Mahabharata, Book 6, Section XLIVभीष्मपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 6.44.

44Sanskrit adhyāya 6.44 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच।
एवं व्यूढेष्वनीकेषु मामकेष्वितरेषु च।
के पूर्वं प्राहरंस्तत्र कुरवःक पाण्डवा नु किम् ।।
सञ्जय उवाच।
भ्रातृभिः सहितो राजन्पुत्रो दुःशासनस्तव।
भीष्मं प्रमुखतः कृत्वा प्रययौ सह सेनया ।।
तथैव पाण्डवाः सर्वे भीमसेनपुरोगमाः ।
भीष्मेण युद्धमिच्छन्तः प्रययुर्हृष्टमानसाः ।।
क्ष्वेडाः किलकिलाशब्दाः क्रकचा गोविषाणिकाः ।
भेरीमृदङ्गमुरजा हयकुञ्जरनिःस्वनाः ।।
उभयोःक सेनयोर्ह्यासंस्ततस्तेऽस्मान्समाद्रवन्।
वयं तान्प्रतिर्दन्तस्तदाऽऽसीत्तुमुलं महत् ।।
महान्त्यनीकानि महासमुच्छ्रये
समागमे पाण्डवधार्तराष्ट्रयोः।
चकम्पिरे शङ्खमृदङ्गनिःस्वनैः
प्रकम्पितानीव वनानि वायुना ।।
नरेन्द्र नागाश्वरताकुलाना-
मभ्यागतानामशिवे मुहूर्ते।
बभूव घोषस्तुमुलश्चमूनां
वातोद्धुतानामिव सागराणाम् ।।
तस्मिन्समुत्थिते शब्दे तुमुले रोमहर्षणे।
भीमसेनो महाबाहुः प्राणदद्गोवृषो यथा ।।
शङ्खदुन्दुभिनिर्घोषं वारणानां च बृंहितम्।
सिंहनादं च सैन्यानां भीससेनरवोऽभ्यभूत् ।।
हयानां हेषमाणानामनीकेषु सहस्रशः ।
सर्वानभ्यभवच्चब्दान्भीमस्य नदतः स्वनः ।।
तं श्रुत्वा निनदं तस्य सैन्यास्तव वितत्रसुः ।
जीमूतस्येव नदतः शक्राशनिसमस्वनम् ।।
वाहनानि च सर्वाणि शकृन्मूत्रं प्रमुस्रुवुः ।
शब्देन तस्य वीरस्य सिंहस्येवेतरेक मृगाः ।।
दर्शयन्घोरमात्मानं महाभ्रमिव नादयन्।
विभीषयंस्तव सुतान्भीमसेनः समभ्ययात् ।।
तमायान्तं महेष्वासं सोदर्याः पर्यवारयन् ।
छादयन्तः शरव्रातैर्मेघा इव दिवाकरम् ।।
दुर्योधनश्च पुत्रस्ते दुर्मुखो दुःसहः शलः ।
दुःशासनश्चातिरथस्तथा दुर्मर्षणो नृपः ।।
विविंशतिश्चित्रसेनो विकर्णश्च महारथः ।
पुरुमित्रो जयो भोजः सौमदत्तिश्च वीर्यवान् ।।
महाचापानि धुन्वन्तो मेघा इव सविद्युतः ।
आददानाश्च नाराचान्निर्मुक्ताशीविषोपमान् ।।
अथ ते द्रौपदीपुत्राः सौभद्रश्च महारथः ।
नकुलः सहदेवश्च धृष्टद्युम्नश्च पार्षतः ।।
धार्तराष्ट्रान्प्रतिययुरर्दयन्तः शितैः शरैः ।
वज्रैरिव महावेगैः शिखराणि धराभृताम् ।।
तस्मिन्प्रथमसंग्रामे भीमज्यातलनिःस्वने।
तावकानां परेषां च नासीत्कश्चित्पराङ्मुखः ।।
लाघवं द्रोणशिष्याणामपश्यं भरतर्षभ ।
निमित्तवेधिनां चैव शरानुत्सृजतां भृशम् ।।
नोपशाम्यति निर्घोषो धनुषां कूजतां तथा।
विनिश्चेरुः शरा दीप्ताज्योतींषीव नभस्तलात् ।।
सर्वे त्वन्ये महीपालाः प्रेक्षका इव भारत।
ददृशुर्दर्शनीयं तं भीमं ज्ञातिसमागमम् ।।
ततस्ते जातसंरम्भाः परस्परकृतागसः ।
अन्योन्यस्पर्धया राजन्व्यायच्छन्त महारथाः ।।
कुरुपाण्डवसेने ते हस्त्यश्वरथसंकुले ।
शुशुभाते रणेऽतीव पटे चित्रार्पिते इव ।।
ततस्ते पार्थिवाः सर्वे प्रगृहीतशरासनाः ।
सहसैन्याः समापेतुः पुत्रस्य तव शासनात् ।।
युधिष्ठिरेण चदिष्टाः पार्थिवास्ते सहस्रशः ।
विनदन्तः समापेतुः पुत्रस्य तव वाहिनीम् ।।
उभयोः सेनयोस्तीव्रः सैन्यानां स समागमः ।
अन्तर्धीयत चादित्यः सैन्येन रजसा वृतः ।।
प्रयुद्धानां प्रभग्नानां पुनरावर्तिनामपि।
नात्र स्वेषां परेषां वा विशेषः समदृश्यत ।।
तस्मिस्तु तुमुले युद्धे वर्तमाने महाभये।
अति सर्वाण्यनीकानि पिता तेऽभिव्यरोचत ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते भीष्मपर्वणि
भीष्मवधपर्वणि चतुश्चत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः ।।

English Ganguli

Dhritarashtra said, “When the divisions of both my side and the foe were thus arrayed, who struck first, the Kurus or the Pandavas?"

Sanjaya said, “Hearing those words of his (elder) brother, thy son Dussasana advanced with his troops, with Bhishma at their head, and the Pandavas also advanced with cheerful hearts, desiring battle with Bhishma, having Bhimasena at their head. Then leonine shouts, and clamorous uproars and the noise of Krakachas, the blare of cow-horns, and the sound of drums and cymbals and tabors, arose in both armies. And the warriors of the foe rushed against us, and we also (rushed) against them with loud shouts. And the uproar (caused by this rush) was deafening.317 The vast hosts of the Pandavas and the Dhartarashtras, in that awfully murderous encounter shook in consequence of that uproar of conches and cymbals, like forests shaken by the wind.318 And the din made by those hosts teeming with kings, elephants, and steeds, rushing against one another in that evil hour, was as loud as that of oceans agitated by the tempest. And when that din, loud and causing the hair to stand on end, arose, the mighty-armed Bhimasena began to roar like a bull. And those roars of Bhimasena rose above the clamour of conches and drums, the grunts of elephants, and the leonine shouts of the combatants. Indeed, the shouts of Bhimasena transcended the noise made by the thousands of chargers neighing in (both) the armies. And hearing those shouts of Bhimasena who was roaring like the clouds, shouts that resembled the report of Sakra’s thunder, thy warriors were filled with fear. And at those roars of the hero, the steeds and elephants all ejected urine and excreta like other animals at the roar of the lion. And roaring like a deep mass of clouds, and assuming an awful form, that hero frightened thy sons and fell upon them.319 Thereupon the brothers, viz., thy sons Duryodhana, and Durmukha and Dussaha, and that mighty car-warrior Dussasana, and Durmarshana, O king, and Vivinsati, and Chitrasena, and the great car-warrior Vikarna and also Purumitra, and Jaya, and Bhoja, and the valorous son of Somadatta, shaking their splendid bows like masses of clouds exhibiting the lightning’s flashes, and taking out (of their quivers) long arrows resembling snakes that have just cast off their sloughs, surrounded that mighty bowman rushing (towards them) covering him with flights of arrows like the clouds shrouding the sun. And the (five) sons of Draupadi, and the mighty car-warrior Saubhadra,320 and Nakula, and Sahadeva, and Dhrishtadyumna of Prishata’s race, rushed against (those) Dhartarashtras, tearing them with whetted shafts like summits of mountains with the impetuous bolts of heaven. And in that first encounter characterised by the awful twang of bow-strings and their flapping against the leathern fences (of the warriors)321 no combatant, either on thy side or that of the foe, turned back. And, O bull of Bharata’s race, I beheld the lightness of hand of the disciples of Drona (in particular), who, shooting innumerable arrows, O king, always succeeded in hitting the mark.322 And the twang of sounding bowstrings ceased not for a moment, and the blazing arrows shot through (the air) like meteors (falling) from the firmament. And all the other kings, O Bharata, stood like (silent) spectators witnessing that interesting and awful encounter of kinsmen. And then those mighty car-warriors, with wrath excited and remembering the injuries sustained at one another’s hands, strove in battle, O king, challenging one another. And the two armies of the Kurus and the Pandavas, teeming with elephants, steeds and cars, looked exceedingly beautiful on the field of battle like painted figures on a canvas. And then the (other) kings all took up their bows. And the Sun himself was shrouded by the dust raised by the combatants. And they fell upon one another, at the heads of their (respective) troops, at the command of thy son. And the loud uproar made by the elephants and the chargers of those kings rushing to the combat, mingled with the leonine shouts of the combatants and the din made by the blare of conches and the sounds of drums. And the uproar of that ocean having arrows for its crocodiles, bows for its snakes, swords for its tortoises, and the forward leaps of the warriors for its tempest, resembled the din made by the (actual) ocean when agitated. And kings in thousands, commanded by Yudhishthira, with their (respective) troops fell upon the ranks of thy son. And the encounter between the combatants of the two hosts was fierce in the extreme. And no difference could be perceived between the combatants of our side or that of the foe, while battling, or retreating in broken array or rallying again to the fight. In that terrific and awful battle, thy father (Bhishma) shone, transcending that countless host."