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
of their species in the wide forest with limbs scorched and burned in a
forest conflagration. Others with their frontal globes split open, or
bathed in blood, or with trunks lopped off, or with their armour cut
down, or their tails lopped off, fell down, struck by the high-souled
Karna, like straggling clouds. Other elephants, frightened by the shafts
and lances of Radha's son proceeded against Radha's son himself like
insects towards a blazing fire. Other huge elephants were seen striking
against one another and shedding blood from various limbs like mountains
with rillets running down their breasts. Steeds of the foremost breed,
divested of breast-plates and their ornaments of silver and brass and
gold, destitute of trappings and bridle-bits and yak-tails and
saddle-cloths, with quivers fallen off from their backs, and with their
heroic riders,--ornaments of battle,--slain, were seen wandering here and
there on the field. Pierced and cut with lances and scimitars and swords,
O Bharata, we beheld many a horseman adorned with armour and head-gear,
slain or in course of being slain or trembling with fear, and deprived, O
Bharata, of diverse limbs. Cars also, decked with gold, and unto which
were yoked steeds of great fleetness, were seen by us dragged with
exceeding speed hither and thither, their riders having been slain. Some
of these had their axles and poles broken, and some, O Bharata, had their
wheels broken; and some were without banners and standards, and some were
divested of their shafts. Many car-warriors also were seen there, by us,
O monarch, wandering all around, deprived of their cars and scorched with
the shafts of the Suta's son. And some destitute of weapons and some with
weapons still in their arms were seen lying lifeless on the field in
large numbers. And many elephants also were seen by us, wandering in all
directions, studded with clusters of stars, adorned with rows of
beautiful bells, and decked with variegated banners of diverse hues.
Heads and arms and chests and other limbs, cut off with shafts sped from
Karna's bow, were beheld by us lying around. A great and fierce calamity
overtook the warriors (of the Pandava army) as they fought with whetted
arrows, and mangled as they were with the shafts of Karna. The Srinjayas,
slaughtered in that battle by the Suta's son, blindly proceeded against
the latter's self like insects rushing upon a blazing fire. Indeed, as
that mighty car-warrior was engaged in scorching the Pandava divisions,
the Kshatriyas avoided him, regarding him to be the blazing Yuga fire.
Those heroic and mighty car-warriors of the Pancala that survived the
slaughter fled away. The brave Karna, however, pursued those broken and
retreating warriors from behind, shooting his shafts at them. Endued with
great energy, he pursued those combatants divested of armour and
destitute of standards. Indeed, the Suta's son, possessed of great might,
continued to scorch them with his shafts, like the dispeller of darkness
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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