शल्य पर्व — युधिष्ठिर र कौरवहरूको युद्ध; शकुनिको युद्ध

Sanjaya said During the progress of that terrible and awful battle, the army of your son were routed by the Pandavas.

Rallying their great car-warriors however, with vigorous exertions, your sons continued to fight with the Pandava army.

The Kuru warriors, seeking your son's welfare, suddenly came back. Upon their return, the battle once more became fearful, between your warriors and those of the foe, resembling that between the gods and the Asuras in the days of yore. Neither amongst the enemies nor amongst your people was there a single warrior who fled away from the field.

The warriors fought, knowing one another by the names they uttered. A great onslaught took place there.

Filled with great anger and desirous of defeating the Dhartarashtras and their king in that battle, king Yudhishthira struck the son of Sharadvata with three gold winged arrows whetted on stone and next killed with four others the four horses of Kritavarman.

Then Ashvatthaman carried away the celebrated son of Hridika. Sharadvat's son struck Yudhishthira in return with eight arrows.

Then king Duryodhana sent seven hundred cars to the place where king Yudhishthira was fighting.

Those cars, driven by excellent warriors and quick-coursing like the wind or thought, rushed in that battle against the car of Kunti's son.

Encircling Yudhishthira on all sides they made him invisible with their arrows like clouds hiding the sun from the view.

Then Pandava heroes, led by Shikhandin, beholding king Yudhishthira assailed in that way by the Kauravas, were filled with rage and unable to put up with it.

Desirous of rescuing Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, they came there on their cars possessed of great speed and adorned with rows of bells.

Then took place an awful battle, in which blood flowed as water, between the Pandavas and the Kurus, that increased the denizens of Yama's region.

Killing those seven hundred hostile carwarriors of the Kuru army, the Pandavas and the Panchalas once more resisted (the whole Kuru ariny).

There took place a fierce encounter between your son and the Pandavas. We had never before seen or heard of its like.

During the onset of that battle in which no consideration was shown by any party for another and while the warriors of your army and those of the foe were being killed quickly, the coinbatants were all shouting and blowing their conchs. The bowmen were roaring and uttering loud noises of diverse kinds.

The very vitals of the combatants were being struck, during that fight and the troops, O sire, desirous of victory, were rushing with speed.

Everything on carth was under-going ai woeful destruction, during that battle when numberless ladies of birth and beauty were being made widows.

During the progress of that fierce encounter in which the warriors fought without any consideration for friends and foes, evil omens appeared, presaging the destruction of everything.

The earth, with her mountains and forests, shook making a loud noise. Meteors, like burning brands equipt with handles, dropped from the sky, O king, on every side of the earth as if from the solar disc.

There blew a hurricane on all sides, carrying away hard pebbles along its lower course. The elephants shed profuse tears and trembled greatly.

Disregarding all those fierce and awful omens, the Kshatriyas, consulting with one another, cheerfully stood on the field of Kurukshetra, desirous of going to heaven.

Then Shakuni, the son of the Gandhara king, said-"Fight you all in front! I, however, will kill the Pandavas from behind!”_-Then the active Madraka warriors, amongst those on our side that were advancing, were filled with joy and uttered various cries. Others also did the same.

The invincible and sure-armed Pandavas, once more coming against us, shook their bows and enshrouded us with showers of arrows.

The army of the Madrakas then were killed by the foc. Beholding this, the troops of Duryodhana once more fled from the battle.

The might king of the Gandharas, however, once more said these words-"Stop, you sinful wretches, fight with the foe. What use is there of fight.” At that time, O foremost of Bharata's race, the king of the Gandharas had full ten thousand horsemen capable of fighting with bright lances.

During the onset of that great carnage, Shakuni, aided by the force, displayed his valor and assailed the Pandava army at the rear, killing it with his keen arrows.

The huge force of the Pandus then, O king, were dispersed even as a mass of clouds of all sides by a powerful wind.

Then beholding his own army rouled, Yudhishthira coolly urged the mighty Sahadeva, saying-"Yonder the son of Subala, afflicting our rear, stands clad in mail. He kills our forces. Behold that wicked man, O son of Pandu.

Helped by the sons of Draupadi proceed towards him and kill Shakuni, the son of Subala. Supported by the Panchalas, O sinless one, I will meanwhile kill the car-force of the enemy.

Let all the elephants and all the horse and three thousand foot go with you. Helped by these, slay Shakuni.” At this seven hundred elephants ridden by bowmen and five thousand horse and the valiant Sahadeva and three thousand foot-soldiers and the son of Draupadi, all proceeded against invincible Shakuni.

However, O king, overpowering the Pandavas and longing for victory, Subala's son, of great valour, began to slay their forces from the back.

The horsemen, beside themselves with rage, of the Pandavas penetrated the division of Subala's son, overpowering the latter's carwarriors.

Those heroic horsemen, staying in the midst of their own elephants, enshrouded the large host of Subala's son with showers of arrows.

On account of your evil counsels, O king, a dreadful battle took place in which maces and lances were used and in which heroes only took part.

The twang of bows was no longer heard there, for all the car-warriors stood there as spectators. At that time no difference could be seen between the opposing parties.

Both the Kurus and the Pandavas, O foremost of Bharatas, saw the darts, shot off heroic arms, pass like meteors through the sky.

The entire sky, O king, covered with falling and bright sword, appeared highly beautiful.

The view presented, O best of the Bharatas, by the lances hurled all around, was like that of swarms of locusts in the sky.

Horses, with limbs covered with blood on account of wounds inflicted by horsemen themselves struck with arrows, dropped down on all sides in hundreds and thousands.

They all remained huddled together. many of them were wounded and many vomited blood. A thick darkness set in there when the troops were covered with a cloud of dust.

When that darkness covered everything, O king, we saw those brave heroes, horses and men move away from that spot.

Others dropped down on the earth vomiting blood profusely. Many warriors, entangled with one another by their locks, could not move.

Many powerful heroes dragged one another from the backs of their horses and encountering one another thus, killed one another like wrestlers. Many, deprived of life, were carried away by the horses they rode.

Many men, elated with the pride of courage and inspired with the desire of victory, dropped down on the earth.

The earth was covered with hundreds and thousands of blessing warriors, deprived of limbs and divested of hairs.

The surface of the earth being covered with clephant-riders and horsemen and killed horses and warriors with blood-stained armours and those armed with weapons and those who had tried to kill one another with various kinds of terrible weapons, all lying in a mass in that lifedestroying battle, no warrior could proceed far on his horse.

Having fought for a little while, Shakuni, the son of Subala, O king, went away from that spot with the remnant of his cavalry, six thousand in number. Similarly the Pandava force, covered with blood and its animals worn out, moved away from there with its remnant consisting of six thousand horse.

Horsemen, covered with blood of the Pandava army then, determined upon fighting and prepared to sacrifice their lives, said-"It is no longer possible to fight here on cars; how much more difficult it is then to fight here on elephants against elephants.

Having retreated Shakuni is now staying within his own detachment. The royal son of Subala will not again come to fight.”

Then the sons of Draupadi and those infuriate elephants went where the Panchala prince Dhrishtadyumna, that great car-warrior, was.

Sahadeva also, when that cloud of dust set in, went alone where king Yudhishthira was.

After all those had departed Shakuni the son of Subala, worked up with wrath, once more attacked. Dhrishtadyumna's division and began to strike it.

Again a dreadful encounter took place, in which the combatants did not care for their lives, between your soldiers and those of the foe, all of whom were desirous of killing one another.

In that encounter of heroes, the combatants first looked at one another steadfastly and then rushed, O king and attacked one another in hundreds and thousands.

In that onslaught, heads, cut off with swords, dropped down with a noise like that of falling palmyra fruits.

Loud noise also arose making the very hairs stand erect, of bodies falling down on the ground, divested of armours and wounded with weapons and of falling weapons also, O king and of arms and thighs cut off from the trunk.

Assailing brothers and sons and even fathers with keen weapons, the combatants fought like birds, for a piece of meat.

Worked up with rage, thousand of warriors attacked one another in that battle.

Hundreds and thousands of combatants, pressed down by slain horsemen while falling down from their horses, fell down on the field.

There arose loud noise of neighing horses of great flectness and of shouting men clad in mail and of the falling darts and swords, O king, of combatants desirous of cutting one another to the very quick on account, O monarch, of your evil policy.

At that time, your soldiers, exhausted and worked up with rage, their animals fatigued, themselves thirsty, wounded with sharp weapons, began to turn away from the battle.

Maddened with the smell of blood, many became so insensible that they killed friends and foes alike, in fact, every one they could lay hold on.

O king, actuated with the desire of victory, large numbers of Kshatriyas were struck down with arrows and lay prostrate on the earth.

Wolves, vultures and jackals began to yell hideously in joy. In the very presence of your son your son army suffered a great loss.

The earth, O king, was covered with the bodies of men and horses and over-flown with rivers of blood that struck terror to the timid,

Struck and wounded repeatedly with swords and battle-axes and lances, your warriors, as also the Pandavas, O Bharata, ceased to approach one another.

Striking one another according to their might and fighting to the last combatants dropped down, bleeding.

Headless from were seen, catching the hair of their heads and holding swords stained in blood.

When many headless forms, O king, had thus rise up, when the smell of blood had made the warriors almost senseless and the loud noise had somewhat subsided, Subala's son again approached the large army of the Pandavas, with the small remnant of his cavalry.

Thereat actuated with the desire of victory and endued with great activity, Pandavas rushed towards Shakuni, with foot-soldiers and elephants and cavalry all with uplifted weapons.

Desirous of terminating the hostilities, the Pandavas, forming a wall, encircled Shakuni on all sides and began to strike him with various kinds of weapons.

Beholding your soldiers assailed from every side, the Kauravas, with horse, foot, elephants and cars, rushed towards the Pandavas.

Some brave foot-soldiers, destitute of weapons, attacked their foes in that battle, with feet and fists and struck them down.

Car-warriors dropped down from cars and elephant-men from elephants, like virtuous persons falling down from their celestial vehicles upon the wane of their virtue.

Thus the warriors fought with one another in that great battle and killed fathers and brothers and friends and sons.

Thus took place that battle, ( best of Bharatas, in which no consideration was shown by any body for any one and in which lances, swords and arrows dropped down fast on every side and presented a terrific spectacle. Thus took place that battle, ( best of Bharatas, in which no consideration was shown by any body for any one and in which lances, swords and arrows dropped down fast on every side and presented a terrific spectacle.