संजय उवाच ततः समभवद् युद्धं शुक्राङ्गिरसवर्चसोः। नक्षत्रमभितो व्योम्नि शुक्राङ्गिरसयोरिव॥
Sanjaya said Thereupon the battle waged between them (Arjuna and Ashvatthaman) who were like the planets Sakra and Angirasa in splendour; even as there had taken place a battle between Sakra and Angirasa in the firmament for entering the constellation.
संतापयन्तावन्योन्यं दीप्तैः शरगभस्तिभिः। लोकत्रासकरावास्तां विमार्गस्थौ ग्रहाविव॥
Those two warriors, who inspired the people of the world with fears, afflicted cach other with resplendent arrows, that were like their rays and resembled two planets, that had gone away from their proper paths.
ततोऽविध्यद् ध्रुवोर्मध्ये नाराचेनार्जुनो भृशम्। स तेन विबभौ द्रौणिरूलरश्मिर्यथा रविः॥
Thereupon Arjuna deeply penetrated him (Ashvatthaman) in the midst of his eye-brows with a sharp arrow. Therewith the son of Drona blazed forth like the sun with his upward rays.
अथ कृष्णौ शरशतैरश्वत्थाम्नार्दितौ भृशम्। स्वरश्मिजालविकचौ युगान्तार्काविवासतुः॥
Thus the two Krishnas (Arjuna and Keshava) having been greatly afflicted by Ashvatthaman with hundreds of keen arrows, stood (in the field), blazing forth, covered ever as they were by their own rays, like the two suns appearing at the end of the Yuga.
मवासृजद् वासुदेवेऽभिभूते। र्वज्रग्निवैवस्वतदण्डकल्पैः॥
Thereupon when Vasudeva became invisible, Arjuna shot a weapon with sharp edges on all sides. He then slew the son of Drona with a large number of arrows, that were either like the thunder-bolt, or like the rod of Death.
स केशवं चार्जुनं चातितेजा विव्याध मर्मस्वतिरौद्रकर्मा। राहतो मृत्युपरि व्यथेत॥
That one of immense strength, always performing the most difficult deeds, pierced both Keshava and Arjuna in the most vital part of their bodies with arrows, that were endued with fierce impetuosity. Even death, being struck by them, feels great pain.
द्रौणेरिघुनर्जुनः संनिवार्य व्यायच्छतस्तविगुणैः सुपुङ्खः। मावृत्य संशप्तकसैन्यमार्च्छत्॥
After having restrained the arrows shot by the son of Drona, Arjuna shrouded him over with twice as many shafts, furnished with the wings. He then, having closed over that best hero, the unique of his class, along with his horses, the driver of his car and his standards, began to smite down the army of the Samsaptakas.
धनूंषि बाणनिषुधीर्धनाः पाणीन् भुजान् पाणिगतं च शस्त्रम्। छत्राणि केतूंस्तुरगान रथेषां वस्त्राणि माल्यान्यथ भूषणानि॥ चर्माणि वर्माणि मनोरमाणि प्रियाणि सर्वाणि शिरांसि चैव। र्बाणैः स्थितानामपराडमुखानाम्॥
Then the son of Pritha cut-off with his willshot arrows, the bows, the shafts, the quivers, the bow-strings, the hands, the arms, the weapons grasped in their hands, the umbrellas, the standards, swift horses, the shafts deposited in the cars, the clothes, the floral wreaths, the ornaments, the coats of mail, the shields, the heads, all of them most handsome and endearing, of the enemies, who stood in the field determined never to turn their backs towards their foes.
सुकल्पिताः स्यन्दनवाजिनागा: समास्थिताः कृतयत्नकृतैर्नृवीरैः। स्तैरेव साधु नृवरा निपेतुः॥
The excellently ornamented cars, horses and elephants, that were ridden over by heroes among men, who were capable of fighting with the greatest care, were smitten down with hundreds of arrows shot by the son of Pritha. Along with these the foremost of heroes among men fell down.
पद्मार्कपूर्णन्दुनिभाननानि किरीटमाल्याभरणोज्ज्वलानि। भल्लार्धचन्द्रक्षुरकर्तितानि प्रपेतुरुवा॒ नृशिरांस्यजस्त्रम॥
The heads of persons, furnished with faces resembling the lotus, the sun and the full moon in beauty and adorned with diadems, crowns of highest splendour and again, slain by the broad-headed, the crescent-shaped and razorlike arrows, fell down upon the earth without cessation.
वारिदर्पापहमत्युदयम्। कलिङ्गवङ्गाङ्गनिषादवीरा जिघांसवः पाण्डवमभ्यधावन्॥
Thereupon the heroes, belonging to the races, called the Kalingas, the Bangas, the Angas and the Nishadhas, most desirous of slaying him, riding upon elephants as splendid as the elephant of the great enemy of the Daityas, proceeded most rapidly against the son of Pandu, who had checked the pride of the foes of the celestials.
तेषां द्विपानां निचकर्त पार्थो वर्माणि चर्माणि करान् नियन्तृन्। र्वजाहतानीव गिरेः शिरांसि॥
The son of Pritha severed into fragments, the armour, the vital parts, the trunks, the riders, the standards and flags of those elephants, which then fell down upon the earth, even as the summits of mountains drop down on the ground, when smitten by the thunder.
तेषु प्रभग्नेषु गुरोस्तनूजं बाणैः किरीटी नवसूर्यवर्णैः। र्वायुः समुद्यन्तमिवांशुमन्तम्॥
When that elephant force was entirely destroyed, the diadem-decked one (Arjuna) closed the son of his preceptor with arrows, having the color of the newly-risen sun; even as the wind wholly covers the risen sun with the net-work of vast masses of clouds.
ततोऽर्जुनेषूनिषुभिर्निरस्य द्रौणि शितैरर्जुनवासुदेवौ। प्रच्छादयित्वा दिवि चन्द्रसूर्यो ननाद सोऽम्भोद इवातपान्त॥
Then having restrained the shafts of Arjuna with the arrows of his own, the son of Drona after closing both Arjuna and Vasudeva with innumerable shafts, roared most loudly; even as the vast mass of clouds, appearing in the firmament at the end of the summer season, after covering both the sun and the moon, makes a loud uproar.
नभ्यर्दितस्तैरभिसृत्य शस्त्रैः। बाणान्धकारं सहसैव कृत्त्वा विव्याध सर्वानिषुभिः सुपुङ्खः ॥
Arjuna having been highly oppressed with those weapons and having dispelled the darkness (caused with the arrowy showers of Ashvaithaman), suddenly darkened all with the torrents of arrows and again and again pierced him (Ashvatthaman) and all those, belonging to your army, with arrows furnished with the excellent wings.
नाप्याददत् संदधन्नैव मुञ्चन् वाणान् रथेऽद्दश्यत सव्यसाची। रथांश्च नागांस्तुरगान् पदातीन् संस्यूतदेहान् दद्दशुर्हतांश्च॥
Savyasachin could not be seen while taking up the arrows, or aiming them, or shooting them. But only this could be seen that the elephants, the horses, the foot-soldiers and the cars (i.e. the car-warriors), with their bodies cut-off, were slain (with the arrows of Arjuna).
संधाय नाराचवरान् दशाशु द्रौणिस्त्वरनेकमिवोत्ससर्ज। तेषां त पञ्चार्जुनमभ्यविध्यन् पञ्चाच्युतं निर्बिभिदुः सुपुङ्खाः॥
Then the son of Drona, after having immediately aimed ten foremost of arrows, shot them, as if one with great activity. Of these ten shafts, excellently shot, five pierced Arjuna and the remaining five deeply penetrated that Eternal One (Keshava).
वसृक् स्त्रवन्तौ धनदेन्द्रकल्पौ। समाप्तविधेन तथाभिभूतौ हतौ रणे ताविति मेनिरेऽन्ये॥
All the people considered these two foremost of persons, resembling Kubera and Indra, who being struck with those arrows, were drenched in blood (i.e. blood having flowed down their limbs) and who were highly afflicted by that one, who had completed his education (in the science of arms), slain in the field of battle.
अथार्जुनं प्राह दशार्हनाथः प्रमाद्यसे सिं जहि योधमेतम्। कुर्याद्धि दोषं समुपेक्षितोऽयं कष्टो भवेद् व्याधिरिवाक्रियावान्॥
Thereupon the king of the Dasharha race, said to Arjuna these words-Why do you make this mistake? Do you slay this heroic chief. This will, indeed, be committing a great fault, if this person be neglected, who will hereafter be the cause of great uneasiness, even as the disease, if neglected, becomes the cause of great woe.
तथेति चोक्तवाच्युमप्रमादी द्रौणि प्रयत्नदिषुभिस्ततक्षा भुजौ वरौ चन्दनसारदिग्धौ वक्षः शिरोऽथाप्रतिमौ तथोरु॥ गाण्डीवमुक्तैः कुपितोऽविकणे द्रौणि शरैः संयति निर्बिभेद। छित्वा तु रश्मीस्तुरमानविध्यत् ते तं रणादूहुरतीव दूरम्॥
Unerring Arjuna, having said to the Eternal One-So be it, cut into minute fragments the son of Drona with the greatest care. Then, horses, again Arjuna having been filled with wrath with good care, pierced the son of Drona in the two arms, that were the best of their kind and also that were besmeared with the soft sandal and also of the chest, the head and the extraordinary thighs, with arrows furnished with heads like the ears of goats, excellently shot from his Gandiva bow. Moreover the son of Pandu, having severed the traces of his antagonist's pierced the horses themselves and also carried away his foe to a great distance from the field of battle.
द्रौणिर्दढं पार्थशराभिभूतः। इयेष नावृत्य पुनस्तु योद्धं पार्थेन सार्धं मतिमान् विमृश्य। जानञ्जयं नियतं वृष्णिवीरे धनंजये चाङ्गिरसां वरिष्ठः॥
The son of Drona, who was thus carried away from the field, on those horses, as swift as the wind, became deeply afflicted with the arrows of the son of Pritha. Then that intelligent one (Ashvatthaman) having meditated for a while, liked not to return back with a view to fight with the son of Pritha. The most exalted one of the Angirasa's race, who was possessed of immense activity and who became destitute of all aspirations and who had all his arrows and weapons exhausted, after knowing that victory was ever with the chief of the Vrishni race and Dhananjaya, entered into the army of Karna.
नियम्य सहयान द्रौणिः समाश्वास्य च मारिष। रथाश्वनरसम्बाधं कर्णस्य प्राविशद् बलम्॥
Then, indeed, O sire, the son of Drona, after having checked his horses and consoled himself entered the army of Karna, that was teemed with cars, horses and men.
प्रतीपकारिणी रणादश्वत्थाम्नि हते हयैः। मन्त्रौषधीक्रियायोगैाधौ देहादिवाहते॥
When Ashvatthaman, who was their bitterest enemy, had been carried away by the horses from the field of battle, even as the disease is driven away from the body by incantations, medicines and efficacious means.
संशप्तकानभिमुखौ प्रयातौ केशवार्जुनौ। वातोद्भूतपताकेन स्यन्दनेनौघनादिना॥
Both Keshava and Arjuna, riding upon cars, with flags waved by the wind and whose rattle was like the loud roar of the clouds, advanced towards the front of the army of the Samsaptakas. disease is driven away from the body by incantations, medicines and efficacious means.
संशप्तकानभिमुखौ प्रयातौ केशवार्जुनौ। वातोद्भूतपताकेन स्यन्दनेनौघनादिना॥
Both Keshava and Arjuna, riding upon cars, with flags waved by the wind and whose rattle was like the loud roar of the clouds, advanced towards the front of the army of the Samsaptakas.