The slaughter of Ambashtha king and others

son

Sanjaya said When king Sudakshina and the heroic Shrutayudha had been slain, your warriors inflamed with wrath, furiously rushed against the son of Pritha.

The Abhishahas, the Surasenas, the Shibis and the Vasatis, o king, then began to pour upon Dhananjaya a veritable shower of arrows.

The of Pandu consumed sixty thousands of the these and other warriors, with his arrows; and then the rest greatly frightened, began to fly away like smaller animals flying away from the tiger.

But soon turning back, they surrounded Partha on all sides, who was slaying his foes in battle and trying to obtain victory over them.

Then as they made quickly towards himself, Dhananjaya, with arrows shot from his Gandiva bow, began to cut down their heads and arms.

The field of battle was thickly strewn over with felled heads; and fights of vultures and crows and ravens formed its cloudy canopy.

Beholding their troops thus extirpated by Arjuna, Shrutayusha and Achyutayush, excited with rage and fury, began to fight vigorously with the former.

Those two heroes endued with prowess, pride and strength of arms and both born in noble families, began to scatter their arrows right and left.

With great agility, O mighty monarch, desirous of winning great fame and slaying Arjuna and doing good to your son,

Inflamed with rage, they covered Arjuna with a thousand winged shafts of depressed knots, like clouds filling a lake with torrents of rain.

Thereafter that foremost of car-warriors Shrutayusha excited with wrath, struck Dhananjaya with a well-tempered and wellsharpened lance.

Thus sorely wounded by his powerful adversary, that subduer of the foes viz., Arjuna was overwhelmed with a swoon, confounding thereby Keshava himself.

At this crisis that mighty car-warrior Achyutayusha struck the son of Pandu with a trident of exceeding sharpness.

Thus he seemed to pour acid upon the wounds of the illustrious son of Pandu; thus deeply pierced, Pritha's son caught hold of his flag-staff for supporting himself.

Thereupon, O ruler of men, a loud and deafening roar was uttered by all your troops, for they considered Dhananjaya to be slain.

Then seeing Partha losing consciousness, Krishna was very much distressed; and then he began to comfort Dhananjaya with words soothing and agreeable.

Then those foremost of car-warriors, Shrutayusha and Achyutayush of true aim, scattering their showers of arrows on all sides in that battle, made Dhananjaya and the son Vasudeva of the Vrishni race and their car, carwheels, Kuvaras, steeds, flag-staff and banner, disappear from the view. All this indeed seemed wonderful.

Then, O Bharata, recovering slowly, like one coming back from a visit to the regions of Death, Vibhatsu.

Saw his chariot and Keshava shrouded with a net-work of arrows; then beholding his two opponents standing before him like two blazing fires.

The mighty car-warrior Partha invoked into existence the terrible Shakra weapon. From that weapon issued out thousands of arrows.

Those arrows then struck those two fierce bowmen Shrutayusha and Achyutayush; and the arrows shot by these latter, being cut-off by those of Partha, began to drop down through the sky.

Then Pandu's son checking the force of all arrows directed towards him with that of his own shafts, began to run hither and thither over the field encountering mighty car-warriors.

Then those two heroes deprived of their arms and heads, by the arrows of Arjuna, fell down on the carth like mighty trees broken down by the wind.

The slaughter of Shrutayusha and Achyutayush caused a surprise like to what men would fell if the ocean be dried up.

Then, having slain fifty car-warriors, the followers of those two princes, Pritha's son plunged into the army of the Bharatas, crushing down numerous elephants and warriors (at each step).

Beholding Shrutayusha slain, O Bharata, the enraged Niyutayush and Dirghayusha, the sons of the former two heroes both foremost of men, assaulted the son of Kunti, afflicted with calamity that had befallen their sires they proceeded, scattering arrows of diverse description.

But Arjuna now excited to the highest pitch of fury, with his arrows of depressed knots, sent them instantly to the abode of Death.

Then the foremost Kshatriyas of your army were not able to oppose Pritha's son who had been agitating the troops like an elephant agitating a lake over-grown with lotuses.

Then thousands of well-trained elephant riders belonging to the divisions of the Angas, excited with rage, O king, surrounded the son of Pandu, with their elephant forces.

Commanded by Duryodhana, the easterners, the southerners and other kings hearded by the ruler of the Kalingas surrounded Arjuna with their elephants huge as hills.

But with the arrows shot from his Gandiva bow, Aruna quickly cut-off their heads and arms decked with ornaments, as they were rushing against him.

Strewn over with their heads and arms decked with Angadas, the Earth appeared as if covered with golden stones and numerous snakes.

Arms severed by means of arrows and heads lying crushed, appeared like birds shot down from the top trees.

Pierced with thousands of shafts and covered with profuse blood, elephants looked like mountains during the rainy season, with red-chalk solution streaming down their sides.

Others slain by the whetted arrows of Vibhatsu, lay prostrate on the field of battle. Numerous Mlechhas, riding on the backs of elephants, of ugly appearances.

Attired in various kinds of garments and, O king, armed with numerous weapons and weltering in blood, appeared beautiful, as they lay on the ground deprived of life by means of various kinds of shafts.

Thousands of elephants with their bodies mangled and their riders and those who followed them, having been struck with the arrows of Pritha's son, vomitted blood.

Or uttered yells of agony, or fell down or careered wildly in all directions. Numerous other elephants greatly frightened, crushed their own ranks.

Many other elephants armed with weapons and fierce like snakes of virulent poison, also did the same. Numerous furious Yavanas, Paradas, Shakas, Balhikas and Mlechhas born of the cow (of Vasishtha) possessed of fearful eyes, accomplished in smitting, looking like emissaries of Death, all versed in the use of illusive powers of the Asuras.

Many other Dravatisaras, Daradas, Pundras, thousands in number in bands of hundreds and thousands and together forming a force that was innumerable.

Began to pour on the son of Pandu their sharp arrows. Those Mlechhas also versed in all modes of war, began to shower on Arjuna their countless shafts.

Dhananjaya also poured his arrows or them in quick succession, and the arrows discharged from the Gandiva bow appeared like fights of locusts, as they flew through the air.

Having with his arrows created shade of over the troops like to that of the clouds, Dhananjaya slew, by the dint of his weapons, all the Mlechchas, having heads completely shaved or partially shaved of cover with matted hair, filthy in their mode of living and of malicious countenances.

Pierced with hundreds of shafts, those rangers of the mountains. Those dwellers of caves, began to fly away from the field of battle out of sheer fear.

Ravens, Kankas, birds and wolves, with great delight, then began to drink the blood of the elephants, horses and their Mlechchas riders, as they lay postrate on the field being cut down by the sharp arrows of Pritha's son.

Arjuna then caused a river to flow on the field of battle, of which (slain) foot-soldiers, car-warriors, horses and elephants formed and embankments; shower of shafts formed the rafts (wherewith to cross it); hair of (slain) combatants formed the moss and the weed floating on the moss and the weed floating on the surface; and blood formed its surging billows; and that river was dreadful and fierce to look at. The fingers cut-off from the arms of warriors constituted its smaller fishes; it was as dreadful as the Destroyer himself at the end of a Yuga; the bodies of (slain) elephants chocked its flow and that river of blood proceeded towards the kingdom of Yama. The carth was deluged with the blood flowing from the bodies of slain princes, elephants horses, car-warriors and horsemen.

Its uplands and low-lands could not be distinguished, as if Vasava had poured a torrent of rain over it.

Six thousand brave warriors and many other Kshatriyas were dispatched by that foremost of Kshatriya Arjuna as to the abode of Death.

Thousands of elephants equipped according to rule, being pierced with numerous arrows. Lay prostrate on the field like so many mountains struck down by the thunder bolt. Then Arjuna careered over the field slaying horses, car-warriors and elephants. Like an elephant in rut crushing a forest of reeds.

Just as fire helped forwarded by the wind, burns down a forest abounding in trees, creepers, brush-woods, dry fuels and grass, so, that fire viz., the enraged Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu, having arrows for his flames and helped forward by the Krishna-wind, consumed the forest constituted by your troops.

Emptying the terraces of the cars, Arjuna over-spread the earth with the corpses of men. In that confused encounter Dhananjaya seemed to dance wielding his bow in his hand.

Deluging the ground with blood drawn by means of shafts resembling the thunderbolt itself. Dhananjaya, inflamed with wrath, plunged deep into the ranks of the Bharata troops. When he thus advancing, Shrutayudha the ruler of the Ambashtha's then opposed him.

Thereupon, O sire, when he was thus exerting himself against Arjuna, the latter with sharp arrows furnished with wings made of Kanka feathers, speedily cut down his horses.

was Then with other arrows cutting off his bow, Arjuna began to career over the field. Thereat the ruler of the Ambashthas, with eyes rolling in rage, took up his mace.

And assaulted in that battle Pritha's son and also the mighty car-warrior Keshava. Then O Bharata that hero, up-lifting and striking with his mace.

Checked the progress of Arjuna's car and with it began to strike Keshava; beholding Keshava struck with the mace, that slayer of hostile heroes.

Arjuna, O Bharata, excited to the highest pitch of anger, showered over that foremost of car-warriors viz., the ruler of the Ambasthas wielding the mace, numerous shafts furnished with golden wings, like the mass of clouds enshrouding the risen sin. Thereafter with other arrows, Pritha's son splintered into pieces the mace of that illustrious warrior; indeed this feat appeared to be marvellous. Then beholding that mace of his cut down and taking up another heavy one.

The ruler of the Ambashthas began to strike Vasudeva's son and Arjuna, incessantly. Thereat Arjuna with a couple of razor-headed arrows cut-off his upraised arms weilding the pole of Indra; and then with another winged shaft be cut off his head. Then that king, O monarch, fell down on the earth creating a loud noise.

Like a standard raised in honour of Indra falling down, when the ropes tying it to the engine (on which it is posted) are cut-off. Then plunging deep into the division of cars and surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of elephants and steeds, the son of Pritha looked like the sun covered with thick masses of clouds.