Abhimanyu-Vadha Parva — The defeat of Duryodhana

Sanjaya said Then engaged in depriving the heroes of their lives, the son of Arjuna resembled the Destroyer of all creatures snatching their lives out of them, at the time of the universal annihilation.

Endued with prowess equal to that of Shakra, that grandson of Shakra, namely Abhimanyu of infinite might, agitating your forces, appeared highly beautiful.

Then, O foremost of kings, entering into the very heart of the hostile army, that slayer of those best among the Kshatriyas, fell upon Satyashravas like a fierce tiger falling upon a deer.

When Satyashravas had thus been pounced upon, the other mighty car-warriors, with haste taking up various kinds of weapons, rushed against Abhimanyu.

'I shall meet him first, I shall meet him first'-boasting in this way, those foremost Kshatriyas then encountered Arjuna's son, out of a desire for slaying him.

Then beholding the divisions of those rushing Kshatriyas advance towards him, Abhimanyu met them, even like a whale meeting a shoal of small fishes in the sea.

Just as rivers never course back from the ocean they fall in, so no one among them who did not fly, returned back with his life, after having encountered Abhimanyu.

Then the ariny began to reel like a boat on the ocean, overtaken by a mighty tempest and having its crew afflicted with fear through the violence of the wind.

Thereafter the mighty Rukmaratha, a son of the ruler of the Madras, dauntlessly spoke these words, with a view to inspire confidence into the hearts of the panic-struck troops.

O heroes, you need not fear; Abhimanyu is nothing so long as I am here. For certain, I will capture him alive (today).

Having thus spoken that highly puissant hero rushed upon Abhimanyu, borne on a resplendent chariot duly furnished with the implements of war.

Piercing Abhimanyu on the breast with three shafts, he uttered his war-cry; and then again, he pierced him on the right and the left arms with three sharp shafts each.

But the son of Phalguna cutting off his bow, his right and left arms and his head graced with beautiful eyes and eye-brows, soon felled them on the earth.

Beholding Rukshmaratha the illustrious son of Shalya, who had promised to capture alive or consume Abhimanyu, slain by this latter.

Many princely warriors, 0 king, accomplished in smiting down and formidable in battle, all friends of Shalya's SOD (Rukshmaratha), came upon Abhimanyu, with their standards decked with gold, raised high.

Then those mighty car-warriors stretching their bows huge like palmyra trees, covered the son of Arjuna on all sides with showers of arrows.

Beholding Subhadra's heroic and invincible son encountered, single-handed as he was, by many brave, youthful, irate princes endued with skill acquired through practices and teaching and also beholding him covered with a shower of arrows (shot by his adversaries), Duryodhana became highly gratified; and thought Abhimanyu already a visitor of the mansion of Vivasvata's son (Death).

Within a wink's time, all those youthful princes, each shooting sharp shafts of various shapes and furnished with golden wings, intercepted the son of Arjuna from the view.

Then, O sire, we beheld Abhimanyu;s car and driver and his standard, covered with arrows, as if by flights of locusts.

Thereupon like an elephant pierced deeply, the son of Arjuna, deeply pierced with those arzows, became inflamed with rage; and he then invoked into existence, the Gandharva weapon and its consequent illusions, 0 Bharata.

This weapon was secured by Arjuna from the Gandharvas Tamburu and others, through bis ascetic austerities. Now Abhimanyu confounded his foes with that weapon.

He was then seen, O King, sometimes as a single individual, sometimes as a hundred and sometimes as a thousand. He then moved over the field, displaying his weapons, like a circle of fire.

Then, O king, confounding the kings hostile to him with the illusions caused by his car, his coat of mail and his weapons, he mangled, O king, their bodies in hundred pieces.

The vital breaths of living creatures were then snatched out of them by his arrows; and, O king, they reached the other world when their bodies fell down on earth.

The son of Phalguna with sharp broadheaded shafts, cut-off their bows, their steeds, their charioteers, their standards and arms with bracelets and also their graceful heads.

Like a grove of mango trees, five years old and on the point of bearing fruit, laid low by the tempest those hundred princes were slain and felled by the son of Subhadra.

Beholding those young and delicate heroes reared up with all possible care and resembling furious snakes of virulent poison, slain by the single-headed son of Subhadra, Duryodhana became filled with fear.

Then beholding his car-warriors, his elephants, his steeds and foot-soldiers, smashed, the enraged Duryodhana quickly rushed at Abhimanyu.

For a moment only a fierce battle raged between them, which virtually remained unfinished when your son, afflicted with arrows turned away from the field of battle.