संजय उवाच ततः प्रववृते युद्धं कुरूणां भयवर्धनम्। संजयैः सह राजेन्द्र घोरं देवासुरोपमम्॥
Sanjaya said Then took place the battle between the Kurus and the Srinjayas, O king, that was as fierce and awful as that between the celestials and the Asuras.
नरा रथा गजौघाश्च सादिनश्च सहस्रशः। वाजिनश्च पराक्रान्ता: समाजग्मुः परस्परम्॥
Men and cars and elephants and elephantwarriors and horsemen by thousands and horses, all very powerful, encountered one another.
गजानां भीमरूपाणां द्रवता निःस्वनो महान्। अश्रूयत यथा काले जलदानां नभस्तले॥
The loud noise of the rushing of dreadful elephants was then heard there, resembling the roars of the clouds in the sky in the rains.
नागैरभ्याहता: केचित् सरथा रथिनोऽपतन्। व्यद्रवन्त रणे वीरा द्राव्यमाणा मदोत्कटैः॥
Some car-warriors, struck by elephants, were deprived of their cars. Dispersed by those infuriate animals, other brave heroes ran away.
हयौधन पादरक्षांश्च रथिनस्तत्र शिक्षिताः। शरैः सम्प्रेषयामासुः परलोकाय भारत॥
Well-trained car-warriors, O Bharata, with their arrows, killed a number of cavalry and infantry that urged and protected the elephants.
सादिनः शिक्षिता राजन् परिवार्य महारथान्। विचरन्तो रणेऽभ्यघ्नन् प्रासशक्तवृष्टिभिस्तथा।।६।
Well-trained horsemen, king, surrounding great car-warriors, moved about in the field, striking and slaying the latter with spears and draft and swords.
धन्विनः पुरुषाः केचित् परिवार्य महारथान्। एकं बहव आसाद्य प्रययुर्यमसादनम्॥ नागान् रथवरांश्चान्ये परिवार्य महारथाः। सान्तरायोधिनं जघ्नुर्द्रवमाणं महारथम्॥
Some bowmen, surrounding great carwarriors, killed them. Encompassing elephant and great warriors of their own class, other great car-warriors killed some mighty one amongst them that fought in the field moving about on all sides.
तथा च रथिनं क्रुद्धं विकिरन्तं शरान् बहून्। नागा जघ्नुर्महाराज परिवार्य समन्ततः॥
Similarly, O king, elephants, encircling individual car-warriors worked up with rage and shooting arrows, killed them.
नागो नागमभिद्रुत्य रथी च रथिनं रणे। शक्तितोमरनाराचैर्निजने तत्र भारत॥
Elephant-warrior rushing against elephantwarrior and car-warrior against car-warrior, in that battle, killed each other with darts and lances and Narachas, O Bharata.
पादातानवमृद्नन्तो रथवारणवाजिनः। रणमध्ये व्यदृश्यन्त कुर्वन्तो महादाकुलम्॥
Cars and elephants and horses, crushing foot-soldiers in the midst of battle, mad a confusion all over.
हयाश्च पर्यधावन्त चामरैरुपशोभिताः। हंसा हिमवतः प्रस्थे पिबन्त इव मेदिनाम्॥
Adorned with yak-tails, horses rushed on all sides, looking like the swans found on the plains at the foot of Himavat. In their speed they seemed as if ready to devour the very earth.
तेषां तु वाजिना भूमिः खुरैश्चित्रा विशाम्पते। अशोभत यथा नारी करजैः क्षतविक्षता॥
The field, O king, marked with the hoofs of horses, looked beautiful like a beautiful woman bearing the marks of (her lover's) nails on her person.
वाजिनां खुरशब्देन रथनेमिस्वनेन च। पत्तीनां चापि शब्देन नागानां बृंहितेन च॥ वादित्राणां च घोषेण शङ्खानां निनदेन च। अभवन्नादिता भूमिर्निर्घातैरिव भारत॥
With the sound caused by the trampling of horses, the wheels of cars, the shouts of footsoldiers, the grunts of clephants, the beating of drums and other musical instruments and the blare of conchs, the earth began to resound as if with deafening peals of thunder.
धनुषां कूजमानानां शस्त्रौघानां च दीप्यताम्। कवचानां प्रभाभिश्च न प्राज्ञायत किञ्चन॥
On account of twanging bows and flashing swords and the glittering armour of the worriors everything was so confused there that nothing could be distinctly seen.
बहवो बाहवश्छिन्ना नागराजकरोपमाः। उद्वेष्टन्ते विचेष्टन्ते वेगं कुर्वन्ति दारुणम्॥
Numerous arms, chooped off from human bodies and looking like the tusks of elephants, jumped up and moved furiously about.
शिरोभिः पतितै ति पततां धरणीतले। च्युतानामिव तालेभ्यस्तालानां श्रूयते स्वनः॥
The sound, made, O monarch, by heads falling on the field of battle, resembled that made by the falling fruits of palmyra trees.
शिरोभिः पतितै ति रुधिराद्रैर्वसुन्धरा। तपनीयनिभैः काले नलिनैरिव भारत॥ उद्वृत्तनयनैस्तैस्तु गतसत्त्वैः सुविक्षतैः। व्यभ्राजत मही राजन् पुण्डरीकैरिवावृता।॥
Covered with those lifeless heads with upturned eyes, that were exceedingly mangled the field of battle, O king, looked resplendent as if covered with full-blown lotuses.
बाहुभिश्चन्दनादिग्धैः सकेयूरैर्महाधनैः। पतितै ति राजेन्द्र महाशक्रध्वजैरिव॥
With the fallen arms of the warriors smeared with sandal and adorned with rich Keyuras, the Earth looked resplendent as if strewn with the rich poles set up in Indra's honours.
ऊरुभिश्च नरेन्द्राणां विनिकृत्तैर्महाहवे। हस्तिहस्तोपमैरन्यैः संवृतं तद् रणाङ्गणम्॥
The battle-field-was covered with the things of kings, cut off in that battle and looking like the trunk of elephants.
कबन्धशतसंकीर्णं छत्रचामरसंकुलम्। सेनावनं तच्छुशुभे वनं पुष्पाचितं यथा॥
Covered with hundreds of headless trunks and strewn with umbrellas and yakyails, that vast army looked beautiful like a blossoming forest.
तत्र योधा महाराज विचरन्तो ह्यभीतवत्। दृश्यन्ते रुधिराक्ताङ्गाः पुष्पिता इव किंशुकाः॥
Then, on the field of battle, O monarch, warriors moved about fearlessly, their limbs bathed in blood and, therefore, looking like flowering Kinshukas.
मातङ्गाश्चाप्यदृश्यन्त शरतोमरपीडिताः। पतन्तस्तत्र तत्रैव छिन्नाभ्रसदृशा रणे॥
Elephants also, wounded with arrows and lances, dropped down here and there like broken clouds dropped from the sky.
गजानीकं महाराज वध्यमानं महात्मभिः। व्यदीर्यत दिशः सर्वा वातनुन्ना घना इव॥
O king, killed by great warriors, elephant divisions were dispersed in all directions like clouds scattered by the wind.
ते गजा घनसंकाशा: पेतुरुा समन्ततः। वज्रनुन्ना इव बभुः पर्वता युगसंक्षये॥
Those elephants, resembling clouds dropped on the earth like mountai is clapped by a thunder, O lord, at the time of the universal dissolution.
हयानां सादिभिः सार्धं पतितानां महीतले। राशयः स्म प्रदृश्यन्ते गिरिमात्रस्ततस्ततः॥
Horses with their drivers lay in masses on the ground like so many mountains.
संजज्ञे रणभूमौ तु परलोकवहा नदी। शोणितोदा रथावर्ता ध्वजवृक्षास्थिशर्करा॥
A river was formed on the field o, battle, flowing towards the other world. Blood formed its waters and cars its eddies, Standards were its trees, the bones its pebbles.
भुजनक्रा धनुःस्रोता हस्तिशैला हयोपला। मेदोमजाकर्दमिनी छत्रहंसा गदोडुपा॥
The arms were its alligators, bows its current, elephants its large rocks and its smaller ones. Fat and marrow constituted its mire, umbrellas its swans and maces its rafts.
कवचोष्णीषसंच्छन्ना पताकारुचिरदुमा। चक्रचक्रावलीजुष्टा त्रिवेणूरगसंवृता॥
Abounding with armour and head-gears, banners formed its beautiful trees. Wheels formed its swarms of Chakravakas and it was covered with Trivenus and Dandas.
शूराणां हर्षजननी भीरूणां भयवर्धनी। प्रावर्तत नदी रौद्रा कुरुसृञ्जयसंकुला॥
Filling the brave with joy and increasing the fears of the timid, that fierce river flowed the shores of which were filled with Kurus and Srinjayas.
तां नदी परलोकाय वहन्तीमतिभैस्वाम्। तेरुहिननौभिस्तैः : शूराः परिधबाहवः॥
Those brave warriors, with arms resembling bludgeons, by the aid of their cars and animals, acting as rafts and boats crossed that dreadful river which flowed towards the region of the deed.
वर्तमाने तदा युद्धे निर्मयादे विशाम्पते। चतुरङ्गक्षये घोरे पूर्वदेवासुरोपमे॥
During the course of that battle, O king, in which no consideration was showed by any body for any one and which with awful destruction of the four fold forces, resembled the battle between the celestials and the Asuras in the days of yore.
व्याक्रोशन् बान्धवानन्ये तत्र तत्र परंतप। क्रोशाद्भिर्दयितैरन्ये भयार्ता न निवतिरे।॥
Some warriors, O scorcher of foes, loudly called upon their kinsmen and friends. Some, called upon by crying kinsmen, returned stricken with fear,
निर्मर्यादे तथा युद्धे वर्तमाने भयानके। अर्जुनो भीमसेनश्च मोहयांचक्रतुः परान्॥
During the course of that fierce and dreadful battle, Arjuna and Bhimasena stupefied their foes.
सा वध्यमाना महती सेना तव नराधिप। अमुह्यत्तत्र तत्रैव योषिन्मदवशादिव॥
Your army, O king thus destroyed, swooned away on the field, like a woman under the influence of liquor.
मोहयित्वा च तां सेनां भीमसेनधनञ्जयौ। दध्मतुर्वारिजौ तत्र सिंहनादांश्च चक्रतुः॥
Having stupefied that army, Bhimasena and Dhananjaya blew their conchs and sent forth leonine roars.
श्रुत्वैव तु महाशब्दं धृष्टद्युम्नशिखण्डीनौ। धर्मराजं पुरस्कृत्य मद्रराजमभिद्रुतौ॥
On hearing that loud sound Dhristadyumna and Shikhandin, placing king Yudhishthira at their head, rushed against the king of the Madras.
तत्राश्चर्यमपश्याम घोररूपं विशाम्पते। शल्येन सङ्गताः शूरा यदयुध्यन्त भागशः॥
Highly wonderful and terrible, O monarch, was the manner in which those heroes, in a body and separately, fought with Shalya.
माद्रीपुत्रौ तु रभसौ कृतास्त्रौ युद्धदुर्मदौ। अभ्ययातां त्वरायुक्तौ जिगीषन्तौ परंतप॥
The two energetic sons of Madri, masters of weapons and invincible in battle, proceeded quickly against your army worked up with the desire of victory.
ततो न्यवर्तत बलं तावकं भरतर्षभ। शरैः प्रणुन्नं बहुधा पाण्डवैर्जितकाशिभिः॥
Then your army, O best of Bharata's race, wounded greatly with arrows by the Pandavas eager for victory, took to their heels in the battle.
वध्यमाना चमूः सा तु पुत्राणां प्रेक्षतां तव। भेजे दिशो महाराज प्रणुन्ना शरवृष्टिभिः॥
Thus struck and dispersed by strong bowmen, O king, that army fled away on all sides in the presence of your sons.
हाहाकारो महाञ्जज्ञे योधानां तव भारत। तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति चाप्यासीद् द्रावितानां महात्मनाम्॥
Exclamations of Oh and Alas, O Bharata, arose from among your warriors while some illustrious Kshatriyas among the dispersed combatants, desirous of victory, cried out, saying-stop, stop.
क्षत्रियाणां सहान्योन्यं संयुगे जयमिच्छताम्। प्राद्रवन्नेव सम्भग्नाः पाण्डवैस्तव सैनिकाः॥ त्यक्त्वा युद्धे प्रियान् पुत्रान् भ्रातृनथ पितामहान्। मातुलान् भागिनेयांश्च वयस्यानपि भारत॥
Despite it, your troops routed by the Pandavas, fled away leaving behind on the field, their dear sons and brothers and maternal uncles and sisters and relatives by marriage and other kinsmen.
हयान् द्विपांस्त्वरयन्तो योधा जग्मुः समन्ततः। आत्मत्राणकृतोत्साहास्तावका भरतर्षभ॥
Driving their horses and elephants to a great speed, thousands of warriors fled away O foremost of Bharata's race, anxious to secure their personal safety only.