Sanjaya spoke unto Dhritarashtra, “O King, Bhimasena moves upon the field like an approaching cataclysm, a living ruin to the Kaurava host. At his advance, thy sons and their foremost princes gathered their valour and encircled him, striving with united might to arrest his progress, for his wrath resembled a tempest that none could lightly withstand.”
Meanwhile, Dhrishtadyumna, well aware that Bhima fought alone amidst tightening ranks, engaged Dronacharya with fierce determination, seeking to hold him at bay while support might reach the son of Vayu. Perceiving at length that Bhima’s chariot stood without its master, guarded only by the faithful charioteer Visoka and the steeds, anxiety seized him. His voice faltered, his eyes moistened, and he inquired in trembling earnestness, “Where is Bhimasena? If harm has befallen him, my life itself shall lose its purpose. Speak plainly, what has transpired?”
Visoka, calm amidst the tumult, replied, “The Kuru princes encompassed him on every side. Taking up his mace, he leapt among them as a lion spring upon herds of deer, commanding me to remain with the chariot and guard it well. He strode alone into their massed ranks. His prowess is renowned; doubt not his safety, though I know not his present place.”
Recovering composure, Dhrishtadyumna directed his charioteer toward the region where elephants lay heaped upon the earth, reasoning that Bhima’s path would be marked by fallen giants, for his blows ever sought the mightiest foes. Swiftly, the chariot passed between those vast carcasses and reached Bhima. Addressing him with ardour, he cried, “O slayer of Bakasura, I have come to stand beside thee. Resume thy battle; thy welfare shall be my charge. These warriors who press upon thee shall feel the edge of my wrath.”
At that moment, Dushasana shouted in a thunderous voice, “Surround this fierce warrior! Permit him no aid to Bhimasena; let his effort be crushed.” At the command of thy son, the best of the Kaurava fighters encircled Dhrishtadyumna with gathered strength. Knowing Bhima thirsted and must not be overborne, Dhrishtadyumna invoked the sacred Pramohanastra, once bestowed upon him by Drona himself, and a stupor seized the princes in sudden delusion. Bhima thus gained respite, took water, and rejoined the fray with renewed Vigor.
Drona, perceiving Dhrishtadyumna absent from the front, assailed Drupada and drove him back with derisive laughter, seizing upon the ancient rivalry that smoldered within his heart. For though he had instructed Dhrishtadyumna and gifted him that astra for righteous purpose, the memory of past affronts against Drupada still stirred him. Soon, discovering the field strewn with princes fallen senseless, he countered with the Prajnastra and restored them to awareness.
Revived and inflamed with shame, the Kaurava princes renewed their assault upon Bhima and Dhrishtadyumna. The clash grew dreadful, and awe seized those who beheld it. Dharmaraja then dispatched the five Kekaya princes, the five sons of Draupadi, and Abhimanyu at their head to reinforce the embattled heroes. Together, these twelve young warriors pressed hard upon the Kaurava ranks and subdued them with disciplined fury.
Dhrishtadyumna turned to Bhima and said, “This is no ordered encounter but a tumultuous free contest. Mount a chariot; to roam on foot suits not the design of war.” Bhima ascended the chariot of the Kekayas, and once more the contest blazed. Drona, radiant as the midday sun, loosed volleys of arrows that darkened the sky above the Pandava host. Dhrishtadyumna, aflame with valour, advanced against him. Drona shattered his bow, pierced his frame, slew his steeds, and struck down his charioteer, sending tremors through the Pandava lines and drawing exultation from the Kauravas and even the heavens. Swiftly Dhrishtadyumna mounted Abhimanyu’s chariot and continued the struggle, while many Pandava warriors recoiled before Drona’s terrible onset until Bhima and Dhrishtadyumna rallied them anew.
Duryodhana then advanced proudly with his chariot forces and hemmed Bhima round. Arrows flew in ceaseless exchange; shafts from Duryodhana struck Bhima’s chest, yet Bhima answered with keen arrows that pierced both the prince’s arms and smote his breast. Neither yielded ground. The brothers and kinsmen of Duryodhana sought to capture Bhima by concerted assault, but Abhimanyu, Dhrishtaketu, and the Kekayas stood firm beside him, and together they burst forth in wrath against the princes. Unable to endure that fierce encounter, thy sons at length turned from the field and fled to preserve their lives. Bhima, beholding their retreat, felt not triumph but regret, for the hour had not granted him the full measure of retribution he had long desired.
