Devaki, or the mighty son of Bharadwaja, the foremost
of preceptors, is able to bear the impetus of Partha
in battle? And repelling weapons with weapons,
those two bulls of the Bharata race, both endued with
great might, fought on playfully and infatuated the
eyes of all created beings. And those illustrious
warriors ranged on the field of battle, using the
celestials weapons obtained from Prajapati and Indra,
and Agni and the fierce Rudra, and Kuvera, and Varuna,
and Yama, and Vayu. And all beings were greatly
surprised, upon beholding those warriors engaged in
combat. And they all exclaimed,—Bravo
Partha of long arms? Bravo Bhishma! Indeed,
this application of celestial weapons that is being
witnessed in the combat between Bhishma and Partha
is rare among human beings.”
“Vaisampayana continued, ’Thus raged that
conflict with weapons between those warriors conversant
with all weapons. And when that conflict of celestial
weapons ceased, then commenced a conflict with arrows.
And Jishnu approaching his opponent, cut of with an
arrow sharp like a razor the gold-decked bow of Bhishma.
Within the twinkling of the eye, however, Bhishma,
that mighty-armed and great car-warrior, took up another
bow and stringed it. And inflamed with wrath,
he showered upon Dhananjaya a cloud of arrows.
And Arjuna, too, endued with great energy, rained upon
Bhishma innumerable sharp-pointed and keen-edged arrows.
And Bhishma also shot clouds of arrows upon Pandu’s
son. And conversant with celestial weapons and
engaged in shooting and each other, arrows of keen
points, no distinction, O king, could then be perceived
between those illustrious warriors. And that
mighty car-warrior, Kunti’s son, covered with
a diadem, and the heroic son of Santanu, obscured
the ten directions with their arrows. And the
Pandava covered Bhishma, and Bhishma also covered
the Pandava, with clouds of shafts. And, O king,
wonderful was this combat that took place in this
world of men. And the heroic warriors that protected
Bhishma’s car, slain by the son of Pandu, fell
prostrate, O monarch, beside the car of Kunti’s
son. And the feathery arrows of Svetavahana,
shot from the Gandiva, fell in all directions as if
with the object of making a wholesale slaughter of
the foe. And issuing forth from his car those
blazing arrows furnished with golden wings looked like
rows of swans in the sky. And all the celestials
with Indra, stationed in the firmament, gazed with
wonder upon another celestial weapon hurled with great
force by that wonderful archer Arjuna. And beholding
that wonderful weapon of great beauty, the mighty
Gandiva, Chitrasena, highly pleased, addressed the
lord of celestials, saying, ’Behold these arrows
shot by Partha coursing through the sky in one continuous
line. Wonderful is the dexterity of Jishnu in
evolving this celestial weapon! Human beings are
incapable of shooting such a weapon, for it does not
exist among men. How wonderful again is this
concourse of mighty weapons existing from days of
Print
Word
PDF
