Karna Parva — The commencement of the battle

Dhritarashtra said Having attained the generalship of the army and been addressed by the king himself in sweet and brotherly terms and thereupon having ordered the troops to be arranged in battle-array towards the rise of the Sun, relate to me, O Sanjaya, what did the highly intellectual son of Vikartana, Karna, do at that time.

Sanjaya said O foremost of the Bharata race, your sons, having understood the object of Karna, ordered for the arrangement of the troops, followed by a joyful music of various instruments.

Towards the close of the night, O lord of earth, a loud noise arose from amongst your soldiers, saying 'array and array.'

Thereupon, O lord of the world, there was a terrible uproar of the best of elephants and cars overlaid with beautiful coverlets, whilst they were being equipped and of the infantry crying out in joy, of the horses, whilst being harnessed and of the warriors, whilst moving to and fro, as as shouting to one another in mirth's. The uproar was so very great that it reached the very heavens.

Thereupon the son of Suta appeared on the field of battle, mounted upon a car furnished with innumerable flags and white standards, drawn by horses white cranes, ornamented with a flag bearing the design of an elephant's rope, filled with one hundred quivers and again, furnished with mace and wooden fence, supplied with the Shataghnis, rows of bells, shafts, lances and spears, loaded with several excellent bows and having had the splendour of the resplendent Sun and himself wielding a bow bound with gold.

O monarch, (Karna then began) to blow his conch adorned with a net-work of gold and also to shake his terrible bow studded with gold.

Having seen Karna, that mighty bowman, that foremost of car-warriors, who was seated on his car and also was like the risen Sun destroying the thick darkness and who also was unapproachable.

None of the Kauravas, O sire, O foremost of persons, considered the fall of eithe, Bhishma, or Drona, or other warriors to be a loss at the time.

Thereupon, O sire Karna, having ordered the warriors to make haste by the sound of his conch, led the vast army of the Kauravas.

Then Karna, that powerful bowman, that siniter of enemies, having arranged the troops in the from of a Makara, started against the Pandavas with the object of winning victory (over them).

O king, Karna placed himself in the tip of the beak of that Makara; and the heroic Shakuni and the great car-warrior Uluka were stationed in both the eyes.

The son of Drona was stationed in the head; and all the uterine brothers were in the neck. King Duryodhana was stationed in the middle, surrounded by a large force.

O lord of kings, Kritavarman was placed in the left foot, who was attended by the Narayana-army, namely the Gopalas, most difficult to be vanquished in battle.

O king, the son of Gautama, possessed of the unbaffled prowess, was stationed in right foot, encompassed by the most powerful bowmen, the Trigartas and the troops from the south.

There Shalya was placed in left hind-foot accompanied by a vast army recruited from the country of the Madras.

O great king, Sushena of certain resolution was stationed in the right hind-foot, encompassed by a force of one thousand cars and three hundred elephants.

Thereupon the two royal brothers, Chitra and Chitrasena, of iminense prowess having been accompanied by a vast army, stood in the tail (of the Makara).

O lord of kings, when Karna, that best of person had started for battle, the king of righteousness (Yudhishthira) beheld Dhananjaya and addressed him sayingपश्य

"O heroic son of Pritha, behold grow the army of Dhritarashtra was arranged in battlearray by Karna and encompassed by the most heroic car-warriors.

Indeed, the best of the heroes amongst the vast army of Dhritarashtra were all slain before, O mighty armed one, only the feeble ones are alive, who are in my opinion as worthless as the straw. But in the whole force one mighty bowman, namely, the son of Suta, is shining brilliantly.

That foremost of car-warriors is incapable of being defeated by the three worlds, both mobile and immobile, along with the Gods, Asuras, the Gandharvas, the Kinnaras and the Nagas. O mighty-armed Phalguna, having slain to your him today, you will surely win victory and great thorn, pierced in my heart for twelve years, will now also be rooted out. Understanding this, O mighty armed one, do you arrange the troops in battle-array according desire.

Having heard the word of his brother, the Pandava (the third brother), conveyed by white horses, arranged his army in the form of the half moon against the face of the enemies' force.

Thereupon Bhimasena was stationed in the left side of that (half-moon); and the mighty bowman, Dhristadyumna, was placed in the right. In the middle (of that half-moon arrangement) both the monarch and the Pandava Dhananjaya were stationed. But Nakula and Shahadeva were placed in the rear of the king of righteousness (Yudhishthira.)

The two Panchala chiefs, Yudhamanyu and Uttamanjas, who were the guards of the wheels of the car (of Arjuna), did not forsake him in battle, as they were supported by the diademdecked one (Arjuna.)

O descendant of the Bharata race, the rest of the heroic princes, who were all clad in armour, stationed in the different positions of the array allotted to them according to their respective zeal earnestness.

were i O descendant of the Bharata race, the Pandavas, as well as the mighty bowmen in। your side, having arranged their troops in the array of battle in the above manner, directed their mind towards the battle.

Having witnessed your army arranged in battle by the son of Suta, the son of Dhritarashtra (Duryodhana), with all his kinsmen, considered the Pandavas to be slain.

O lord of men, in the similar way, Yudhishthira, having observed the troops in the side of the Pandavas arranged in battle-array, considered the army of Dhritarashtra to be surely slain along with Karna himself.

Thereupon conches, kettle-drums, tabours and drums of large size and cymbals and other instruments, such as Dindimas and Jharjharas were begun to be blown and struck on every side. O monarch, there was a loud sound of musical instruments amongst the soldiers on both the sides. There were terrible lion-roars of the heroes, who were most desirous of victory.

O lord of men, there arose the sound of snorting of the horses and the grunting of elephants. And also there was the terrible noise of the car-wheels.

O descendant of the Bharata race, beholding that mighty bowinan, Karna, stationed at the front of the battle-array, none in the field amongst the Kaurava troops considered the death of Drona to be a loss.

O mighty monarch, in both the armies there were men filled with chcerfulness, who were all desirous of battle. O king, they waited in the field with the object of slaying one another without delay.

O foremost of kings, there in the field these two namely, Karna and the son of Pandu, who beholding each other were filled with firm resolution rushed to and fro in the midst of their armies.

The two armies came face to face, meeting cach other, as if dancing (in great cheer). The heroes on both the sides, who were most desirous of battle, came forth accompanied by their respective divisions.

'O nighty monarch, thus commenced the battle of men, elephants, horses and cars, who were all engaged in slaying one another.