KARNA PARVA: Chapter 15

The encounter between Ashvatthaman and Bhima

संजय उवाच भीमसेनं ततो द्रोणी राजन् विव्याध पत्रिणा। परया त्वरया युक्तो दर्शयन्नस्त्रलाघवम्॥
Sanjaya said Thereupon, O king, the son of Drona, who was possessed of great alacrity and who showed easiness in the management of weapons, pierced Bhimasena with an arrow.

अथैनं पुनराजने नवत्या निशितैः शरैः। सर्वमर्माणि सम्प्रेक्ष्य मर्मज्ञो लघुहस्तवत्॥
In the same way, he (the son of Drona), who was well acquainted with the different vital parts of the body and who, again, was very smart in the management of his arms, after having seen all the vital parts of his body, had struck him with ninety sharp-headed shafts.

भीमसेनः समाकीरें द्रौणिना निशितैः शरैः। रराज समरे राजन् रश्मिवानिव भास्करः॥
O monarch. Bhimasenc, having been closed with a shower of keen arrows by the son of Drona, shone in the field of battle like the sun with all his rays.

ततः शरसहस्रेण सुप्रयुक्तेन पाण्डवः। द्रोणपुत्रमवच्छाद्य सिंहनादममुञ्चत॥
Thereupon the Pandava, after having covered the son of Drona with one thousand arrows, well-aimed, sent forth a leonine roar.

शरैः शरांस्ततो द्रौणि: संवार्य युधि पाण्डवम्। ललाटेऽभ्यानद् राजन् नाराचेन स्मयन्निव॥
Then, O monarch, the son of Drona, having checked the course of his (antagonist's) shafts by his own arrows in the field of battle, smilingly struck the son of Pandu in the forehead with a dart.

ललाटस्थं ततो बाणं धारयामासं पाण्डवः। यथा शृङ्गं वने दृप्तः खङ्गो धारयते नृप॥
Thereafter, O king, the son of (Pandu), carried the shafts, that was struck in his forehead; even as the proud rhinoceros in the forest bears his horn.

ततो द्रौणि रणे भीमो यतमानं पराक्रमी। त्रिभिर्विव्याध नाराचैर्ललाटे विस्मयन्निव॥
Then Bhima of immense prowess smilingly pierced the son of Drona, who attempted very hard in the battle, in the forehead with three shafts.

ललाटस्थैस्ततौ बाणैर्ब्राह्मणोऽसौ व्यशोभत। प्रावृषीव यथा सिक्तस्त्रिशृङ्गः पर्वतोत्तमः॥
Then this twice-born person looked most resplendent with the arrows struck in his forehead; even as the best of mountains, being washed (with water) during the rainy season, looks resplendent with its three peaks.

ततः शरशतैद्रौणिरर्दयामास पाण्डवम्। न चैनं कम्पयामास मातरिश्वेव पर्वतम्॥
Thus the son of Drona afflicted the son of Pandu with hundreds of arrows, but he could not shake him; even as the wind cannot shake the mountain.

तथैव पाण्डवो युद्धे द्रौणि शरशतैः शितैः। नाकम्पयत् संहृष्टो वार्योघ इव पर्वतम्॥
In the same way, the son of Pandu, highly gratified, could not shake the son of Drona, in the field of battle, with hundreds of his sharphanded arrows; even as the torrents of rain cannot shake the mountain.

तावन्योन्यं शरैोरैश्छादयानौ महारथौ। रथवर्यगतौ वीरौ शुशुभाते बलोत्कटौ।॥
Those two mighty car-warriors, the two heroic warriors of terrible prowess, having covered each other with their dreadful shafts, looked very handsome, sitting upon their cars.

आदित्याविव संदीप्तौ लोकक्षयकरावुभौ। स्वरश्मिभिरिवान्योन्यं तापयन्तौ शरोत्तमैः॥
Both (the heroes) looked resplendent like two suns and were destructive of men on each other's side. Moreover both of them burnt each other by their own excellent arrows, that resembled their own rays.

ततः प्रतिकृते यत्नं कुर्वाणौ तौ महारणे। कृतप्रतिकृते यत्तौ शरसङ्घरभीतवत्॥
Thereupon, in that dreadful battle, those two heroic warriors made their best attempts in counteracting each other's deeds; and with the torrents of shafts they most fearlessly made efforts in challenging each other.

व्याघ्राविव च संग्रामे चेरतुस्तौ नरोत्तमौ। शरदंष्ट्रौ दुराधर्षों चापवक्त्रौ भयंकरौ॥
Those two foremost of persons, those invincible and fierce heroes, whose teeth were constituted by the shafts and whose mouths were formed by the bows, roved about in the field of battle like two terrible tigers.

अभूतां तावदृश्यौ च शरजालैः समन्ततः। मेघजालैरिव च्छन्नौ गगने चन्द्रभास्करौ॥
Both of them became invisible on account of the torrents of shafts in all sides; even as both the sun and the moon in the firmament become invisible, when they are covered over by the net-work of clouds.

चकाशेते मुहूर्तेन ततस्तावष्यरिंदमौ। विमुक्तावभ्रजालेन अङ्गारकबुधाविव॥
Then the two smiters of foes appeared for a very short while and shone forth like Mars and Mercury, when they become wholly released from the cover of clouds.

अथ तत्रैव संग्रामे वर्तमाने सुदारुणे। अपसव्यं ततश्चक्रे द्रौणिस्तत्र वृकोदरम्॥
Then at that moment, in that dreadful battle, the son of Drona made Vrikodara in the field occupy his right position.

किरज्छरशतैरुपैराभिरिव पर्वतम्। न तु तन्ममृषे भीमः शत्रोर्विजयलक्षणम्॥
And he showered forth hundreds of terrible shafts, even as the masses of clouds drop down torrents of rain upon a mountain. This, indeed, namely the indication of his antagonist's victory Bhimasena could not like to tolerate.

प्रतिचक्रे ततो राजन् पाण्डवोऽप्यपसव्यतः। मण्डलानां विभोगेषु गतप्रत्यागतेषु च॥
Thereupon, O monarch, the son of Pandu baffled his enemy's efforts from the position on his (antagonist's) right side; and they advanced or withdrew according to the divisions of their circular situations.

बभूव तुमुलं युद्धं तयोः पुरुषसिंहयोः। चरित्वा विविधान् मार्गान् मण्डलस्तथानमेव त॥
Thus there ensued a fierce battle between those two foremost of warriors, who roved about (in the field of battle) in several ways and circles.

शरैः पूर्णायतोत्सृष्टैरन्योन्यमभिजघ्नतुः। अन्योन्यस्य वधे चैव चक्रतुर्यनमुत्तमम्॥
Both of them struck each other with the arrows shot from their bows stretched to their perfect length; and also they made the best efforts in slaying each other in the battle.

ईषतुर्विरथ चैव कर्तुमन्योन्यमाहवे। ततो द्रौणिर्महास्त्रणि प्रादुश्चक्रे महारथः॥ तान्यस्त्रैरेव समरे प्रतिजघ्नेऽथ पाण्डवः।
Again, each of them wished to make the other carless in the field. Thereupon the son of Drona, that mighty car-warrior, imparted strength to the most powerful weapons, which, indeed the son of Pandu frustrated by the weapons of his own, in the battle.

ततो घोरं महाराज अस्त्रयुद्धमवर्तत॥ ग्रहयुद्धं यथां घोरं प्रजासंहरणे ह्यभूत।
Then, O mighty king, there ensued a very dreadful battle of weapons, even as there had taken place a very terrible battle of the planets, during the time of destruction of creatures of the universe.

ते बाणः समसज्जन्त मुक्तास्ताभ्यां तु भारत॥ द्यौतयन्तो दिशः सर्वास्तव सैन्यं समन्ततः।
O descendant of the Bharata race, those arrows, shot by both of them, struck one another, and thus illumined all the points of the i horizon, as well as the troops on your side, from all directions. even

बाणसङ्घवृत घोरमाकाशं समपद्यत॥ उल्कापातावृतं युद्धं प्रजानां संक्षये नृप।
O king, the firmament looked very fearful as it was wholly covered by the showers of arrows, it appears during the destruction of the creatures of the universe, when it is entirely shrouded by the fall of the meteors.

बाणभिघातात् संजज्ञे तत्र भारत पावकः॥ सविस्फुलिङ्गौदीप्तर्चिर्योऽदहद् वाहिनीद्वयम्।
O descendant of the Bharata race, there (in the field of battle) was produced a great fire by the counteraction of shafts from both the parties, which, viz. the fire was attended with sparks and blazing flames. It continued to burn both the hosts.

तत्र सिद्धा महाराज सम्पतन्तोऽब्रुवन् वचः॥ युद्धानामति सर्वेषां युद्धमेतदिति प्रभो। सर्वयुद्धानि चैतस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्॥
O powerful monarch, the Siddhas, who covered about there in the battle, uttered these words-'O Lord, this battle, is the foremost of all the battles fought (in the days of yore). All the battles (of old) will not be worth the sixteenth part of this (battle).

नेदृशं त पुनर्युद्धं भविष्यति कदाचन। अहो ज्ञानेन सम्पन्नाबुभौ ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियौ॥
Hardly, again, there will be a battle like this. 'O! these two personages, viz. this Brahmana and this Kshatriya are possessed of knowledge.

अहो शौर्येण सम्पन्नावुभौ चोग्रपराक्रमौ। अहो भीमबलो भीम एतस्य च कृतास्त्रताः॥
O! both of them are endowed with heroism; and also they are of terrible prowess. 'O! Bhima is of fierce strength. O! what a great skill is possessed by the other.

अहो वीर्यस्य सारत्वमहो सौष्ठवमेतयोः। स्थितावेतौ हि समरे कालान्तकयमोपमौ॥
O! what an essence of the energy of both. O! how great is their skill. Both persons are, indeed, waiting in the like two all-destroying Yamas at the end of time.

रुद्रौ द्वाविव सम्भूतौ यथा द्वाविव भास्करौ। यमौ वा पुरुषव्याघ्रौ घौररूपावुभौ रणे॥
As if both of them are born like two Rudras, or like two light-giving suns. 'Both these foremost of persons of dreadful forms are standing in the battle like two Yamas.'

इति वाचः स्म श्रूयन्ते सिद्धानां वै मुहुर्मुहुः। सिंहनादश्च संजज्ञे समेतानां दिवौकसाम्॥
These words of the Siddhas were, indeed, heard there every moment. Moreover there was generated a great leonine roar amongst the celestials who assembled there (in the field of battle).

अद्भुतं चाप्यचिन्त्यं च दृष्ट्वा कर्म तयो रणे। सिद्धरचारणसंघाना विस्मयः समपद्यत॥
Having witnessed the extraordinary and inconceivable achievements of those two in the field of battle, the assemblage of the Siddhas and the Charanas were greatly astonished.

प्रशंसन्ति तदा देवाः सिद्धाश्च परमर्षयः। साधु द्रौणे महाबाहो साधु भीमेति चाब्रुवन्॥
Then the celestials, the Siddhas and the high-class sages (the Rishis) praised them both and uttered these words 'Excellent, O powerful-armed son of Drona! Most remarkable,O Bhima!

तौ शूरौ समरे राजन् परस्परकृतागसौ। परस्परमुदीक्षेतां क्रोधादुद्दृत्य चक्षुषी॥
In the field of battle, O monarch, those two heroic warriors committed injuries to each other. They also looked upon each other.

क्रोधरक्तेक्षणौ तौ तु क्रोधात् प्रस्फुरिताधरौ। क्रोधात् संदष्टदशनौ तथैव दशनच्छदौ॥
Due to angry those two heroic eyes became red. They had their lips quivering with wrath. Out of wrath, again, they grinded their teeth and in the same way their lips as well.

अन्योन्यं छादयन्तौ स्म शरवृष्ट्या महारथौ। शराम्बुधारौ समरे शस्त्रविद्युत्प्रकाशिनौ॥
Those two mighty car-warriors shrouded each other with the torrents of shafts. In the field of battle, they were like two masses of clouds, dropping dovin showers of arrows and sending forth lightning, that was formed by their weapons.

तावन्योन्यं ध्वजं विद्ध्वा सारथिं च महारणे। अन्योन्यस्य हयान् विद्ध्वा बिभिदाते परस्परम्।। ३९
Those two warriors having penetrated each other's standards and also having pierced each other's drivers of cars and again, having pierced each other's horses, pierced each other in that dreadful battle.

ततः क्रुद्धौ महाराज बाणौ गृह्य महाहवे। उभौ चिक्षिपतुस्तूर्णमन्योन्यस्य वधैषिणौ।॥
Thereupon, O powerful monarch, those two wrathful warriors, most desirous of slaying cach other, after having taken up two arrows, hurled at each other those shafts without any hesitation, in that dreadful encounter.

तौ सायकौ महाराज द्यौतमानौ चमूमुखे। आजघ्नतुः समासाद्य वज्रवेगौ दुरासदौ॥
O mighty monarch, these two arrows that shone most brilliantly and that had the force of thunder and also that most unapproachable, came and struck them both who stood at the head of their respective hosts.

तौ परस्परवेगाच शराभ्यां च भृशाहतौ। निपेततुर्महावीयौ रथोपस्थे तयोस्तदा॥
The two highly-energetic warriors, deeply struck with those two arrows by their respective forces, then fell down at the back of their cars.

ततस्तु सारथिख़त्वा द्रोणपुत्रमचेतनम्। अपोवाह रणाद् राजन् सर्वसैन्यस्य पश्यतः॥
Thereupon, O king, his driver having been conscious of the insensible condition of the son of Drona, carried him away from the field of battle in the presence of all his (the son of Drona) soldiers.

तथैव पाण्डवं राजन् विह्वलन्तं मुहुर्मुहुः। अपोवाह रथेनाजौ सारथिः शत्रुतापनम्॥
In the same way, O monarch, the son of Pandu, that scorcher of enemies, who had fainted every moment, was carried away from the field of battle, in his car, by his driver. were