शल्य पर्व — कर्ण-वध के पश्चात् रणभूमि का वर्णन — पाण्डवों का हर्ष और कौरवों की निराशा; दुर्योधन अपनी सेना को पुनः संगठित करता है

Sanjaya said Hear, O king, attentively how that great thousands of the Kurus and the Pandavas took place when they encountered each other.

After the Suta's son had been killed by the illustrious son of Pandu and after the troops had been repeatedly collected and had repeatedly been routed and after a terrible ensaught had taken place, O foremost of men in battle after Karna's death, Partha began to utter leonine shouts. At that time your sons were possessed by great fear.

Indeed, after Karna's death, there was no warrior in your army who could rally the troops or show his prowess.

They then looked like ship-wrecked merchants on the vast sea without a raft to save themselves. When their protector was slain by the diadem-decked Arjuna, they were like persons on the vast sea desirous of reaching safely some shore.

Indeed, O king, after the slaughter of the Suta's son, your troops, panic-stricken and mangled with arrows, were like helpless men like a herd of deer attacked by a hon.

Defeated by Savyasachin, they retired in the evening, like bulls with broken horns or snakes shorn of their fangs.

Their foremost of heroes slain, themselves thrown into confusion and cut with keen arrows, your sons, O king, upon the slaughter of the Suta's son, fled away in fear.

Deprived of weapons and coats of mail, all of them were bewildered and know not where to fly. Looking on all sides, many of them began to kill one another.

Many fell down or became pale, thinking-It is ine whom Vibhatsu is pursuing!—It is me whoin Vrikodara is pursuing!-Some riding on quick horses, some on fleet cars and some on fleet elephants, many great car-warriors fled away from fear, leaving behind the footsoldiers.

Cars were broken by elephants, horsemen were crushed by great car warriors and the foot were smashed and slain by bodies of horse, as they fled away from the field of action.

After the fall of the Suta's son, your troops became like straggling travellers in a forest abounding with robbers and beasts of prey.

Some elephants whose riders had been killed and others whose trunks had been cut off, stricken with fear, saw the entire universe full of Partha.

Beholding his troops flying away in fear of Bhimasena, Duryodhana, then, with cries of Oh and Alas, addressed his driver, saying-If I stand it the rear of the army, armed with my bow, Partha then will never be able to go beyond me. Drive quickly the horses, therefore.

When I will display my courage in battle Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, will not dare go beyond ine like the ocean never venturing to transgress its banks,

Today, killing Arjuna with Govinda and the proud Vrikodara and the rest of my enemies. I will free myself from the debt I owe to Karna.”—Hearing these words of the Kuru king worthy of an honorable man, his driver slowly urged those horse adorned with trappings of gold.

At the time many brave warriors, deprived of elephants and horscs and cars and five and twenty thousand foot, procecded slowly for battle.

Then Bhimasena, worked up with wrath and Dhrishtadyumna the son of Prishata, encircling those soldiers with the help of four kinds of forces destroyed them with arrows.

All of them fought vigorously with Bhima and Prishata's son. Many amongst them challenged the two Pandava herocs mentioning their naimes.

Surrounded by them in battle, Bhima became angry with them. Quickly getting down from his car, he began to fight, with his mace.

Depending on the might of his own arms, Vrikodara, the son of Kunti, who was on his car, observing the rules of fair fight, did not fight with those focs who were struck down on earth.

Armed with his heavy mace made entirely of iron and adorned with gold and resembling the Destroyer himself at the end of Yuga, Bhima slew them all like Yama destroying crcatures with his club.

These foot-soldiers, worked up with great anger, having lost their friends and kinsmen, were prepared to cast away their lives and rushed in that battle towards Bhima like insects towards a blazing fire.

Indeed those warriors, stricken with fear and invincible in battle, approaching Bhimasena, suddenly died like living creatures at the look of the Destroyer.

Armed with sword and mace, Bhima inoved on like a hawk and killed your twenty-five thousand warriors.

Having killed that brave division, the powerful Bhima, of invincible prowess, once more stood, with Dhrishtadyumna before him.

In the meantime the highly energetic Dhananjaya proceeded towards the car-division of the Kurus. The twin sons of Madri and the mighty car-warrior Satyaki, all strong, cheerfully rushed against Shakuni for slaying him.

Having slain with keen the numerous cavalry of Shakuni, those Pandava heroes quickly proceeded against Shakuni himself, whereupon a fierce encounter took place.

Then Dhananjaya, O king, penetrated into the midst of the car-detachment of the Kauravas, expanding his bow Gandiva known over the three worlds.

Beholding that car having white horses yoked to it and Krishna for its driver coming arrows towards them, with Arjuna as the warrior on it, your troops fled away in fear.

Deprived of cars and horses and struck with arrows from every side, five and twenty thousand foot-soldiers proceeded towards Partha and surrounded him.

Then that mighty car-warriors amongst the Panchalas, viz., Dhrishtadyumna with Bhimasena at the head quickly killed them and gained victory.

The son of the Panchala king, viz., the celebrated Dhrishtadyumna, was a great bowman possessed of great beauty and a repressor of foes.

Seeing Dhrishtadyumna to whose car were yoked steeds white as pigeons and whose standard was made of lofty Kovidara, your troops fled away in fear.

The celebrated sons of Madri, with Satyaki among them, followed by the Gandhara king who was quick in the use of weapons, soon appeared befoie us.

Chekitana and Shikhandhin and the five sons of Draupadi, having killed a large number of your troops, blew their conchs.

Seeing all your troops flying away from the field, those Pandava heroes pursued and killed them like bulls pursuing defeated bulls.

Then the mighty Savyasachin, the son of Pandu, beholding the remaining portion of your army still fighting was filled with anger, O king.

Suddenly, O monarch, he covered the remnant of your army with arrows. The dust, however, that was then raised, covered the sky, for which we could not see anything.

Darkness also spread over the place and the field of battle was covered with arrows. Your troops, O monarch, then fled away in fear on all sides.

When his army was thus broken, the Kuru king, O monarch, rushed against both friends and foes.

Then Duryodhana challenged all the Pandavas to battle, O chief of Bharata's race, like the Asura Vali in days of yore challenging all the celestials.

The Pandavas then, collected in a body and filled with rage, chastising him repeatedly and discharging various weapons, proceeded against Duryodhana.

The latter, however, fearlessly struck his foes with arrows. The prowess of your sons was exceedingly wonderful, since all the Pandavas together were unable to overcome him. At this time Duryodhana saw his troops, exceedingly mangled with shafts and about to fiy away. Rallying them then, O monarch, your son, resolved on battle battle and desirous of gladdening them, addressed those warriors saying "I do not see a place on plain or mountain whither if you fly, the Pandavas will not kill you! What use then in flight?

The Pandava army has now been reduced to a small number. The two Krishna have been greatly wounded. If all of us make a stand here, we are sure to gain victory.

If, however, you fly away, the Pandavas, pursuing you, will slay you all. Death in battle, therefore, conduces to our good.

Death in the field of battle while fighting according to Kshatriya custom, is welcome. Such death begets no grief. By meeting with such a death, a person enjoys eternal happiness in the other world.

Let all the Kshatriyas assembled here me. It were better that they should submit to the angry Bhimasena than that they should neglect the duties practiced by them from the days of their fore-fathers.

There is no act more sinful for a Kshatriya than to fly away from the battle-field. You Kauravas, there is no greater path to heaven than the duty of battle.

The warrior acquires in a day the blissful regions of the other world that take many long years for others to acquire."-Obeying those words of the king, Kshatriya car-warriors once more rushed against the Pandavas, unable to put up with their discomfiture and firinly resolved to display their prowess.

Then began a battle once more that was highly terrific, between your troops and the enemy, that resembled the one between the gods and demons.

Your son Duryodhana then, O monarch, with all his troops, rushed against the Pandavas with Yudhishthira at the head.