The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 8.2: dvitīyo'dhyāyaḥ

8.2.1

saṃjaya uvāca |
hate droṇe maheṣvāse tava putrā mahārathāḥ |
babhūvurāśvastamukhā viṣaṇṇā gatacetasaḥ || 1 ||

"Sanjaya said, 'Upon the fall of the great bowman Drona, thy sons, those mighty car-warriors, became pale and deprived of their senses. Armed with weapons, all of them, O monarch, hung down their heads. Afflicted with grief and without looking at one another, they stood perfectly silent. Beholding them with such afflicted countenances, thy troops, O Bharata, themselves perturbed by grief, vacantly gazed upwards. Seeing Drona slain in battle, the weapons of many of them, O king, dyed with blood, dropped from their hands. Innumerable weapons, again, O Bharata, still retained in the grasp of the soldiers, seemed in their pendent attitude, to resemble falling meteors in the sky. Then king Duryodhana, O monarch, beholding that army of thine thus standing as if paralysed and lifeless, said, "Relying upon the might of your army I have summoned the Pandavas to battle and caused this passage-at-arms to commence! Upon the fall of Drona, however, the prospect seems to be cheerless. Warriors engaged in battle all die in battle. Engaged in battle, a warrior may have either victory or death. What can be strange then in this (viz., the death of Drona)? Fight ye with faces turned towards every direction. Behold now the high-souled Karna, the son of Vikartana, that great bowman of mighty strength, careering in battle, using his celestial weapons! Through fear of that warrior in battle, that coward, viz., Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, always turns back like a small deer at the sight of a lion! It is he who, by the ordinary methods of human battle, brought the mighty Bhimasena endued with the strength of 10,000 elephants to that plight! It is he who, uttering a loud roar, slew with his invincible dart the brave Ghatotkaca of a 1,000 illusions and well-acquainted with celestial weapons! Behold today the inexhaustible might of arms of that intelligent warrior of sure aim and invincible energy! Let the sons of Pandu behold today the prowess of both Ashvatthama and Karna resembling that of Vishnu and Vasava! All of you are singly able to slay the sons of Pandu with their troops in battle! How much more then are you capable, when united together, of that feat! Endued with great energy and accomplished in weapons, you will today behold one another engaged in the achievement of mighty tasks!'"

8.2.2

avāṅmukhāḥ śastrabhṛtaḥ sarva eva viśāṃ pate |
aprekṣamāṇāḥ śokārtā nābhyabhāṣanparasparam || 2 ||

8.2.3

tāndṛṣṭvā vyathitākārānsainyāni tava bhārata |
ūrdhvamevābhyavekṣanta duḥkhatrastānyanekaśaḥ || 3 ||

8.2.4

śastrāṇyeṣāṃ ca rājendra śoṇitāktānyaśeṣataḥ |
prābhraśyanta karāgrebhyo dṛṣṭvā droṇaṃ nipātitam || 4 ||

8.2.5

tāni baddhānyaniṣṭāni lambamānāni bhārata |
adṛśyanta mahārāja nakṣatrāṇi yathā divi || 5 ||

8.2.6

tathārtaṃ stimitaṃ dṛṣṭvā gatasattvamiva sthitam |
svaṃ balaṃ tanmahārāja rājā duryodhano'bravīt || 6 ||

8.2.7

bhavatāṃ bāhuvīryaṃ hi samāśritya mayā yudhi |
pāṇḍaveyāḥ samāhūtā yuddhaṃ cedaṃ pravartitam || 7 ||

8.2.8

tadidaṃ nihate droṇe viṣaṇṇamiva lakṣyate |
yudhyamānāśca samare yodhā vadhyanti sarvataḥ || 8 ||

8.2.9

jayo vāpi vadho vāpi yudhyamānasya saṃyuge |
bhavetkimatra citraṃ vai yudhyadhvaṃ sarvatomukhāḥ || 9 ||

8.2.10

paśyadhvaṃ ca mahātmānaṃ karṇaṃ vaikartanaṃ yudhi |
pracarantaṃ maheṣvāsaṃ divyairastrairmahābalam || 10 ||

8.2.11

yasya vai yudhi saṃtrāsātkuntīputro dhanaṃjayaḥ |
nivartate sadāmarṣātsiṃhātkṣudramṛgo yathā || 11 ||

8.2.12

yena nāgāyutaprāṇo bhīmaseno mahābalaḥ |
mānuṣeṇaiva yuddhena tāmavasthāṃ praveśitaḥ || 12 ||

8.2.13

yena divyāstravicchūro māyāvī sa ghaṭotkacaḥ |
amoghayā raṇe śaktyā nihato bhairavaṃ nadan || 13 ||

8.2.14

tasya duṣpāravīryasya satyasaṃdhasya dhīmataḥ |
bāhvordraviṇamakṣayyamadya drakṣyatha saṃyuge || 14 ||

8.2.15

droṇaputrasya vikrāntaṃ rādheyasyaiva cobhayoḥ |
pāṇḍupāñcālasainyeṣu drakṣyathāpi mahātmanoḥ || 15 ||

8.2.16

sarva eva bhavantaśca śūrāḥ prājñāḥ kulodgatāḥ |
śīlavantaḥ kṛtāstrāśca drakṣyathādya parasparam || 16 ||

8.2.17

evamukte mahārāja karṇo vaikartano nṛpaḥ |
siṃhanādaṃ vinadyoccaiḥ prāyudhyata mahābalaḥ || 17 ||

"Sanjaya continued, 'Having said these words, O sinless one, thy son Duryodhana, with his brothers, made Karna the generalissimo (of the Kuru army). Obtaining the command, the mighty car-warrior Karna, so fierce in battle, uttered loud roars and fought with the foe. He caused, O sire, a great carnage among the Srinjayas, the Pancalas, the Kekayas, and the Videhas. From his bow issued innumerable lines of arrows, one close behind the wings of another, like flights of bees. Having afflicted the Pancalas and the Pandavas endued with great activity, and slain thousands of warriors, he was at last slain by Arjuna!"

8.2.18

sa sṛñjayānāṃ sarveṣāṃ pāñcālānāṃ ca paśyatām |
kekayānāṃ videhānāmakarotkadanaṃ mahat || 18 ||

8.2.19

tasyeṣudhārāḥ śataśaḥ prādurāsañśarāsanāt |
agre puṅkhe ca saṃsaktā yathā bhramarapaṅktayaḥ || 19 ||

8.2.20

sa pīḍayitvā pāñcālānpāṇḍavāṃśca tarasvinaḥ |
hatvā sahasraśo yodhānarjunena nipātitaḥ || 20 ||