BHISHMAVADHA PARVA)-Continued Commencement of the battle (First day: Chapter 44

सेनया।॥ धृतराष्ट्र उवाच एवं व्यूढेष्वनीकेषु मामकेष्वितरेषु च। के पूर्वं प्राहरंस्तत्र कुरवः पाण्डवा नु किम्॥
Dhritarashtra said When the troops of my side and those of the foe were thus placed in battle-army, who struck first, the Kurus or the Pandavas?

संजय उवाच भ्रातृभिः सहितो राजन् पुत्रो दुर्योधनस्तव। भीष्म प्रमुखतः कृत्वा प्रययौ सह
Sanjaya said Having heard the word of his brother, your son Dushasana advanced with his force with Bhishma at their head.

तथैव पाण्डवाः सर्वे भीमसेनपुरोगमाः। भीष्मेण युद्धमिच्छन्तः प्रययुर्हष्टमानसाः॥
Desiring to fight with Bhishma, the Pandavas cheerfully advanced with Bhimasena at their head.

क्ष्वेडा: किलकिलाशब्दाः क्रकचा गोविषाणिकाः। भेरीमृदङ्गमुरजा हयकुञ्जरनिःस्वनाः॥ उभयोः सेनयोगसंस्ततस्तेऽस्मान् समाद्रवन्। वयं तान् प्रतिनर्दन्तस्तदासीत् तुमुलं महत्॥
Thereupon lion-like roars, clamorous shouts, the noise of Krakachas, the blare of cow-horns and the sounds of drum, cymbals and taboos arose in both the armies. The soldiers of the enemy rushed upon us and we also rushed upon them with loud shouts.

महान्त्यनीकानि महासमुच्छ्रये समागमे पाण्डवधार्तराष्ट्रयोः। चकम्पिरे शङ्खमृदङ्गनिःस्वनैः प्रकम्पितानीव वनानि वायुना॥
The vast arinies of the Kurus and the Pandavas shook in that fearful and body battle by the sounds of conchs and cymbals, as a forest is shaken by the wind.

मभ्यागतानामशिवे मुहूर्ते। वभूव घोषस्तुमुलश्चमूनां बातोद्भुतानामिव सागराणाम्॥
The great nose, made by those troops consisting of kings, elephants and horses, rushing upon one another in an evil hour, was like that of the ocean in a tempest.

तस्मिन् समुत्थिते शब्दे तुमुले लोमहर्षणे। भीमसेनो महाबाहुः प्राणदद् गोवृषो यथा॥
When that loud and hair-stirring noise rose, the mighty Bhimasena roared like a bull.

शङ्खदुन्दुभिनिर्घोषं वारणानां च बृहितम्। सिंहनादं च सैन्यानां भीमसेनरवोऽभ्यभूत्॥
Bhimasena's roars rose above the sounds of conchs, and drums, the roaring of elephants and the lion-like shouts of the warriors.

हयानां हेषमाणानामनीकेषु सहस्रशः। सर्वानभ्यभवच्छब्दान् भीमस्य नदतः स्वनः॥
The shouts of Bhimasena drowned the neighing of thousands of horses in both the armies.

तं श्रुत्वा निनदं तस्य सैन्यास्तव वितत्रसुः। जीमूतस्येव नदतः शक्राशनिसमस्वनम्॥
Hearing those shouts of Bhimnasena whose roaring resembled that of the clouds and the report of the thunder, your soldiers were filled with fear.

वाहनानि च सर्वाणि शकृन्मूत्रं प्रसुस्रुवुः। शब्देन तस्य वीरस्य सिंहस्येवेतरे मृगाः॥
Hearing those roars of that hero (Bhima), the horses and the elephants (of both the armies) ejected urine and excrete, as other animals do at the roars of the lion.

दर्शयन् घोरमात्मानं महाभ्रमिव नादयन्। विभीषयंस्तव सुतान् भीमसेनः समभ्ययात्॥
Roaring like a deep mass of clouds and assuming a fearful appearance, that hero filled your sons with great alarm and then rushed upon them. Sons

तमायान्तं महेष्वासं सोदर्याः पर्यवारयन्। छादयन्तः शरवातैर्मेघा इव दिवाकरम्॥ दुर्योधनश्च पुत्रस्ते दुर्मुखो दुःशलः शलः। दुःशासनश्चातिरथस्तथा दुर्मर्षणो नृप॥ विविंशतिश्चित्रसेनो विकर्णश्च महारथः। पुरुमित्रो जयो भोजः सौमदत्तिश्च वीर्यवान्।॥ महाचापानि धुन्वन्तो मेघा इव सविद्युतः। आददानाश्च नाराचान् निर्मुक्ताशीविषोपमान्॥
Then all the brothers, your Duryodhana, Durmukha, Dushala, that great car-warrior Dushasana, Durmarshana, Vivingshati, Chitrasena, the great car-warrior Vikarna and also Purumitra, Jaya, Bhoja, the brave son of Somadatta, all these heroes, shaking their bows which looked like so many masses of clouds charged with flashes of lightning, and taking out long arrows loO king like so many snakes that have cast off their sloughs, surrounded that great bowman (Bhima) and covered him with a shower of arrows, as clouds cover the sun.

अथ ते द्रौपदीपुत्राः सौभद्रश्च महारथः। नकुलः सहदेवश्च धृष्टद्युम्नश्च पार्षतः॥ धार्तराष्ट्रान् प्रतिययुरर्दयन्तः शितैः शरैः। वज़ैरिव महावेगैः शिखराणि धराभृताम्॥
The sons of Draupadi, the great car-warrior (Abhimanyu) son of Subhadra, Nakula and Sahadeva, Dhrishtadyumna, the of Prishata, all rushed against the warriors of Dhritarashtra's son and tore them asunder with sharp arrows as the summits of mountains are broken down by the thunder-bolt.

तस्मिन् प्रथमसंग्रामे भीमज्यातलनिःस्वने। तावकानां परेषां च नासीत् कश्चित् पराङ्मुखः॥
son In the first encounter that resounded with the terrible twang of the bow and flapping of the leather fences, none of your party or of that of the enemy turned them back.

लाघवं द्रोणशिष्याणामपश्यं भरतर्षभ। निमित्तवेधिनां चैव शरानुत्सृजतां भृशम्॥
0 best of the Bharata race, O king, I saw the lightness of hands of the disciples of Drona who shot countless arrows and always succeeded in hitting the marks.

नोपशाम्यति निर्घोषो धनुषां कूजतां तथा। विनिश्चेरुः शरा दीप्ता ज्योतीषीव नभस्तलात्॥
The twang of the bows did not stop for a movement and the blazing arrows flashed through the air like meteor falling from the sky.

सर्वे त्वन्ये महीपालाः प्रेक्षका इव भारत। ददृशुर्दर्शनीयं तं भीमं ज्ञातिसमागमम्॥
O descendant of Bharata, all the kings stood like spectators and saw the interesting and awful battle between kinsmen.

ततस्ते जातसंरम्भाः परस्परकृतागसः। अन्योन्यस्पर्धया राजन् व्यायच्छन्त महारथाः॥
O king, then those great car-warriors remembering the great injuries they had suffered, challenged one another in anger and tried their utmost (to win victory).

कुरुपाण्डवसेने ते हस्त्यश्वरथसंकुले। शुशुभाते रणेऽतीव पटे चित्रार्पिते इव॥
The two armies of the Kurus and the Pandavas, full of elephants, horses and cars, looked exceedingly beautiful on the field of battle, like painted figures on canvas. Then all the kings took up their bows. The sun was covered by the dust raised by the combatants.

ततस्ते पार्थिवाः सर्वे प्रगृहीतशरासनाः। सहसैन्याः समापेतुः पुत्रस्य तव शासनात्॥ युधिष्ठिरेण चादिष्टाः पार्थिवास्ते सहस्रशः। विनदन्तः समापेतुः पुत्रस्य तव वाहिनीम्॥ उभयोः सेनयोस्तीव्रः सैन्यानां स समागमः। अन्तर्धीयत चादित्यः सैन्येन रजसाऽऽवृतः॥
Under the command of your son, they rushed upon the enemy at the head of their respective troops. Fearful was the uproar made by the elephants and horses of the kings rushing to the charge, mingled with the lionlike shouts of the warriors and the din made by the sounds of conchs and drums. The uproar of that ocean (the battle field), which had arrows for its crocodiles, bows for its snakes, swords for its tortoises and the toward leaps of the warriors for its tempest, looked like a real ocean agitated by a tempest. Thousands of kings commanded by Yudhishthira attacked the ranks of your son with their respective troops.

प्रयुद्धानां प्रभग्नानां पुनरावर्तिनामपि। नात्र स्वेषां परेषां वा विशेषः समदृश्यत॥ तस्मिंस्तु तुमुले युद्धे वर्तमाने महाभये। अतिसर्वाण्यनीकानि पिता तेऽभिव्यरोचत।॥
While fighting, or retreating, or rallying again, neither the men of our side nor those of the enemy's could be distinguished. But your father (Bhishma) shone transcending all that countless host in that fearful and terrible battle.