संजय उवाच वयं तु प्रवरं हत्वा तेषां तैः शरपीडिताः। निवेशायाभ्युपायामः सायाह्ने रुधिरोक्षिताः॥
Sanjaya said Thus having slain one of their best warriors and having been afflicted with their shafts and covered with blood, we returned to our quarters in the evening.
निरीक्षमाणास्तु वयं परे चायोधनं शनैः। अपयाता महाराज ग्लानि प्राप्ता विचेतसः॥
Gazed at by the foe and nearly senseless and overpowered with fatigue, we then, O mighty monarch, slowly left the field of battle.
ततोनिशायादिवसस्य चाशिवः शिवारुतैः संधिरवर्तताद्भुतः। कुशेशयापीडनिभे दिवाकरे विलम्बमानेऽस्तमुपेत्यपर्वतम्॥
Then approached that wonderful hour, that joining between the day and the night, harbingered by the inauspicious yells of the jackals; and the sun then assuming the pale-red tint of the lotus-filaments, went down below the horizon, having neared the western hills.
वरासिशक्त्यृष्टिवरूथचर्मणां विभूषणां च समाक्षिपन् प्रभाः। दिवं च भूमिं च समानयन्निव प्रियां तनुं भानुरुपैति पावकम्॥
Then the sun robbed the radiance of our excellent swords, lances, scimitars, car-fences, shields and ornaments; and causing the sky and the earth to assume the self-same hue, he then betook to his favourite shape of fire.
नजैरनेकैरिव वज्रपातितः। निपातितैन्रष्टगतिश्चिता क्षितिः॥
The earth was then covered over with motionless carcasses of myriads of elephants, all lifeless, resembling the peaks of cloud-clapt hills cleft open by the bolt of Heaven and with their banners and goads scattered about and their guides dislodged from their backs.
हताश्वसूतैविपताककेतुभिः। महारथैर्भूः शुशुभे विचूर्णितः पुरैरिवामित्रहतैर्नराधिप॥
The field of battle appeared beautiful with huge chariots splintered into pieces and with their warriors, drivers ornaments, steeds, standards streamers crushed, shattered and torn to pieces. Those cars then, o monarch, resembled animate beings deprived of their vital breaths by the enemy with his arrows.
रथाश्ववृन्दैः सह सादिभिर्हतैः प्रविद्धभाण्डाभरणैः पृथग्विधैः। र्धरा बभौ घोरविरूपदर्शना॥
Then the earth assumed a dreadful and repulsive aspect, being strewn over with numerous horses and their riders all lying dead, with precious housings and blankets of various kind scattered about and in consequence of the tongues, teeth, entrails and eyes of those creatures being drawn out of their places.
प्रविद्धवर्माभरणाम्बरायुधा विपन्नहस्त्यश्वरथानुगा नराः। महार्हशय्यास्तरणोचितास्तदा क्षितावनाथा इव शेरते हताः॥
Men adorned with precious armours ornaments and garments and weapons, deprived of life, lay prostrate on the field with slain horses and elephants and shattered chariots, on the naked earth, totally helpless, although quite deserving of precious blankets and beds.
अतीव हृष्टाः श्वशृगालवायसा बकाः सुपर्णाश्च वृकास्तरक्षवः। वयांस्यसृक्पान्यथ रक्षसां गणाः पिशाचसंघाश्च सुदारुणा रणे॥
Greatly delighted dogs, jackals and crows and numerous other flesh-eating birds and wolves and hyenas and ravens and other blooddrinking animals animals and various clans of Rakshasas and large bodies of Pisachas, repairing to the field of battle.
त्वचो विनिर्भिद्य पिबन् वसामसृक् तथैव मज्जाः पिशितानि चाश्नुवन्। वपां विलुम्पन्ति हसन्ति गान्ति च प्रकर्षमाणा: कुणपान्यनेकशः॥
Tore open the corpses and drank their fat marrow and blood and then fell upon eating their flesh. They began also to drink the secretions of rotten corpses, while some of the Rakshasa laughed terribly and dragged out dead bodies by thousands.
शरीरसंघातवहा ह्यसृग्जला रथोडुपा कुञ्जरशैलसङ्कटा। मनुष्यशीर्षोपलमांसकर्दमा प्रविद्धनानाविधशस्त्रमालिनी॥ भयावहा वैतरणीव दुस्तरा प्रवर्तिता योधवरैस्तदा नदी। उवाह मध्येन रणाजिरे भृशं भयावहा जीवमृतप्रवाहिनी॥
An awful river like the Vaitarani itself difficult of being tided over, was created there by many best of car-warriors. Its waters were formed by the blood of slain creatures. Chariots formed the rafts on which to cross it; elephants constituted its rocks and the heads of men formed its pebbles. It was muddy with the flesh of slain elephants, men and horses. Various kinds of weapons constituted the garlands floating on it. That dreadful current of blood flowed through the middle of the field of battle carrying with it living being to the doleful abodes of Death.
पिबन्ति चाश्नन्ति च यत्र दुर्दशा: पिशाचसंघास्तु नदन्ति भैरवाः। सुनन्दिताः प्राणभृतां क्षयङ्कराः समानभक्षाः श्वशृगालपक्षिणः॥
Drinking and eating in that stream numerous Pisachas of terrible and repulsive aspect rejoiced. Dogs and jackals and flesh eating birds, all partaking of the same food and striking terror into the hearts of the living creatures held a great feast (on its banks).
तथा तदायोधनमुग्रदर्शनं निशामुखे पितृपतिराष्ट्रवर्धनम्। निरीक्षमाणाः शनकै हुनराः समुत्थिता नृत्तकबन्धसंकुलम्॥
Then at the advent of night, looking upon that fierce field of battle that had increased largely the population of Deaths regions and that was infested with dancing headless trunks of soldiers, they slowly went away from it.
अपेतविध्वस्तमहार्हभूषणं निपातितं शक्रसमं महाबलम्। रणेऽभिमन्युं ददृशुस्तदा जना व्यपोढहव्यं सदसीव पावकम्॥
Then as they left if, they saw the mighty car-warrior Abhimanyu, who resembled Indra himself, lying on the field of battle, with precious ornaments displaced and falling off and appearing like a sacrificial fire on the alter no longer fed by oblations of clarified butter.