Sanjaya, beholding the field of Kurukshetra through his divine sight, hastened to report, which only deepened the anxiety of King Dhritarashtra, who pressed him again and again for instant tidings, eager to know how the mighty warriors were faring while the younger combatants sported with weapons upon the field of death.
Perceiving the king’s troubled mind, Sanjaya spoke with ardent speed: Dharmaraja rushed upon Shalya, the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva, a master of warfare and renowned for flawless skill in every weapon. He cut down Dharmaraja’s bow, yet the Pandava’s eyes shone with calm resolve; seizing another bow, he poured forth a storm of arrows upon Shalya. Dharmaraja’s strength was boundless in attack, whereas Shalya, constrained by the sorrow of his fateful choice to serve the Kauravas, could not fight with an unburdened heart. Noble and aged, he bore the weight of regret, and knowing this, Dharmaraja’s gaze carried a quiet, sorrowful smile.
The commander of the Pandava host, Dhrishtadyumna, charged Dronacharya with fiery zeal. Drona severed his bow and struck him with a piercing shaft, yet the son of the Panchala king swiftly seized another bow and released fourteen arrows in rapid succession. Sahadeva, king of Magadha, engaged Bhurisrava and wounded his shoulder, to which Bhurisrava replied by planting many arrows in Sahadeva’s chest. Their combat resembled that of Indra and Vritra in ancient legend, and warriors on both sides marveled at their fearless struggle, heedless of life itself.
Drishtaketu met in duel the eldest Kaurava warrior, Bahlika, and loosed nine arrows in a single line upon his head. Bahlika answered with ninety arrows discharged in swift succession. Renowned in the great war, Bahlika, brother of Shantanu and father of Bhishma, had come with his son Somadatta and grandson Bhurisrava, three generations united in battle, while Drishtaketu was the son of Shishupala.
Sanjaya then described the clash between two formidable fighters: Alambasa, son of Bakasura’s brother, and Ghatotkacha, son of Hidimba and Bhimasena. Their combat was wondrous and fierce at every step, each act resplendent with valor. Shikhandi of Panchala encountered Ashwatthama, and both released torrents of arrows, piercing each other’s chests, their weapons blazing like fire and forming a curtain of shafts across the sky.
A grim encounter arose between Kripacharya and Brihatkshatra, the king of Kekaya. Arrows flooded the field, both charioteers and steeds fell, and the chariots were shattered. They descended and fought with swords in savage fury until Drupada of the Pandavas and Saindhava of the Kauravas arrived, showered arrows upon the contending warriors, and wounded them. The fourfold combat drew applause from all quarters, their speed, precision, courage, and devotion charging the field with renewed energy.
The fierce Vikarna, proud scion of chivalry, contended with Yudhamanyu, both consumed by anger and frustration, vying vigorously as they drenched each other in unceasing showers of arrows. O King Dhritarashtra, Chekitana, son of Drishtaketu, attacked Susarma, king of Trigarta, who replied with a roaring volley of shafts, exulting like a lion. Prativindhya, son of Dharmaraja, assaulted Shakuni, pouncing upon him like a lion’s cub. The king of Kamboja fought Shrutasoma, son of Bhimasena, and both exchanged equal torrents of arrows, matched in might and resolve.
Iravantha, son of Arjuna, swift as a serpent and fierce as Death itself, engaged Shrutayu, son of Dhritarashtra. They fought savagely, their chariots shattered. Vinda and Anuvinda fought Kuntibhoja and his son, Purajit contending with Vinda while Kuntibhoja battled Anuvinda, who dashed against him with his mace, shattering his arrows. The five princes of Kekaya encountered the five princes of Gandhara. Your son Deerghabahu fought Abhimanyu, son of Uttara. Satyaneeka, son of Nakula, met Uluka, son of Shakuni, in fierce combat.
In that age, the sacred code of warfare was upheld: one fought only with one of equal rank, two with two, and five with five. Thus did the Kauravas and Pandavas enter the fray, watched by celestials, siddhas, and charanas. The fourfold armies stood in order, and the combat of chariots, horses, elephants, and foot soldiers was not transgressed. So the terrible battle broke forth between Pandavas and Kauravas, with warriors in hundreds and thousands of pairs clashing bitterly, soldiers on both sides striking with the frenzy of war, without mercy, without pause, without thought, knowing only to fight, to kill, or to die.
In that dreadful conflict, horses fell in heaps, elephants lay like hills, limbs and tusks were strewn, floating in blood and flesh. Each unit struck its counterpart with swift and resolute action, and the corpses of beasts and men lay scattered, so that the field resembled Mount Mandara churning the ocean. Wherever one looked, there were dead bodies, severed limbs, broken weapons drifting in blood and mud, filling the scene with terror, said Sanjaya.
The battlefield resembled the seven primal mountains swirling in the ocean at the hour of universal dissolution. The severed heads of men and animals, the cries of the wounded and the dying, stood as living witnesses to destruction. Swords lay broken, tridents shattered, tusks scattered, leaving the field dreadful to behold. Some soldiers fought with one hand, having lost the other; some leapt upon their foes with one leg, the other torn away, yet even in such ruin they fought on with faith and resolve.
Chariots bereft of their riders were seized by heroes who became their own charioteers and returned to battle. Warriors ran upon their enemies with swords, though their heads were severed, their weapons still driven by indomitable spirit; some stabbed with knife and blade even as they fell. The wounded lay among the dead, still gripping their small swords. Those whose horses or elephants had fallen mounted other vehicles and displayed their courage anew.
The clash of chains upon elephants and the neighing of horses lent a fearful music to the world of sound. Thus the fierce battle raged on until afternoon, for they fought for life and death, deploying all their courage and boldness.
