धृतराष्ट्र उवाच तेष्वनीकेषु भग्नेषु पाण्डुपुत्रेण संजय। चलितानां द्रुतानां च कथमासीन्मनो हि चः॥
Dhritarashtra said What, O Sanjaya, was the state of your mind when my army was routed and crushed by Pandu's son and when you speedily fled away from the field?
अनीकानां प्रभग्नानामवस्थानमपश्यताम्। दुष्करं प्रतिसंधानं तन्ममाचक्ष्व संजय॥
The re-assembling of broken and routed troops is every difficult; tell me all about it, O Sanjaya.
संजय उवाच तथापि तव पुत्रस्य प्रियकामा विशाम्पते। यशः प्रवीरा लोकेषु रक्षन्तो द्रोणमन्वयुः॥
Sanjaya said In spite of all these, O ruler of men, many excellent heroes, desirous of doing good to your son and of keeping their reputation unsullied, followed Drona's track.
समुद्यतेषु चास्त्रेषु समप्राप्ते च युधिष्ठिरे। अकुर्वन्नार्यकर्माणि भैरवे सत्यभीतवत्॥
During that fierce encounter, they dauntlessly followed their commander, achieving numerous feats of valour, with weapons upraised and with Yudhishthira within accessible distance.
अन्तरं भीमसेनस्य प्रापतन्नमितौजसः। सात्यकेश्चैव वीरस्य धृष्टद्युम्नस्य वा विभो॥
Availing themselves of an error of the heroic Bhimasena, of Satyaki of immeasurable prowess and of the mighty Dhrishtadyumna, the Kuru leaders fell upon the Pandava divisions.
द्रोणं द्रोणमिति क्रूराः पञ्चाला: समचोदयन्। मा द्रोणमिति पुत्रास्ते कुरून् सर्वानचोदयन्॥
The fierce Panchalas urged on their troops saying, “There is Drona, there is Drona," whilst your sons urged on the Kurus, saying, 'Let not Drona be slain'.
द्रोणं द्रोणमिति ह्येके मा द्रोणमिति चापरे। कुरूणां पाण्डवानां च द्रोणद्यूतमवर्तत॥
Then one side saying "Fall upon Drona, fall upon Drona," and the other side saying, "Let not Drona be slain," a game of dice seemed to be played between the Kurus and the Pandavas, in which Drona was the stake.
यं यं प्रमथते द्रोणः पञ्चलानां रथव्रजम्। तत्र तत्र तु पाञ्चाल्यो धृष्टद्युम्नोऽभ्यवर्तत॥
Dhrishtadyumna, the Panchala prince, proceeded to those spots where soever Drona sought to assail the car divisions of the Panchalas.
तथा भागविपर्यासौः संग्रामे भैरवे सति। वीराः समासदन् वीरान् कुर्वन्तो भैरवं रवम्॥
Thus during that sanguinary engagement in which no rule for selection of antagonists was followed, heroes encountered heroes, uttering aloud their respective war-cries.
अकम्पनीयाः शत्रूणां वभूवुस्तत्र पाण्डवाः। अकम्पयन्ननीकानि स्मरन्तः क्लेशमात्मनः॥
The Pandavas then became incapable of being shaken by their enemies, whilst they themselves, keeping alive the memory of all the wrongs they had to suffer, made the ranks of their foes tremble with fear before them.
ते त्वमर्षवशं प्राप्ता ह्रीमन्तः सत्त्वचोदिताः। त्वक्त्वा प्राणान् न्यवर्तन्त घ्नन्तो द्रोणं महाहवे॥
Then in that fierce fight, the naturally modest Pandava warriors, under the influence of animosity and urged on by their energy, rushed to battle reckless of their lives and desirous of slaying Drona.
अयसामिव सम्पातः शिलानामिव चाभवत्। दीव्यतां तुमुले युद्धे प्राणैरमिततेजसाम्॥
When those heroes of immeasurable energy played in that battle, as if in a game of dice, staking their very lives, there seemed to be a collision of iron against adamant. the army
न तु स्मरन्ति संग्राममपि वृद्धास्तथाविधम्। दृष्टपूर्वे महाराज श्रुतपूर्वमथापि वा॥
Even the oldest men could not recollect, O monarch, of having seen or heard of such a battle before.
प्राकम्पतेव पृथिवी तस्मिन् वीरावसादने। निवर्तता बलौघेन महता भारपीडिता॥
In that battle distinguished by the slaughter of heroes, the earth seemed to tremble, being oppressed with the burden of the living oceans that rushed against one another.
घूर्णतोऽपि बलौघस्य दिवं स्तब्वेव निःस्वनः। अजातशत्रोस्तत्सैन्यमाविवेश सुभैरवः॥
The fierce yells uttered by your troops, tossed and agitated as they had been, filling the very heavens, seemed to penetrate even to the heart of the of the Ajatasatru Yudhishthira.
समासाद्य तु पाण्डुनामनीकानि सहस्रशः। द्रोणेन चरता संख्ये प्रभग्नानि शितैः शरैः।॥
Meanwhile the Pandava hosts' having reached by thousands Drona who had been coursing through the field of battle became shattered and broken with the sharp shafts of the latter.
तेषु प्रमथ्यमानेषु द्रोणेनाद्भुतकर्मणा। पयवारयदासाद्य द्रोणं सेनापतिः स्वयम्॥
When those troops were thus being crushed by Drona of marvelous achievements, the generalissimo of the Pandava hosts himself encountered Drona.
तदद्भुतमभूद् युद्धं द्रोणपाञ्चालयोस्तथा। नैव तस्योपमा काचिदिति मे निश्चिता मतिः॥
Then we beheld the marvelous fight between Drona and the Panchala prince and my firm conviction is that battle had no parallel.
ततो नीलोऽनलप्रख्यो ददाह कुरुवाहिनीम्। शरस्फुलिङ्गश्चापार्चिर्दहन् कक्षमिवानलः॥
Then like fire burning down houses, Nila resembling a veritable fire, of which the arrows were the scintillation's, the bow the flames, began to consume the Kuru army.
तं दहन्तमनीकानि द्रोणपुत्रः प्रतापवान्। पूर्वाभिभाषी सुश्लक्ष्णं स्मयमानोऽभ्यभाषत॥
Thereat seeing Nila consume the troops, the highly puissant son of Drona, who had long been desirous of fighting with the former, smilingly addressed these smooth words to him (Nila).
नील किं बहुभिर्दग्धैःस्तव योधैः शरार्चिषा। मयैकेन हि युध्यस्व क्रुद्धः प्रहर चाशु माम्॥
What do you gain, O Nila, by consuming with your arrowy flame so many of my common soldiers? Fight with me single-handed as I am; and waxing worth, do you strike ma as you can.
तं पद्मनिकराकारं पद्मपत्रनिभेक्षणम्। व्याकोशपद्माभमुखो नीलो विव्याध सायकैः॥
Then Nila, possessed of a countenance beautiful like full-blown lotus, began to pierce with his arrows him whose body resembled a cluster of lotuses and whose eyes resembled lotus-petals.
तेनापि विद्धः सहसा द्रौणिर्भल्लैः शितैस्त्रिभिः। धनुर्ध्वजं च छत्रं च द्विषतः स न्यकृन्तत॥
Thus pierced deeply by him, Drona's son, with ten whetted and broad-headed arrows, cut-off the bow, the standard and the umbrella of his adversary.
स प्लुतः स्यन्दनात्तस्मान्नीलश्चर्मवरासिभृत्। द्रौणायनेः शिरः कायाद्धर्तुमैच्छत् पतत्रिवत्॥
Then jumping down from his car, Nila, armed with an excellent sword and buckler, desired to sever from Ashvatthaman's trunk his head, like a bird (bearing away its prey in its clutches).
तस्तोन्नतांसं सुनसं शिरः कायात् सकुण्डलम्। भल्लेनापाहरद् द्रौणिः स्मयमान इवानघ॥
There at, O sinless one, Drona's son with a broad-headed shaft smilingly severed from Nila's trunk his head graced with a fine nose and decked with ear-rings and resting on elevated shoulders.
सम्पूर्णचन्द्राभमुखः पद्मपत्रनिभेक्षणः। प्रांशुरुत्पलपत्राभो निहतो न्यपतद् भुवि॥
Then Nila, whose countenance resembled in splendour the full moon, whose eyes were like petals of lotuses, whose stature was tall, whose complexion was like that of the lotus, thus slain, fell down on the earth.
ततः प्रविष्यथे सेना पाण्डवी भृशमाकुला। आचार्यपुत्रेण हते नीले ज्वलिततेजसि॥
After Nila of furious energy had been thus slain by the preceptor's son, the host of the Pandavas, was greatly agitated with grief.
अचिन्तयंश्च ते सर्वे पाण्डवानां महारथाः। कथं नो वासविस्त्रायाच्छत्रुभ्य इति मारिष॥
Then, O sire, all the mighty car-warriors of the Pandava host began to think, "How indeed, would the son of Vasava (Arjuna) be able to save us from our foes.
दक्षिणेन तु सेनायाः कुरुते कदनं वली। संशप्तकावशेषस्य नारायणबलस्य च॥
When that heroic and mighty warrior is engaged in the southern part of the field in crushing the enemies' troops and slaughtering the remnant of the Samshaptaka and the Narayana troops. in