The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3: Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
General
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3: Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Epic literature, Sanskrit
within those divisions like the Destroyer himself, armed with the fatal
noose. Beholding him put forth such prowess within his army, thy son, O
Bharata, once more urged the samsaptakas against him. Thereupon, with a
1,000 cars, and 300 elephants, and 14,000 horses, and 200,000 of
foot-soldiers armed with the bow, endued with great courage, of sureness
of aim and conversant with all the ways of battle, the leaders of the
samsaptakas rushed (from every side) towards the son of Kunti (in the
great battle) covering the Pandava, O monarch, with showers of arrows
from all sides. Thus covered with shafts in that battle, Partha, that
grinder of hostile forces, exhibited himself in a fierce form like the
Destroyer himself, armed with the noose. While engaged in slaughtering
the samsaptakas, Partha became a worthy object of sight to all. Then the
welkin became filled with shafts decked with gold and possessed of the
effulgence of lightning that were ceaselessly short by the diadem-decked
Arjuna. Indeed, everything completely shrouded with mighty shafts sped
from Arjuna's arms and falling ceaselessly all around, looked
resplendent, O lord, as if covered with snakes. The son of Pandu, of
immeasurable soul, shot on all sides his straight shafts equipped with
wings of gold and furnished with keen points. In consequence of the sound
of Partha's palms, people thought that the Earth, or the vault of the
welkin, or all the points of the compass, or the several oceans, or the
mountains seemed to split. Having slain 10,000 Kshatriyas, Kunti's son,
that mighty car-warrior, then quickly proceeded to the further wing of
the samsaptakas. Repairing to that further wing which was protected by
the Kambojas, Partha began to grind it forcibly with his arrows like
Vasava grinding the Danavas. With broad-headed arrows he began to quickly
cut off the arms, with weapons in grasp, and also the heads of foes
longing to slay him. Deprived of diverse limbs, and of weapons, they
began to fall down on the Earth, like trees of many boughs broken by a
hurricane. While he was engaged in thus slaughtering elephants and steeds
and car-warriors and foot-soldiers, the younger brother of Sudakshina
(the chief of the Kambojas) began to pour showers of arrows on him. With
a couple of crescent-shaped arrows, Arjuna cut off the two arms, looking
like spiked maces, of his striking assailant, and then his head graced
with a face as beautiful as the full moon, with a razor-headed arrow.
Deprived of life, he fell down from his vehicle, his body bathed in
blood, like the thunder-riven summit of a mountain of red arsenic.
Indeed, people saw the tall and exceedingly handsome younger brother of
Sudakshina, the chief of the Kambojas, of eyes resembling lotus petals,
slain and fall down like a column of gold or like a summit of the golden
Sumeru. Then commenced a battle there once more that was fierce and
exceedingly wonderful. The condition of the struggling combatants varied
repeatedly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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