दुःशासन की सेना की पराजय

Dhritarashtra said When the vanguard of my troops were thus slaughtered and routed by the diadem-decked Arjuna, what heroes of my army then proceeded to fight with Dhananjaya.

Or did all of them, forgetting their determination, enter into the Sakata array and stood behind the fearless Drona resembling a solid wall?

Sanjaya said When, O sinless one, Arjuna the son of Pakashasani (Indra) had broken and slain with his excellent arrows our own troops, many were the heroes that were slain or fled with depressed hearts. None indeed was able to look upon him.

Then O king your son Dushasana, seeing your troops in that wretched plight became inflamed with rage and advanced towards Arjuna for fighting with the latter.

That hero of fierce energy was cased in a coat of mail worked exquisitely with gold and he wore also a helmet of pure gold.

0 mighty monarch, Dushasana then surrounded Savyasachin with a mighty division of elephants that seemed to devour the whole earth.

With the booming of the bells tied to the necks of elephants, with the blasts of the conchs, with the twang of bows, with war cried with the roars of tusked elephants.

The earth, the points of the compass and the welkin, became completely filled. The hour appeared to be awful and solemn.

Beholding those infuriate and huge elephants with extended trunks and urged with hooks make towards himself like so many winged mountains.

That foremost of men, Dhananjaya sending up a fierce war-cry, fell to agitate that elephant division of his enemy, with his shafts.

Then like a Makara entering into the waters of the mighty main lashed into fury by the tempest the diadem-decked Arjuna penetrated into that elephant division.

Indeed then Partha that conqueror of hostile fortresses, was seen by every body on every side to resemble the burning sun that rises on the day of dissolution, in contravention of all rules about direction and hour.

In consequence of the clatter of horse hoofs, the rattle of car-wheels, the he cries cries of combatants, the twang of bowstrings.

The sounds of various musical instruments, the blasts of Panchajanya and Devadatta (the conchs of Arjuna and Krishna) and the crackling of the bow Gandiva.

The troops of your army and the elephants therein, lost all activity and became cheerless. They where pierced by Savyasachin with his arrows whose touch resembled that of snakes of virulent venom.

The elephants were pierced on every part of their bodies with the arrows of keen points shot by hundreds and thousands from the bow Gandiva.

Uttering fierce roars when they were being slaughtered by the diadem-decked Arjuna, they began to fall incessantly on the ground like mountains having their wings cut-off.

Other elephants pierced with long shafts in the jaw of frontal globes or temples, began to utter yelling cries resembling the screech of the cranes.

The diadem-decked Arjuna then cut-off with bhallas of close knots, the heads of hostile warriors that rode on the neck of these elephants.

Those heads graced with ear-rings falling incessantly on the Earth, looked like so many lotuses that Pritha's son was culling, for an offering of "ods.

Entangled with the trappings, divested of their armours, lacerated with wounds and smeared with blood, men were then seen hanging from the necks of elephants, as these latter careered over the field.

Sometimes two or three warriors penetrated by a single arrow decked with beautiful feathers and heedfully shot from the Gandiva, fell down on the Earth.

Deeply pierced with Narachas and vomitting blood through the mouth, elephants with their riders, began to fall down on the ground like so many mountains covered with trees.

With his bhallas of straight knots Arjuna then began to sever the bowstrings, the standards, the bows, the yokes and the shafts of many car-warriors.

Nobody was able then to detect when Arjuna took out his arrows or fix them on the string of his bows or drew the string back or discharged them. But Partha was then seen only to dance on the terrace of his chariot with his bow drawn to a circle.

Other elephants again pierced deep with Narachas and vomitting blood in consequence, fell down on the ground as soon as they were struck.

In that dreadful carnage, 0 mighty monarch, innumerable headless trunks were seen to stand up on all sides.

Numerous arms, holding bows, with fingers cased in leathern gloves, with swords in grasp, adorned with Angadas and golden ornaments, were seen scattered about, severed from the trunks.

With innumerable Upasakas, Adisthanas, shafts, crowns, broken car-wheels shattered Akshas and yokes.

With warriors armed with shields and bows, with garlands of flowers, with ornaments, garments and fallen standards scattered here and there.

With slain elephants and horses and fallen Kshatriyas, the field of battle appeared exceedingly awful.

Thus, O mighty monarch, the army of Dushasana with its leader, deeply afflicted and extensively slaughtered by the diadem-decked Arjuna, began to fly away.

Then Dushasana afraid and afflicted with shafts, with his whole division, feel back upon the Sakata array and looked upon Drona as his only protector.