The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 4.50: pañcāśo'dhyāyaḥ

4.50.1

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
apayāte tu rādheye duryodhanapurogamāḥ |
anīkena yathāsvena śarairārcchanta pāṇḍavam || 1 ||

"Vaisampayana said, 'After the son of Radha had fled from the field, other warriors headed by Duryodhana, one after another, fell upon the son of Pandu with their respective divisions. And like the shore withstanding the fury of the surging sea, that warrior withstood the rage of that countless host rushing towards him, arrayed in order of battle and showering clouds of arrows. And that foremost of car-warriors, Kunti's son Vibhatsu of white steeds, rushed towards the foe, discharging celestial weapons all the while. Partha soon covered all the points of the horizon with countless arrows shot from the Gandiva, like the sun covering the whole earth with his rays. And amongst those that fought on cars and horses and elephants, and amongst the mail-clad foot-soldiers, there was none that had on his body a space of even two finger's breadth unwounded with sharp arrows. And for his dexterity in applying celestial weapons, and for the training of the steeds and the skill of Uttara, and for the coursing of his weapons, and his prowess and light-handedness, people began to regard Arjuna as the fire that blazeth forth during the time of the universal dissolution for consuming all created things. And none amongst the foe could cast his eyes on Arjuna who shone like a blazing fire of great effulgence.

4.50.2

bahudhā tasya sainyasya vyūḍhasyāpatataḥ śaraiḥ |
abhiyānīyamājñāya vairāṭiridamabravīt || 2 ||

Indeed, the sun ceaseth to shed his rays as soon as he sets, but the son of Pandu ceased not to shoot his shafts. And that hero of inconceivable energy overwhelmed, by means of all celestial weapons, all the great bowmen of the enemy, although they were possessed of great prowess. And Arjuna then shot three and seventy arrows of sharp points at Drona, and ten at Dussaha and eight at Drona's son, and twelve at Dussasana, and three at Kripa, the son of Saradwat. And that slayer of foes pierced Bhishma, the son of Santanu, with arrows, and king Duryodhana with a hundred. And, lastly, he pierced Karna in the ear with a bearded shaft. And when that great bowmen Karna, skilled in all weapons, was thus pierced, and his horses and car and car-driver were all destroyed, the troops that supported him began to break. And beholding those soldiers break and give way the son of Virata desirous of knowing Partha's purpose, addressed him on the field of battle, and said, 'O Partha, standing on this beautiful car, with myself as charioteer, towards which division shall I go? For, commanded by thee, I would soon take thee thither.'

4.50.3

āsthāya ruciraṃ jiṣṇo rathaṃ sārathinā mayā |
katamadyāsyase'nīkamukto yāsyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 3 ||

4.50.4

arjuna uvāca |
lohitākṣamariṣṭaṃ yaṃ vaiyāghramanupaśyasi |
nīlāṃ patākāmāśritya rathe tiṣṭhantamuttara || 4 ||

"Arjuna replied, 'O Uttara, yonder auspicious warrior whom thou seest cased in coat of tiger-skin and stationed on his car furnished with a blue-flag and drawn by red steeds, is Kripa. There is to be seen the van of Kripa's division. Take me thither. I shall show that great bowman my swift-handedness in archery. And that warrior whose flag beareth the device of an elegant water-pot worked in gold, is the preceptor Drona--that foremost of all wielders of weapons. He is always an object of regard with me, as also with all bearers of arms. Do thou, therefore, circumambulate that great hero cheerfully. Let us bend our heads there, for that is the eternal virtue. If Drona strikes my body first, then I shall strike him, for then he will not be able to resent it. There, close to Drona, that warrior whose flag beareth the device of a bow, is the preceptor's son, the great car-warrior Aswatthaman, who is always an object of regard with me as also with every bearer of arms. Do thou, therefore, stop again and again, while thou comest by his car. There, that warrior who stayeth on his car, cased in golden mail and surrounded by a third part of the army consisting of the most efficient troops, and whose flag beareth the device of an elephant in a ground of gold, is the illustrious king Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra. O hero, take before him this thy car that is capable of grinding hostile cars. This king is difficult of being vanquished in battle and is capable of grinding all foes. He is regarded as the first of all Drona's disciples in lightness of hand. I shall, in battle, show him my superior swiftness in archery. There, that warrior whose flag beareth the device of a stout chord for binding elephants, is Karna, the son of Vikartana, already known to thee. When thou comest before that wicked son of Radha, be thou very careful, for he always challengeth me to an encounter. And that warrior whose flag is blue and beareth the device of five stars with a sun (in the centre), and who endued with great energy stayeth on his car holding a huge bow in hand and wearing excellent fences, and over whose head is an umbrella of pure white, who standeth at the head of a multitudinous array of cars with various flags and banners like the sun in advance of masses of black clouds, and whose mail of gold looks bright as the sun or the moon, and who with his helmet of gold striketh terror into my heart, is Bhishma, the son of Santanu and the grandsire of us all. Entertained with regal splendour by Duryodhana, he is very partial and well-affected towards that prince. Let him be approached last of all, for he may, even now, be an obstacle to me. While fighting with me, do thou carefully guide the steeds. Thus addressed by him, Virata's son, O king, guided Savyasachin's car with great alacrity towards the spot where Kripa stood anxious to fight.'"

4.50.5

kṛpasyaitadrathānīkaṃ prāpayasvaitadeva mām |
etasya darśayiṣyāmi śīghrāstraṃ dṛḍhadhanvinaḥ || 5 ||

4.50.6

kamaṇḍalurdhvaje yasya śātakumbhamayaḥ śubhaḥ |
ācārya eṣa vai droṇaḥ sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ || 6 ||

4.50.7

suprasannamanā vīra kuruṣvainaṃ pradakṣiṇam |
atraiva cāvirodhena eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ || 7 ||

4.50.8

yadi me prathamaṃ droṇaḥ śarīre prahariṣyati |
tato'sya prahariṣyāmi nāsya kopo bhaviṣyati || 8 ||

4.50.9

asyāvidūre tu dhanurdhvajāgre yasya dṛśyate |
ācāryasyaiṣa putro vai aśvatthāmā mahārathaḥ || 9 ||

4.50.10

sadā mamaiṣa mānyaśca sarvaśastrabhṛtāmapi |
etasya tvaṃ rathaṃ prāpya nivartethāḥ punaḥ punaḥ || 10 ||

4.50.11

ya eṣa tu rathānīke suvarṇakavacāvṛtaḥ |
senāgryeṇa tṛtīyena vyavahāryeṇa tiṣṭhati || 11 ||

4.50.12

yasya nāgo dhvajāgre vai hemaketanasaṃśritaḥ |
dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajaḥ śrīmāneṣa rājā suyodhanaḥ || 12 ||

4.50.13

etasyābhimukhaṃ vīra rathaṃ pararathārujaḥ |
prāpayasvaiṣa tejobhipramāthī yuddhadurmadaḥ || 13 ||

4.50.14

eṣa droṇasya śiṣyāṇāṃ śīghrāstraḥ prathamo mataḥ |
etasya darśayiṣyāmi śīghrāstraṃ vipulaṃ śaraiḥ || 14 ||

4.50.15

nāgakakṣyā tu rucirā dhvajāgre yasya tiṣṭhati |
eṣa vaikartanaḥ karṇo viditaḥ pūrvameva te || 15 ||

4.50.16

etasya rathamāsthāya rādheyasya durātmanaḥ |
yatto bhavethāḥ saṃgrāme spardhatyeṣa mayā sadā || 16 ||

4.50.17

yastu nīlānusāreṇa pañcatāreṇa ketunā |
hastāvāpī bṛhaddhanvā rathe tiṣṭhati vīryavān || 17 ||

4.50.18

yasya tārārkacitro'sau rathe dhvajavaraḥ sthitaḥ |
yasyaitatpāṇḍuraṃ chatraṃ vimalaṃ mūrdhni tiṣṭhati || 18 ||

4.50.19

mahato rathavaṃśasya nānādhvajapatākinaḥ |
balāhakāgre sūryo vā ya eṣa pramukhe sthitaḥ || 19 ||

4.50.20

haimaṃ candrārkasaṃkāśaṃ kavacaṃ yasya dṛśyate |
jātarūpaśirastrāṇastrāsayanniva me manaḥ || 20 ||

4.50.21

eṣa śāṃtanavo bhīṣmaḥ sarveṣāṃ naḥ pitāmahaḥ |
rājaśriyāvabaddhastu duryodhanavaśānugaḥ || 21 ||

4.50.22

paścādeṣa prayātavyo na me vighnakaro bhavet |
etena yudhyamānasya yattaḥ saṃyaccha me hayān || 22 ||

4.50.23

tato'bhyavahadavyagro vairāṭiḥ savyasācinam |
yatrātiṣṭhatkṛpo rājanyotsyamāno dhanaṃjayam || 23 ||