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
horsemen and elephants and car-warriors (that had been assailing him from
every side). Then Bhimasena, beholding the diadem-decked Phalguna
encompassed, O bull of Bharata's race, by a large (Kaurava) host
consisting of three kinds of forces, abandoned the small unslaughtered
remnant of the Kaurava car-warriors with whom he had been engaged, and
rushed impetuously, O king, to the spot where Dhananjaya's car was.
Meanwhile the Kaurava force that still remained after heavy slaughter,
exceedingly weakened, fled away, Bhima (as already said) beholding
Arjuna, proceeded towards his brother. The unfatigued Bhima, armed with a
mace, destroyed, in that battle, the portion that still remained after
the greater part had been slaughtered by Arjuna, of the Kaurava host
possessed of great might. Fierce as the death-night, subsisting upon men
and elephants and steeds as its food, and capable of crushing walls and
mansions and gates of cities, that exceedingly terrible mace of Bhima
incessantly descended on men and elephants and steeds around him. That
mace, O sire, slew numberless steeds and riders. With that mace the son
of Pandu crushed men and steeds cased in steel armour. Struck therewith,
they fell down with great noise. Biting the earth with their teeth, and
bathed in blood, these, with the crowns of their heads and bows and lower
limbs crushed, laid themselves down on the field, supplying all
carnivorous creatures with food. Satiated with blood and flesh and
marrow, and eating bones as well, that mace (of Bhimasena) became, like
the death-night, difficult of being gazed at. Having slain 10,000 horses
and numerous foot-soldiers, Bhima ran hither and thither in rage, armed
with his mace. Then, O Bharata, thy troops, beholding Bhima mace in hand,
thought that Yama himself, armed with his fatal bludgeon, was in their
midst. The son of Pandu then, excited with rage, and resembling an
infuriated elephant, penetrated into the elephant division (of the
Kauravas), like a Makara entering the ocean. Having, with his formidable
mace, penetrated into that elephant division, the enraged Bhima, within a
very short time, despatched it to Yama's abode. We then beheld those
infuriated elephants with spiked plates on their bodies falling on every
side, with their riders and standards, like winged mountains. Having
destroyed that elephant division, the mighty Bhimasena, once more riding
on his car, followed Arjuna at his rear. That great host, thus
slaughtered, filled with cheerlessness and about to fly away, stood
almost inactive, O monarch, assailed on all sides with weapons. Beholding
that host looking humble and standing inactive and almost motionless,
Arjuna covered it with life-scorching shafts. Men and steeds and
elephants, pierced in that battle with showers of shafts by the wielder
of Gandiva, looked beautiful like Kadamva flowers with their filaments.
Thus struck with Arjuna's shafts that quickly slew men and steeds and
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