The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 6.18: aṣṭādaśo'dhyāyaḥ

6.18.1

saṃjaya uvāca |
tato muhūrtāttumulaḥ śabdo hṛdayakampanaḥ |
aśrūyata mahārāja yodhānāṃ prayuyutsatām || 1 ||

Sanjaya said,--"Soon after, O king, a loud uproar, causing the heart to tremble was heard, made by the combatants ready for the fight. Indeed, with the sounds of conches and drums, the grunts of elephants, and the clatter of car-wheels, the Earth seemed to rend in twain. And soon the welkin and the whole Earth was filled with the neigh of chargers and the shouts of combatants. O irresistible one, the troops of thy sons and of the Pandavas both trembled when they encountered each other. There (on the field of battle) elephants and cars, decked in gold, looked beautiful like clouds decked with lightning. And standards of diverse forms, O king, belonging to the combatants on thy side, and adorned with golden rings, looked resplendent like fire. And those standards of thy side and theirs, resembled, O Bharata, the banners of Indra in his celestial mansions. And the heroic warriors all accoutred and cased in golden coats of mail endued with the effulgence of the blazing Sun, themselves looked like blazing fire or the Sun. All the foremost warriors amongst the Kurus, O king, with excellent bows, and weapons upraised (for striking), with leathern fences on their hands, and with standards,--those mighty bowmen, of eyes large as those of bulls, all placed themselves at the heads of their (respective) divisions. And these amongst thy sons, O king, protected Bhishma from behind, viz.. Dussasana, and Durvishaha, and Durmukha, and Dussaha and Vivinsati, and Chitrasena, and that mighty car-warrior Vikarna.

6.18.2

śaṅkhadundubhinirghoṣairvāraṇānāṃ ca bṛṃhitaiḥ |
rathānāṃ nemighoṣaiśca dīryatīva vasuṃdharā || 2 ||

6.18.3

hayānāṃ heṣamāṇānāṃ yodhānāṃ tatra garjatām |
kṣaṇena khaṃ diśaścaiva śabdenāpūritaṃ tadā || 3 ||

6.18.4

putrāṇāṃ tava durdharṣa pāṇḍavānāṃ tathaiva ca |
samakampanta sainyāni parasparasamāgame || 4 ||

6.18.5

tatra nāgā rathāścaiva jāmbūnadavibhūṣitāḥ |
bhrājamānā vyadṛśyanta meghā iva savidyutaḥ || 5 ||

6.18.6

dhvajā bahuvidhākārāstāvakānāṃ narādhipa |
kāñcanāṅgadino rejurjvalitā iva pāvakāḥ || 6 ||

6.18.7

sveṣāṃ caiva pareṣāṃ ca samadṛśyanta bhārata |
mahendraketavaḥ śubhrā mahendrasadaneṣviva || 7 ||

6.18.8

kāñcanaiḥ kavacairvīrā jvalanārkasamaprabhaiḥ |
saṃnaddhāḥ pratyadṛśyanta grahāḥ prajvalitā iva || 8 ||

6.18.9

udyatairāyudhaiścitraistalabaddhāḥ patākinaḥ |
ṛṣabhākṣā maheṣvāsāścamūmukhagatā babhuḥ || 9 ||

6.18.10

pṛṣṭhagopāstu bhīṣmasya putrāstava narādhipa |
duḥśāsano durviṣaho durmukho duḥsahastathā || 10 ||

6.18.11

viviṃśatiścitraseno vikarṇaśca mahārathaḥ |
satyavrataḥ purumitro jayo bhūriśravāḥ śalaḥ || 11 ||

[paragraph continues] And amongst them were Satyavrata, and Purumitra, and Jaya, and Bhurisravas, and Sala. And twenty thousand car-warriors followed them. The Abhishahas, the Surasenas, the Sivis, and the Vasatis, the Swalyas, the Matsyas, the Amvashtas, the Trigartas, and the Kekayas, the Sauviras, the Kitavas, and the dwellers of the Eastern, Western, and the Northern countries,--these twelve brave races were resolved to fight reckless of the lives. And these protected the grandsire with a multitudinous array of cars. And with a division that consisted of ten thousand active elephants, the king of Magadha followed that large car division. They that protected the wheels of the cars and they that protected the elephants, numbered full six millions. And the foot-soldiers that marched in advance (of the army), armed with bows, swords, and shields, numbered many hundreds of thousands. And they fought also using their nails and bearded darts. And the ten and one Akshauhinis of thy son, O Bharata, looked, O mighty king, like Ganga separated from Yamuna. "

6.18.12

rathā viṃśatisāhasrāstathaiṣāmanuyāyinaḥ |
abhīṣāhāḥ śūrasenāḥ śibayo'tha vasātayaḥ || 12 ||

6.18.13

śālvā matsyāstathāmbaṣṭhāstrigartāḥ kekayāstathā |
sauvīrāḥ kitavāḥ prācyāḥ pratīcyodīcyamālavāḥ || 13 ||

6.18.14

dvādaśaite janapadāḥ sarve śūrāstanutyajaḥ |
mahatā rathavaṃśena te'bhyarakṣanpitāmaham || 14 ||

6.18.15

anīkaṃ daśasāhasraṃ kuñjarāṇāṃ tarasvinām |
māgadho yena nṛpatistadrathānīkamanvayāt || 15 ||

6.18.16

rathānāṃ cakrarakṣāśca pādarakṣāśca dantinām |
abhūvanvāhinīmadhye śatānāmayutāni ṣaṭ || 16 ||

6.18.17

pādātāścāgrato'gacchandhanuścarmāsipāṇayaḥ |
anekaśatasāhasrā nakharaprāsayodhinaḥ || 17 ||

6.18.18

akṣauhiṇyo daśaikā ca tava putrasya bhārata |
adṛśyanta mahārāja gaṅgeva yamunāntare || 18 ||