Karna Parva — The encounter between Ashvatthaman and Bhima

Sanjaya said Thereupon, O king, the son of Drona, who was possessed of great alacrity and who showed easiness in the management of weapons, pierced Bhimasena with an arrow.

In the same way, he (the son of Drona), who was well acquainted with the different vital parts of the body and who, again, was very smart in the management of his arms, after having seen all the vital parts of his body, had struck him with ninety sharp-headed shafts.

O monarch. Bhimasenc, having been closed with a shower of keen arrows by the son of Drona, shone in the field of battle like the sun with all his rays.

Thereupon the Pandava, after having covered the son of Drona with one thousand arrows, well-aimed, sent forth a leonine roar.

Then, O monarch, the son of Drona, having checked the course of his (antagonist's) shafts by his own arrows in the field of battle, smilingly struck the son of Pandu in the forehead with a dart.

Thereafter, O king, the son of (Pandu), carried the shafts, that was struck in his forehead; even as the proud rhinoceros in the forest bears his horn.

Then Bhima of immense prowess smilingly pierced the son of Drona, who attempted very hard in the battle, in the forehead with three shafts.

Then this twice-born person looked most resplendent with the arrows struck in his forehead; even as the best of mountains, being washed (with water) during the rainy season, looks resplendent with its three peaks.

Thus the son of Drona afflicted the son of Pandu with hundreds of arrows, but he could not shake him; even as the wind cannot shake the mountain.

In the same way, the son of Pandu, highly gratified, could not shake the son of Drona, in the field of battle, with hundreds of his sharphanded arrows; even as the torrents of rain cannot shake the mountain.

Those two mighty car-warriors, the two heroic warriors of terrible prowess, having covered each other with their dreadful shafts, looked very handsome, sitting upon their cars.

Both (the heroes) looked resplendent like two suns and were destructive of men on each other's side. Moreover both of them burnt each other by their own excellent arrows, that resembled their own rays.

Thereupon, in that dreadful battle, those two heroic warriors made their best attempts in counteracting each other's deeds; and with the torrents of shafts they most fearlessly made efforts in challenging each other.

Those two foremost of persons, those invincible and fierce heroes, whose teeth were constituted by the shafts and whose mouths were formed by the bows, roved about in the field of battle like two terrible tigers.

Both of them became invisible on account of the torrents of shafts in all sides; even as both the sun and the moon in the firmament become invisible, when they are covered over by the net-work of clouds.

Then the two smiters of foes appeared for a very short while and shone forth like Mars and Mercury, when they become wholly released from the cover of clouds.

Then at that moment, in that dreadful battle, the son of Drona made Vrikodara in the field occupy his right position.

And he showered forth hundreds of terrible shafts, even as the masses of clouds drop down torrents of rain upon a mountain. This, indeed, namely the indication of his antagonist's victory Bhimasena could not like to tolerate.

Thereupon, O monarch, the son of Pandu baffled his enemy's efforts from the position on his (antagonist's) right side; and they advanced or withdrew according to the divisions of their circular situations.

Thus there ensued a fierce battle between those two foremost of warriors, who roved about (in the field of battle) in several ways and circles.

Both of them struck each other with the arrows shot from their bows stretched to their perfect length; and also they made the best efforts in slaying each other in the battle.

Again, each of them wished to make the other carless in the field. Thereupon the son of Drona, that mighty car-warrior, imparted strength to the most powerful weapons, which, indeed the son of Pandu frustrated by the weapons of his own, in the battle.

Then, O mighty king, there ensued a very dreadful battle of weapons, even as there had taken place a very terrible battle of the planets, during the time of destruction of creatures of the universe.

O descendant of the Bharata race, those arrows, shot by both of them, struck one another, and thus illumined all the points of the i horizon, as well as the troops on your side, from all directions. even

O king, the firmament looked very fearful as it was wholly covered by the showers of arrows, it appears during the destruction of the creatures of the universe, when it is entirely shrouded by the fall of the meteors.

O descendant of the Bharata race, there (in the field of battle) was produced a great fire by the counteraction of shafts from both the parties, which, viz. the fire was attended with sparks and blazing flames. It continued to burn both the hosts.

O powerful monarch, the Siddhas, who covered about there in the battle, uttered these words-'O Lord, this battle, is the foremost of all the battles fought (in the days of yore). All the battles (of old) will not be worth the sixteenth part of this (battle).

Hardly, again, there will be a battle like this. 'O! these two personages, viz. this Brahmana and this Kshatriya are possessed of knowledge.

O! both of them are endowed with heroism; and also they are of terrible prowess. 'O! Bhima is of fierce strength. O! what a great skill is possessed by the other.

O! what an essence of the energy of both. O! how great is their skill. Both persons are, indeed, waiting in the like two all-destroying Yamas at the end of time.

As if both of them are born like two Rudras, or like two light-giving suns. 'Both these foremost of persons of dreadful forms are standing in the battle like two Yamas.'

These words of the Siddhas were, indeed, heard there every moment. Moreover there was generated a great leonine roar amongst the celestials who assembled there (in the field of battle).

Having witnessed the extraordinary and inconceivable achievements of those two in the field of battle, the assemblage of the Siddhas and the Charanas were greatly astonished.

Then the celestials, the Siddhas and the high-class sages (the Rishis) praised them both and uttered these words 'Excellent, O powerful-armed son of Drona! Most remarkable,O Bhima!

In the field of battle, O monarch, those two heroic warriors committed injuries to each other. They also looked upon each other.

Due to angry those two heroic eyes became red. They had their lips quivering with wrath. Out of wrath, again, they grinded their teeth and in the same way their lips as well.

Those two mighty car-warriors shrouded each other with the torrents of shafts. In the field of battle, they were like two masses of clouds, dropping dovin showers of arrows and sending forth lightning, that was formed by their weapons.

Those two warriors having penetrated each other's standards and also having pierced each other's drivers of cars and again, having pierced each other's horses, pierced each other in that dreadful battle.

Thereupon, O powerful monarch, those two wrathful warriors, most desirous of slaying cach other, after having taken up two arrows, hurled at each other those shafts without any hesitation, in that dreadful encounter.

O mighty monarch, these two arrows that shone most brilliantly and that had the force of thunder and also that most unapproachable, came and struck them both who stood at the head of their respective hosts.

The two highly-energetic warriors, deeply struck with those two arrows by their respective forces, then fell down at the back of their cars.

Thereupon, O king, his driver having been conscious of the insensible condition of the son of Drona, carried him away from the field of battle in the presence of all his (the son of Drona) soldiers.

In the same way, O monarch, the son of Pandu, that scorcher of enemies, who had fainted every moment, was carried away from the field of battle, in his car, by his driver. were