KARNA PARVA: Chapter 26

The retreat of Shikhandin

संजय उवाच धृष्टधुम्नं कृपो राजन् वारयामास संयुगे। यथा दृष्ट्वा वने सिंह शरभो वारयेद युधि॥
Sanjaya said O king, Kripa restrained proud Dhristadyumna in the field of battle; even as a Sharva resists a proud lion in the forest, while fighting.

निरुद्धः पार्षतस्तेन गौतमेन बलीयसा। पदात् पदं विचलितं नाशकत्तत्र भारत॥
O descendant of the Bharata race, the son of Prishata, being thus resisted by the most powerful son of Gautama, was not able to move a step further there (in the battle).

गौतमस्य रथं दृष्ट्वा धृष्टधुम्नरथं प्रति। वित्रेसुः सर्वभूतानि क्षयं प्राप्तं च मेनिरे॥
Witnessing the car of Gautama staying by the side of that of Dhrishtadyumna, all the creatures were greatly terrified and considered that destruction was to be attained by him (Dhristadyumna).

तत्रावोचन विमनसो रथिन: सादिनस्तथा। द्रोणस्य निधनान्नूनं संक्रुद्धो द्विपदां वरः॥ शारद्वतो महातेजा दिव्यास्त्रविदुदारधीः। अपि स्वस्ति धृष्टधुम्नस्य गौतमात्॥
There all the car-warriors and horsemen, who become very inattentive (or gloomy), addressed thus-"This best of persons, the son of Sharadvata, who was possessed of immense prowess and who also was acquainted with the use of celestial weapons and who was, again very high-minded, is sorely filled with anger at the fall of Drona. Will there be escape of Dhrishtadyumna from the hands of Gautama?

अपीयं वाहिनी कृत्स्त्रा मुच्येत महतो भयात्। अप्ययं ब्राह्मणः सर्वान्न नो हन्यात् समागतान्॥
Will this entire army be freed from that extreme fear? Will not this twice-born person slay us all, who have assembled here?

यादृशं दृश्यते रूपन्तकप्रतिमं भृशम्। गमिष्यत्यद्य पदवी भारद्वाजस्य गौतमः॥
Gautama, who exactly appears even like the most dreadful Destroyer himself, will he not obtain today the appellation of the son of Bharadvaja?

आचार्यः क्षिप्रहस्तश्च विजयी च. सदा युधि। अस्त्रवान् वीर्यसम्पन्नः क्रोधेन च समन्वितः॥
The preceptor (Gautama), who is lighthanded (in the use of weapons) and who is always victorious in battle and who is furnished with various kinds of weapons and who is possessed of immense prowess, is now filled with rage.

पार्षतश्च महायुद्धे विमुखोऽद्याभिलक्ष्यते। इत्येवं विविधा वाचस्तावकानां परैः सह॥ व्यश्रूयन्त महराज तयोस्तत्र समागमे।
The son of Prishata, too, appears today to have withdrawn from the great battle.' O great king, this and several other speeches were heard to have delivered by the man on your side, as well as by the antagonists; while those two (warriors) assembled there to fight against each other.

विनिःश्वस्य ततः क्रोधात् कृपः शारद्वतो नृप॥ पार्षतं चार्दयामास निश्चेष्टं सर्वमर्मसु।
Thereupon, O monarch, Kripa, the son of Sharadvata, sighing heavily with rage, struck the son of Prishata, who had lost all his efforts, in all his vital parts.

स हन्यमानः समरे गौतमेन महात्मना॥ कर्तव्यं न स्म जानाति मोहेन महताऽऽवृतः।
Having been thus struck in the battle by the high-souled Gautama, he (Dhristadyumna) could not make out what should he do, encompassed as he was by great insensibility.

तमब्रवीत्ततो यन्ता कचित् क्षेमं तु पार्षत॥ ईद्दशं व्यसनं युद्धे न ते दृष्टं मया क्वचित्।
Thereupon his charioteer uttered these words to him-'O son of Prishata, it is well with you, perhaps. Such a great calamity was never witnessed by me in the battle, overtaking you?

दैवयोगात्तु ते बाणा नापतन् मर्मभेदिनः॥ प्रेषिता द्विजमुख्येन मर्माण्युद्दिश्य सर्वतः!
Those shafts, that were capable of piercing through the very vital part and that were shot by the foremost of the twice-born persons, aiming at all the vital parts, had not struck you through the favour of the celestials.

व्यावर्तये रथं तूर्णं नदीवेगमिवार्णवात्॥ अवध्यं ब्राह्मणं मन्ये येन ते विक्रमो हतः।
I will have the car immediately turned back like the current of a river from the great ocean. I consider that the twice-born person is incapable of being slain, by whom you prowess was done away with.

धृष्टधुम्नस्ततो राजशनकैरब्रवीद् वचः॥ मुह्यते मे मनस्तात गात्रस्वेदश्च जायते। वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च सारथे॥
Thereupon, O monarch, Dhristadyumna slowly said these words-'O sire, my mind is being stupefied; and there is perspiration in my limbs. I feel a sensation of trembling in my body; and also the hairs and standing erect upon it.

वर्जयन् ब्राह्मणं युद्धे शनैर्याहि यतोऽर्जुनः। अर्जुनं भीमसेनं वा समरे प्राप्य सारथे॥ क्षेममद्य भवेदेवमेषा मे नैष्ठिकी मतिः।
After abandoning the twice-born person in the battle, possessed slowly where Arjuna stays. After having come to the presence of either Arjuna or Bhima in the field, O charioteer, I will surely attain prosperity today. This is my certain belief.

ततः प्रायान्महाराज सारथिस्त्वरयन् हयान्॥ यतो भीम महेष्वासो युयुधे तव सैनिकैः।
Thereupon, O powerful king, the charioteer, after having driven the horses, advanced to the place, where that powerful bowman, Bhimasena, was battling with your soldiers.

प्रद्रुतं च रथ दृष्ट्वा धृष्टधुम्नस्य मारिष॥ किरशतशतान्येव गौतमोऽनुययौ तदा।
O sire, Gautama, after witnessing that the car of Dhrishtadyumna was with-drawing from the field, then followed it, shooting hundreds of arrows at it.

शङ्ख च पूरयामास मुहुर्मुहुररिंदमः॥ पार्षतं त्रासयामास महेन्द्रो नमुचिं यथा।
That chastiser of foes blew his conch over and over again, and then he routed the son of Prishata, even as Indra routed Namuchi (a Danava, in the battle of old).

शिखण्डिनं तु समरे भीष्ममृत्यु दुरासदम्॥ हार्दिक्यो वारयामास स्मयन्निव मुहुर्मुहुः।
The son of Hridika, smiling over and over again, resisted Shikhandin, who was the cause of death of Bhishma and most invincible in the field of battle.

शिखण्डी तु समासाद्य हृदिकानां महारथम्॥ पञ्चभिर्निशितैर्भल्लै त्रुदेशे समाहनत्।
Shikhandin, however, coming against the mightiest car-warrior of the Hridika race struck him with five sharp and broad-headed arrows at the shoulder-joint.

पा कृतवर्मा तु संक्रुद्धो भित्वा षष्ट्या पतित्रिभिः॥ धनुरेकेन चिच्छेद हसन् राजन् महारथः।
O king, the mighty car-warrior, Kritavarman, indeed, being highly enraged, penetrated through his antagonist with sixty winged arrows and then, smiling for a time, severed his bow with one individual shaft.

अथान्यद् धनुरादाय द्रुपदस्यात्मजो बली॥ तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति संक्रुद्धो हार्दिक्यं प्रत्यभाषत।
Taking up another bow, the most powerful son of Drupada, being greatly enraged, replied to the son of Hridika saying, Wait, Wait.

ततोऽस्य नवर्ति बाणान् रूक्मपुङ्खान् सुतेजनान्॥२५ प्रेषयापास राजेन्द्र तेऽस्याभ्रशयन्त वर्मणः।
O lord of kings, then he (Shikhandin) shot at his antagonist ninety arrows, that were furnished with the wings of gold and possessed of great force. But these arrows were shot back from his (Kritavarman's) armour.

वितथांस्तान् समालक्ष्य पतितांश्च महीतले॥ क्षुरप्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन कार्मुकं चिच्छिदे भृशम्।
Beholding those arrows thus sent back and scattered over the ground, he (Shikhandin) severed his dreadful bow with a sharp, razorhanded shaft.

अथैनं छिन्नधन्वानं भग्नशृङ्गमिवर्षभम्॥ अशीत्या मार्गणैः क्रुद्धो बाह्वोरुरसि चार्पयत्।
Then having been filled with rage, he struck this one (the son of Hridika), who, with his severed bow, resembled a bull with his broken horns, with eighty different arrows both in the chest and arms.

कृतवर्मा तु संक्रुद्धो मार्गणैः क्षतविक्षतः॥ ववाम रुधिरं गात्रैः कुम्भवक्त्रादिवोदकम्।
Kritavarman, too, who became very angry and who also was greatly wounded by those arrows, vomited blood from his various limbs, as a water-vessel sends forth water through its mouth.

रुधिरेण परिक्किन्नः कृतवर्मा त्वराजत॥ वर्षेण केदिता राजन् यथा गैरिकपर्वतः।
even O king, Kritavarman, being thus smeared with blood, blazed forth like a red-chalk mountain streaked (by the streams of liquefied red-chalk) by a shower.

अथान्यद् धनुरादाय समार्गणगुणं प्रभुः॥ शिखण्डिनं बाणगणैः स्कन्धदेशे व्यताडयत्।
Then the lord (Kritavarman), taking up another bow that was furnished with its string and an arrow, afflicted Shikhandin with the foremost of shafts in the shoulder.

स्कन्धदेशस्थितैर्बाणैः शिखण्डी तु व्यराजत॥ शाखाप्रशाखाविपुलः सुमहान् पादपो यथा।
Shikhandin, indeed, shone most brightly with these shafts, sticking on his shoulders; even as a large tree looks very pretty with its numerous branches and twigs.

तावन्योन्यं भृशं विदध्वा रुधिरेण समुक्षितौ॥ अन्योन्याभिहतौ रेजतुर्वृषभाविव।
Both the warriors, who were smeared with blood, after having penetrated each other deeply, looked like two bulls, that wounded each other with their horns.

अन्योन्यस्य वधे यत्नं कुर्वाणौ तौ महारथौ॥ रथाभ्यां चेरतुस्तत्र मण्डलानि सहस्रशः।
Those two most powerful car-warriors, who made efforts in slaying each other, whirled round upon their cars, thereby creating thousands of circle, there (in the battle).

कृतवर्मा महाराज पार्षतं निशितैः शरैः॥ रणे विव्याध सप्तत्या स्वर्णपुङः शिलाशितैः।
O great king, Kritavarman pierced the son of Prishata in the battle with seventy sharp arrows, that were furnished with golden wings and also that were whetted on atone.

ततोऽस्य समरे बाणं भोजः प्रहरतां वरः॥ जीवितान्तकरं घोरं व्यसृजत्त्वरयान्वितः।
Thereupon the prince of the Bhojas, that foremost of chastisers of foes, shot with great activity at his antagonist a dreadful arrow, that was capable of bringing about the destruction of life, in the field of battle.

स तेनाभिहतो राजन् मूर्छामाशु समाविशत्॥ ध्वजयष्टिं च सहसा शिश्रिये कश्मलावृतः।
O monarch, he, being thus wounded by that arrow, fall into the condition of insensibility; and he, being so choked with stupefaction, suddenly supported himself by holding his flag-staff.

अपोवाह रणातूर्णं सारथिनां वरम्॥ हार्दिक्यशरसंतप्तं निःश्वसन्तं पुनः पुनः।
Thus his charioteer immediately carried away from the field of battle that foremost of car-warriors, who was highly afflicted by the arrows of the son of Hridika and was sighing repeatedly.

पराजिते ततः शूरे दुपदस्यात्मजे प्रभो। व्यद्रवत् पाण्डवी सेना वध्यमाना समन्ततः॥
Thereupon, O lord, when the war-like son of Drupada was defeated, the whole army of the Pandavas, being slain on all sides, retreated from the field of battle.