The fight of Arjuna

Arjuna said Drive, O Hrishikesha, the horses to the spot where Durmarsana stands. Penetrating through this division of elephants. I shall enter into the heart of the hostile army.

Sanjaya said Thus spoken to by Savyasachin, the mighty-armed Keshava drove the steeds to the spot where Durmarsana was standing.

Thereupon, there ensued a fearful and terrible encounter between the many and the one, encounter that was destructive of many cars, elephants and men.

Then, like masses of clouds surcharged with rain drenching the mountain-breast with their contents. Pritha's son covered his enemies with his arrowy downpour.

The warriors of your army then with great lightness of hands, hastily covered Arjuna and Krishna with a net-work of arrows.

Then excited to the highest pitch of anger by his enemies, the mighty-armed Partha endued with great prowess, began to rob, with his arrows, the heads of car-warriors, from their trunks.

The Earth became overspread with handsome heads graced with ear-rings and head-gears, the lower lips bit by the upper ones and the faces adorned with eyes inflamed with rage.

The countenance of the warriors scattered here and there, looked charming like an assemblage of plucked off lotuses lying crushed and strewn about the field.

Armours of gold bespattered with blood and lying thick over the field, appeared like masses of clouds fringed with flashes of lightning.

The sound then created by the falling of heads on the earth, resembled that produced by the falling of ripe palm fruit.

Some headless tiunk were seen standing there, with their bows in grasp. Some again stood, with their drawn swords raised on air (for striking).

The (surviving) foremost of warriors, all resenting those feats of Arjuna, the son of Kunti and desirous of conquering him in battle, did not pay any regard to the fallen heads (of their brother warriors).

The Earth became strewn over with the heads of horses, the trunks of elephants and the heads and arms of heroic warriors.

'This is Arjuna' 'Where is Partha' 'Here is Pritha's son'-0 master, even thus were the troops of your army then filled with the thought of Partha.

They then began to strike one another and some of them again struck their ownselves. Confounded by Time, they then beheld the world to be full of battle only.

Uttering cries of agony, steeped in blood, deprived of consciousness, suffering excruciating plain, many heroes prostrate on the field of battle, began to summon their friends and relatives, for succour.

Holding Bhindipalas or lances or darts or swords or battle-axes or piked stakes or scimitars or bows or Tomaras.

Or shaft or maces and covered with mail and adorned with Angadas and other ornaments and looking like huge snakes and resembling large bludgeons, hands cut-off with mighty weapons from the trunks, were seen to leap, jump and jerk about with great force, as if in rage.

Whoever then ventured to advance in rage against Partha, had a fatal shafts discharged by that hero, stuck deep on his body.

Not the slightest flew was then detected in Pritha's son, as he danced in the terrace of his chariot and stretched his mighty bow.

The troops belonging to the party hostile to him, were then amazed by beholding the lightness of hands with which he took out his shafts, placed them on the bow-string and discharged them.

Then Phalguna with his arrows penetrated elephants and their drivers, horses and their riders and car-warriors with their car-drivers.

There was none among the hostile troop, whether standing in front of him or exerting in battle or moving about or urged on, whom the arrows discharged by Arjuna did not pierce through.

Just as the sun rising in the heavens destroys deep darkness (of night), so did Arjuna destroy elephant with his arrows furnished with wings of Kanka-feathers.

That part of the field occupied by your troops looked like the Earth at the hour of dessolution, covered with hillocks, in consequence of its being strewn over with fallen and mangled elephants.

Just as the sun shining in the meredian is incapable of being looked at by beings, so then in that battle, Dhananjaya inflamed with rage, was incapable of being looked at by his enemies.

Then O scorcher of foes, the troops of your son afflicted with the arrows of Arjuna, deserted their ranks and fled from the field.

Like the tempest scattering and tearing a mass of cloud, Arjuna then routed your army; when he was thus afflicting the army, none could turn his eyes towards him.

Afflicted by Arjuna, you troops viz., the cavalry, the infantry and the car-warriors, fled in all haste from the field of battle, urging their horses to the top of their speed by goadstrokes, by stroke of the horns of their bows, by growls, by encouraging commands, by who's by (dagger) cuts on their flanks and also by threatening speeches.

Others (riding on elephants) fled urging their huge by pressing their sides with toes or with the stroke of the hooks; others again confounded by Parthas arrows, even fled to the direction of Partha himself. Thus then all your warriors were deprived of sense and their minds also became distracted.