The display of Abhimanyu's prowess

Sanjaya said The son of Subhadra, having heard the words of the intelligent king Yudhishthira commanded his charioteer to drive his chariot against the army of Drona.

Thus commanded by him with the words "Proceed, proceed", the charioteer, o king, then replied to Abhimanyu saying-

"Heavy is the burden, O long-lived one, that has today been placed on you by the Pandavas. Ascertaining by your judgment as to whether you have the strength to bear it or not, you should engage in the fight.

The preceptor Drona, by continued labours, has acquired the excellent weapons and he is an adept in the art of warfare. You, on the other hand, have been brought up in all luxury and are unaccustomed to the toils and severities of fight.”

Thereupon Abhimanyu, with a a smile, replied to his charioteer saying-"O charioteer, who is indeed this Drona? What avails all this vast host of the Kshatriyas?

I would engage even with Indra on the back of his elephant Airavata and attended by the complete host of the immortals. I do not care anything for all this Kshatriyas today,

This host of the enemy is not competent to fight even with the sixteenth part of myself. Getting, O son of a driver, my uncle (maternal), the world-conquering Vishnu or my father, for my antagonist in battle, I will not this day be overcome with terror."

Thereafter Abhimanyu seeing at naught those words of his charioteer commanded him saying-"Quickly drive towards the division of Drona."

Then the charioteer with a heart scarcely cheerful, urged on his steeds, three years of age and decked with caparisons of gold.

Then urged on towards the army of Drona by Sumitra, those steeds, endued with great fleetness and, prowess, rushed, O king, against Drona himself.

Beholding Abhimanyu thus advance, all the warriors, headed by Drona, of the Kaurava host, advanced to meet him who was on the other hand followed by the Pandavas.

Then like a young lion falling upon a herd of elephants, the son of Arjuna equal to Arjuna in prowess, owning an excellent standard bearing the device of a Karanikara tree, clad in fine coats of mail, fearlessly rushed against Drona, out of a desire for battle.

Filled with delight, the warriors of Drona's division began to strike Abhimanyu as he strove to break through their ranks. Then for a moment only there reigned a confusion, that resembled the eddy that produced there where the Ganges stream flows into the waters of the ocean.

Then as the heroes fought on and slew one another, O king, there commenced a pell-mell and awful fight.

When that awful conflict raged fiercely, the son of Arjuna breaking through the enemies' array entered it even before the very eyes of Drona himself.

Then large bodies of elephant-riders, horsemen, car-warriors and foot-soldiers, all delighted, surrounded that mighty hero who penetrating into the enemies ranks, had already began to smite them down.

With the sound of various musical instruments, with shouts and slappings of armpits and war-cries, with yells, leonine roars, with cries of 'Slay, slay.'

With a dreadful and confused din, with exclamation of Do not go, Stop, Come to me, with repeated voices saying, Here am I, come.

With roars of elephants, with the tinkling of ornaments, with roars of laughter, with the clatter of car-wheels and horse-hoofs, filling the earth with all these sounds, the Kauravas warriors assailed the son of Arjuna.

That hero endowed with great lightness in discharging weapons and possessed of the knowledge of the vital parts of the body, swiftly and firmly shooting arrows capable of penetrating the very vitals, began to slaughter those advancing warriors of the enemy.

Though thus slaughtered by diverse shafts of exceeding sharpness and rendered quit helpless, yet they, in that battle, fell upon Abhimanyu like fights of insects failing upon fire.

Then with their bodies and their severed parts, Abhimanyu covered the earth like a priest covering the alter with Kusha-grass during a sacrifice.

Then Arjuna's son quickly lopped off by thousands the arms of your warriors; some of these arms were protected with gloves made of iguana skin, some held bows and shafts, some grasped swords or bucklers or iron hooks and reins, some held lances and axes; some clutched maces or iron ball or spears. Some had in their grasps scimitars or crows or battleaxes; some held short darts or shafts of Kampanas; some held goads and huge conchshells, wielded piked lances and Kachagrahas, some had mallets or other kinds of missiles; some had nooses, some heavy clubs and brick-bats. All of these arms again were ornamented with bracelets and bangles and smeared with fragrant perfumes and unguents.

Then covered with those effulgent arms a!! bathed in the crimson laid, the field, sire, 0 mighty monarch, appeared as if strewn over with five-headed serpents torn io pieces by Garuda.

Then Phalugna's son spread the earth with the severed heads of the enemy-heads graced with beautiful noses and countenances and tresses of hair and without blotches and adorned with ear-rings; heads from which blood flowed copiously and in which the nether lips were bit in anger; heads that appeared like lotuses severed from their stems, owing to their being decked with beautiful garlands and tiaras and turbans and pearls and gems and owing to their being possessed of the splendour of the sun or the moon; heads that laved with fragrant perfumes could speak sweet and salutary words, when the vital spark was in them.

Then, O Bharata, Arjuna's son careered in all directions over the field, having shattered with his arrows, cars, equipt with all the necessaries of war and looking like the vapoury edifices in the air having shafts in front and excellent bamboo poles and looking beautiful with standards mounted on them. They were all deprived of their fanghas, axels, perriferries and Dascias, wheels, standards and terraces; the implements of war in them were all splintered into pieces; the precious clothes that covered them were all blown away and warriors on those cars, were slain by thousands.

Then again with arrows of keen points and edges he cut down the enemy's elephants, with their riders, standards hooks, banners, quivers, armours, girths, neck-ropes, caparisons, blankets, bells, trunks; and also the footsoldiers that guarded those elephants from the back.

Numerous steeds of the Vanayu the Lilly, the Kamboja and the Balhika breed with tails, ears and eyes fixed and motionless, endued with great fleetness, well-broken, ridden by accomplished warriors armed with swords and spears, were seen to be deprived of the fine ornaments of their heads as also of their fine tails; they were deeply pierced and lay covering the field. Their tongues and their eyes were fixed and their livers and entrails were drawn out; their riders had been slain; their bells torn and they enhanced the delight of flesh-eating animals. Their armours and other leathern fences were cut open and they lay weltering in the urine and excreta they themselves had discharged. Thus slaughtering your steeds steeds and elephants, Abhimanyu appeared highly beautiful.

Achieving, single-handed, these mosi difficult of feats, like the incomprehensible Vishnu in the days of old, Abhimanyu crushed your army consisting of three kinds of forces.

Even like the three-eyed Deity of infinite prowess crushing the Asura host. In that battle, the son of Arjuna having achieved feats incapable of being achieved by the enemy.

Began to break through your infantry divisions on all sides. Thus the beholding the army mangled with sharp arrows of the singlehanded son of Subhadra like the army of the Asuras mangled by Skanda, your sons looked vacantly at all the ten points of the compass.

Their mouths became parched up; their eyes rolled; their persons were covered with drops of perspiration. Desponding to conquer their antagonist, they exerted themselves in flying away from the field.

Desirous of saying their lives, they called out one another by their appellation and family-names. Forsaking on the field their wounded fathers, sons, brothers, friends and relations, they strove to fly away from the field urging the horses and elephants that carried them to the top of their speed. of perspiration. Desponding to conquer their antagonist, they exerted themselves in flying away from the field.

Desirous of saying their lives, they called out one another by their appellation and family-names. Forsaking on the field their wounded fathers, sons, brothers, friends and relations, they strove to fly away from the field urging the horses and elephants that carried them to the top of their speed.