The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 9.5: pañcamo'dhyāyaḥ

9.5.1

saṃjaya uvāca |
atha haimavate prasthe sthitvā yuddhābhinandinaḥ |
sarva eva mahārāja yodhāstatra samāgatāḥ || 1 ||

"Sanjaya said, 'On that table land at the foot of Himavat, those warriors, O monarch, delighting at the prospect of battle and assembled together, passed the night. Indeed, Shalya and Chitrasena and the mighty car-warrior Shakuni and Ashvatthama and Kripa and Kritavarma of the Satwata race, and Sushena and Arishtasena and Dhritasena of great energy and Jayatsena and all these kings passed the night there. After the heroic Karna had been slain in battle, thy sons, inspired with fright by the Pandavas desirous of victory, failed to obtain peace anywhere else than on the mountains of Himavat. All of them then, O king, who were resolved on battle, duly worshipped the king and said unto him, in the presence of Shalya, these words, "It behoveth thee to fight with the enemy, after having made some one the generalissimo of thy army, protected by whom in battle we will vanquish our foes." Then Duryodhana, without alighting from his car (proceeded towards) that foremost of car-warriors, that hero conversant with all the rules of battle (Ashvatthama), who resembled the Destroyer himself in battle. Possessed of beautiful limbs, of head well covered, of a neck adorned with three lines like those in a conch shell, of sweet speech, of eyes resembling the petals of a full blown lotus, and of a face like that of the dignity of Meru, resembling the bull of Mahadeva as regards neck, eyes, tread, and voice, endued with arms that were large, massive, and well-joined, having a chest that was broad and well-formed, equal unto Garuda or the wind in speed and might, gifted with a splendour like that of the rays of the Sun, rivalling Usanas himself in intelligence and the Moon in beauty and form and charms of face, with a body that seemed to be made of a number of golden lotuses, with well-made joints, of well-formed thighs and waist and hips, of beautiful fingers, and beautiful nails, he seemed to have been made by the Creator with care after collecting one after another all the beautiful and good attributes of creation. Possessed of every auspicious mark, and clever in every act, he was an ocean of learning. Ever vanquishing his foes with great speed, he was incapable of being forcibly vanquished by foes. He knew, in all its details, the science of weapons consisting of four padas and ten angas. He knew also the four Vedas with all their branches, and the Akhyanas as the fifth. Possessed of great ascetic merit, Drona, himself not born of woman, having worshipped the Three-eyed deity with great attention and austere vows, begat him upon a wife not born of woman. Approaching that personage of unrivalled feats, that one who is unrivalled in beauty on Earth, that one who has mastered all branches of learning, that ocean of accomplishments, that faultless Ashvatthama, thy son told him these words, "Thou, O preceptor's son, art today our highest refuge. Tell us, therefore, who is to be the generalissimo of my forces now, placing whom at our head, all of us, united together, may vanquish the Pandavas?"

9.5.2

śalyaśca citrasenaśca śakuniśca mahārathaḥ |
aśvatthāmā kṛpaścaiva kṛtavarmā ca sātvataḥ || 2 ||

9.5.3

suṣeṇo'riṣṭasenaśca dhṛtasenaśca vīryavān |
jayatsenaśca rājānaste rātrimuṣitāstataḥ || 3 ||

9.5.4

raṇe karṇe hate vīre trāsitā jitakāśibhiḥ |
nālabhañśarma te putrā himavantamṛte girim || 4 ||

9.5.5

te'bruvansahitāstatra rājānaṃ sainyasaṃnidhau |
kṛtayatnā raṇe rājansaṃpūjya vidhivattadā || 5 ||

9.5.6

kṛtvā senāpraṇetāraṃ parāṃstvaṃ yoddhumarhasi |
yenābhiguptāḥ saṃgrāme jayemāsuhṛdo vayam || 6 ||

9.5.7

tato duryodhanaḥ sthitvā rathe rathavarottamam |
sarvayuddhavibhāgajñamantakapratimaṃ yudhi || 7 ||

9.5.8

svaṅgaṃ pracchannaśirasaṃ kambugrīvaṃ priyaṃvadam |
vyākośapadmābhimukhaṃ vyāghrāsyaṃ merugauravam || 8 ||

9.5.9

sthāṇorvṛṣasya sadṛśaṃ skandhanetragatisvaraiḥ |
puṣṭaśliṣṭāyatabhujaṃ suvistīrṇaghanorasam || 9 ||

9.5.10

jave bale ca sadṛśamaruṇānujavātayoḥ |
ādityasya tviṣā tulyaṃ buddhyā cośanasā samam || 10 ||

9.5.11

kāntirūpamukhaiśvaryaistribhiścandramasopamam |
kāñcanopalasaṃghātaiḥ sadṛśaṃ śliṣṭasaṃdhikam || 11 ||

9.5.12

suvṛttorukaṭījaṅghaṃ supādaṃ svaṅgulīnakham |
smṛtvā smṛtvaiva ca guṇāndhātrā yatnādvinirmitam || 12 ||

9.5.13

sarvalakṣaṇasaṃpannaṃ nipuṇaṃ śrutisāgaram |
jetāraṃ tarasārīṇāmajeyaṃ śatrubhirbalāt || 13 ||

9.5.14

daśāṅgaṃ yaścatuṣpādamiṣvastraṃ veda tattvataḥ |
sāṅgāṃśca caturo vedānsamyagākhyānapañcamān || 14 ||

9.5.15

ārādhya tryambakaṃ yatnādvratairugrairmahātapāḥ |
ayonijāyāmutpanno droṇenāyonijena yaḥ || 15 ||

9.5.16

tamapratimakarmāṇaṃ rūpeṇāsadṛśaṃ bhuvi |
pāragaṃ sarvavidyānāṃ guṇārṇavamaninditam |
tamabhyetyātmajastubhyamaśvatthāmānamabravīt || 16 ||

9.5.17

yaṃ puraskṛtya sahitā yudhi jeṣyāma pāṇḍavān |
guruputro'dya sarveṣāmasmākaṃ paramā gatiḥ |
bhavāṃstasmānniyogātte ko'stu senāpatirmama || 17 ||

9.5.18

drauṇiruvāca |
ayaṃ kulena vīryeṇa tejasā yaśasā śriyā |
sarvairguṇaiḥ samuditaḥ śalyo no'stu camūpatiḥ || 18 ||

"'(Thus addressed), the son of Drona answered, "Let Shalya become the leader of our army. In descent, in prowess, in energy, in fame, in beauty of person, and in every other accomplishment, he is superior. Mindful of the services rendered to him, he has taken up our side, having abandoned the sons of his own sister. Owning a large force of his own, that mighty-armed one is like a second (Kartikeya, the) celestial generalissimo. Making that king the commander of our forces, O best of monarchs, we will be able to gain victory, like the gods, after making the unvanquished Skanda their commander." After Drona's son had said these words, all the kings stood, surrounding Shalya, and cried victory to him. Having made up their minds for battle, they felt great joy. Then Duryodhana, alighting from his car, joined his hands and addressing Shalya, that rival of Drona and Bhishma in battle, who was on his car, said these words, "O thou that art devoted to friends, that time has now come for thy friends when intelligent men examine persons in the guise of friends as to whether they are true friends or otherwise. Brave as thou art, be thou our generalissimo at the van of our army. When thou wilt proceed to battle, the Pandavas, with their friends, will become cheerless, and the Pancalas will be depressed."

9.5.19

bhāgineyānnijāṃstyaktvā kṛtajño'smānupāgataḥ |
mahāseno mahābāhurmahāsena ivāparaḥ || 19 ||

9.5.20

enaṃ senāpatiṃ kṛtvā nṛpatiṃ nṛpasattama |
śakyaḥ prāptuṃ jayo'smābhirdevaiḥ skandamivājitam || 20 ||

9.5.21

tathokte droṇaputreṇa sarva eva narādhipāḥ |
parivārya sthitāḥ śalyaṃ jayaśabdāṃśca cakrire |
yuddhāya ca matiṃ cakrūrāveśaṃ ca paraṃ yayuḥ || 21 ||

9.5.22

tato duryodhanaḥ śalyaṃ bhūmau sthitvā rathe sthitam |
uvāca prāñjalirbhūtvā rāmabhīṣmasamaṃ raṇe || 22 ||

9.5.23

ayaṃ sa kālaḥ saṃprāpto mitrāṇāṃ mitravatsala |
yatra mitramamitraṃ vā parīkṣante budhā janāḥ || 23 ||

9.5.24

sa bhavānastu naḥ śūraḥ praṇetā vāhinīmukhe |
raṇaṃ ca yāte bhavati pāṇḍavā mandacetasaḥ |
bhaviṣyanti sahāmātyāḥ pāñcālāśca nirudyamāḥ || 24 ||

9.5.25

śalya uvāca |
yattu māṃ manyase rājankururāja karomi tat |
tvatpriyārthaṃ hi me sarvaṃ prāṇā rājyaṃ dhanāni ca || 25 ||

"'Shalya answered, "I will, O king of the Kurus, accomplish that which thou askest me to accomplish. Everything I have--my life breath, my kingdom, my wealth--is at thy service."

9.5.26

duryodhana uvāca |
senāpatyena varaye tvāmahaṃ mātulātulam |
so'smānpāhi yudhāṃ śreṣṭha skando devānivāhave || 26 ||

"'Duryodhana said, "I solicit thee with offer of the leadership of my army, O maternal uncle. O foremost of warriors, protect us incomparably, even as Skanda protected the gods in battle. O foremost of kings, thyself cause thy own self to be installed in the command as Pavaka's son Kartikeya in the command of (the forces of) the celestials. O hero, slay our foes in battle like Indra slaying the Danavas."'"

9.5.27

abhiṣicyasva rājendra devānāmiva pāvakiḥ |
jahi śatrūnraṇe vīra mahendro dānavāniva || 27 ||