, with pale countenances and with head graced with charming ear-rings and armed with the implements of war, appeared extremely resplendent.

On the field infested with carnivorous animals and obstructed with the dead and the dying there was no space for the cars to move.

The wheels of cars being thus entangled, the steeds, yoked thereto, with great effort dragged them although they were tired and trembling and afflicted with arrows.

Those steeds moreover were of good breed and were endued with mettle and strength and resembled elephants in seize. Then the Bharata troops, resembling the ocean for its vastness, became affrighted and terrible agitated, save and exert Drona and Arjuna. They both then became the refuge and the protectors of the warriors of their respective sides.

Meeting them both their opponents went to regions of Death. Then the mighty host of the Kurus became greatly agitated.

And the Panchalas being intermingled with them, none could be distinguished. During the progress of that terrible carnage of the Kshatriyas on that field of battle, enhancing the fear of the cowards and resembling a crematorium, neither Karna, nor Drona, nor Arjuna, nor Yudhishthira.

Nor Bhimasena, nor the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, nor the Panchala prince, nor Satyaki nor Dushasana, Drona's son, Duryodhana, nor Subala's son.

Nor Kripa nor the ruler of the Madra, nor Kritavarman, nor others, nor my own self, nor the earth, nor the different quarters of heaven. nor nor nor

Could be discerned, O king, in consequence of all of them being mingled with troops and covered by ciouds of dust. During the progress of that dreadful and fierce battle, when that dust-cloud arose.

Every body thought that night had once more set in. Neither the Kouravas, nor the Panchalas, the Pandavas could be distinguished.

Nor the quarters of heaven, nor the welkin, nor the earth, nor the undulations of land. The warriors, impelled by the thought of victory, slew friends and foes indiscriminately, in fact all whom they perceived by their touch. The dust that had arisen was very soon driven away by the winds that began to blow then and it wad quenched by the blood that shed profusely. Elephants, steeds, car-warriors and foot-soldiers.

Steeped in blood, appeared beautiful like the celestial forest of the Parijata flowers. Thereafter Duryodhana, Karna, Drona and Dushasana engaged in battle with four Pandava warriors. Duryodhana and his brothers encountered twins (Nakula and Sahadeva).

Radha's son encountered Vrikodara and Arjuna engaged with the son of Bharadvaja. All the soldiers then began to look on those marvelous and terrible encountered from all sides.

The car-warriors of both sides, beheld that wonderful battle, that super-human engagement between those furious and excellent car-warriors all versed in the different modes of war, mounted on their respective chariots, that moved in various charming motions. Possessed of great prowess, exerting their best and each anxious to defeat the other.

They then poured on each other showers of shafts, like clouds pouring rain at the end of summer. Those foremost of men, mounted on their cars of solar effulgence.

Appeared beautiful like vast masses of clouds in the autumnal sky. Then those warriors, O mighty-monarch, inspired with rage and thought of rivenge.

All proud and mighty bowmen, putting forth their greatest effort, rushed upon one another, like infuriate leaders of the herds of elephants.

Indeed, O king, corporeal creatures do not forsake their corpus, until the proper hour comes, inasmuch as, O monarch, all those mighty car-warriors, though fighting hard, were not slain all together.

With lopped-off arms and legs with heads graced with charming ear-rings, with bows and arrows and lances and swords and axes and Pattiscs.

With Nalikas, Ksharvas, Narachas, nails, darts and Tomaras, with diverse other kinds of excellent weapons, of various shapes and well cleansed.

With wonderful cuirasses of different shapes, with charming chariots shattered, with slain horses and elephants.

With brave combatants slain, with standless and warriorless chariots looking like large cities, with vehicles dragged hither and thither by affrighted steeds having none to restrain them.

In speed more then that of the wind, with countless warriors adorned with ornaments, with fans, with coats of mail, with overthrown standards.

With umbrellas, with ornaments, garments and perfumeries with chains and diadems and crowns and headgears and with tinkling bells.

With jewels that had adorned the breast of heroes with Niskhas and with jewels that had decorated the crowns of combatants, the field of battle, strewn over, looked resplendent like the star-bespangled firmament.

Thereafter an encounter took place between Duryodhana and Nakula when both were filled with feelings of wrath and revenge.

Then the son of Madri, delightful shooting hundreds of shafts, kept your son on his right side. At this, loud sounds and applause arose there.

Though placed on the right by his enraged cousin, your son, inflamed with rage, began to resist him from even from that disadvantageous position of his.

Your son the king Duryodhana then began to fight wonderfully. O mighty monarch. Then as your son endeavoured to counteract Nakula even from his sight.

The latter (Nakula) endued with energy and versed in the diverse ccurses of a chariot, restrained your son. But your son again, resisting Nakula on all sides and afflicting him, with his arrowy showers.

Compelled Nakula to turn back. Your troops then applauded that feat of your son. Then Nakula, keeping alive the memory of the wrongs inflicted on them by your wicked counsel, addressed your son saying-Wait, wait.'