Mahabharata, Book 6, Section XVIIIभीष्मपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 6.18.

18Sanskrit adhyāya 6.18 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

सञ्जय उवाच।
ततो मुहूर्तात्तुमुलः शब्दो हृदयकम्पनः।
अश्रूयत महाराज योधानां प्रयुयुत्सताम् ।।
शङ्खदुन्दुभिघोषैश्च वारणानां च बृंहितैः ।
नोमिघोषै रथानां च दीर्यतीव वसुन्धरा ।।
हयानां हेषमाणानां योधानां चैव गर्जताम्।
क्षणेनैव नभो भूमिः शब्देनापूरितं तदा ।।
पुत्राणां तव दुर्धर्ष पाण्डवानां तथैव च ।
समकम्पन्त सैन्यानि परस्परसमागमे ।।
तत्र नागा रथाश्चैव जाम्बूनदविभूषिताः ।
भ्राजमाना व्यदृश्यन्त मेघा इव सविद्युतः ।।
ध्वजा बहुविधाकारास्तावकानां नराधिप ।
काञ्चनाङ्गदिनो रेजुर्ज्वलिता इव पावकाः ।।
स्वेषां चैव परेषां च समदृश्यन्त भारत।
महेन्द्रकेतवः शुभ्रा महेन्द्रसदनेष्विव ।।
काञ्चनैः कवचैर्वीरा ज्वलनार्कसमप्रभैः।
सन्नद्धाः समदृश्यन्त ज्वलनार्कसमप्रभाः ।।
कुरुयोधवरा राजन्विचित्रायुधकार्मुकाः ।
उद्यतैरायुथैश्चित्रैस्तलबद्धाः पताकिनः ।।
ऋषभाक्षा महेष्वासाश्चमूमुखगता बभुः ।
पृष्ठगोपास्तु भीष्मस्य पुत्रास्तव नराधिप ।
दुःशासनो दुर्विषहो दुर्मुखो दुःसहस्तथा ।।
विविंशतिश्चित्रसेनो विकर्णश्च महारथः ।
सत्यव्रतः पुरुमित्रो जयो भूरिश्रवाः शलः ।।
रथा विंशतिसाहस्रास्तथैषामनुयायिनः।
अभीषाहाः शूरसेनाः शिबयोऽथ वसातयः ।।
शाल्वा मत्स्यास्तथाम्बष्ठास्त्रैगर्ताः केकयास्तथा।
सौवीराः कैतवाः प्राच्याः प्रतीच्येदीच्यवासिनः ।।
द्वादशैते जनपदाः सर्वे शूरास्तनुत्यजः ।
महता रथवंशेन ते ररक्षुः पितामहम् ।।
अनीकं दशसाहस्रं कुञ्जराणां तरस्विनाम् ।
मागधो यत्र नृपतिस्तद्रथानीकमन्वयात् ।।
रथानां चक्ररक्षाश्च पादरक्षाश्च दन्तिनाम्।
अभवन्वाहिनीमध्ये शतानामयुतानि षट् ।।
पादाताश्चाग्रतो गच्छन्धनुश्चर्मासिपाणयः ।
अनेकशतसाहस्रा नखरप्रासयोधिनः ।।
अक्षौहिण्यो दशैका च तव पुत्रस्य भारत।
अदृश्यत महाराज गङ्गेव यमुनान्तरा ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते भीष्मपर्वणि
भगवद्गीतापर्वणि अष्टादशोऽध्यायः ।।

English Ganguli

Sanjaya said,—“Soon after, O king, a loud uproar, causing the heart to tremble was heard, made by the combatants ready for the fight. Indeed, with the sounds of conches and drums, the grunts of elephants, and the clatter of car-wheels, the Earth seemed to rend in twain. And soon the welkin and the whole Earth was filled with the neigh of chargers and the shouts of combatants. O irresistible one, the troops of thy sons and of the Pandavas both trembled when they encountered each other. There (on the field of battle) elephants and cars, decked in gold, looked beautiful like clouds decked with lightning. And standards of diverse forms, O king, belonging to the combatants on thy side, and adorned with golden rings, looked resplendent like fire. And those standards of thy side and theirs, resembled, O Bharata, the banners of Indra in his celestial mansions. And the heroic warriors all accoutred and cased in golden coats of mail endued with the effulgence of the blazing Sun, themselves looked like blazing fire or the Sun. All the foremost warriors amongst the Kurus, O king, with excellent bows, and weapons upraised (for striking), with leathern fences on their hands, and with standards,—those mighty bowmen, of eyes large as those of bulls, all placed themselves at the heads of their (respective) divisions. And these amongst thy sons, O king, protected Bhishma from behind, viz.. Dussasana, and Durvishaha, and Durmukha, and Dussaha and Vivinsati, and Chitrasena, and that mighty car-warrior Vikarna. And amongst them were Satyavrata, and Purumitra, and Jaya, and Bhurisravas, and Sala. And twenty thousand car-warriors followed them. The Abhishahas, the Surasenas, the Sivis, and the Vasatis, the Salyas, the Matsyas, the Amvashtas, the Trigartas, and the Kekayas, the Sauviras, the Kitavas, and the dwellers of the Eastern, Western, and the Northern countries,—these twelve brave races were resolved to fight reckless of their lives. And these protected the grandsire with a multitudinous array of cars. And with a division that consisted of ten thousand active elephants, the king of Magadha followed that large car division. They that protected the wheels of the cars and they that protected the elephants, numbered full six millions. And the foot-soldiers that marched in advance (of the army), armed with bows, swords, and shields, numbered many hundreds of thousands. And they fought also using their nails and bearded darts. And the ten and one Akshauhinis of thy son, O Bharata, looked, O mighty king, like Ganga separated from Yamuna.102"