Critical Edition
संजय उवाच दृष्ट्वा भीष्मं रणे क्रुद्धं पाण्डवैरभिसंवृतम् यथा मेघैर्महाराज तपान्ते दिवि भास्करम्
M. N. Dutt: Sanjaya said Beholding, O king, Bhishma inflamed with rage in battle, surrounded by the Pandavas, like the sun in the heavens surrounded by the clouds at the end of the summer,
दुर्योधनो महाराज दुःशासनमभाषत एष शूरो महेष्वासो भीष्मः शत्रुनिषूदनः
M. N. Dutt: Duryodhana, O monarch, said to Dushasana "This heroic Bhishma, this mighty bowman and slayer of heroes,
छादितः पाण्डवैः शूरैः समन्ताद्भरतर्षभ तस्य कार्यं त्वया वीर रक्षणं सुमहात्मनः
M. N. Dutt: Is surrounded on all sides, O foremost of the Bharatas, with the heroic Pandava warriors. It behooves you, O hero, to look to the protection of that (high-souled one).
रक्ष्यमाणो हि समरे भीष्मोऽस्माकं पितामहः निहन्यात्समरे यत्तान्पाञ्चालान्पाण्डवैः सह
M. N. Dutt: Our grandsire Bhishma, being wellprotected in battle, will slay all the Panchalas with the Pandavas.
तत्र कार्यमहं मन्ये भीष्मस्यैवाभिरक्षणम् गोप्ता ह्येष महेष्वासो भीष्मोऽस्माकं पितामहः
M. N. Dutt: Therefore I think the protection of Bhishma to be our foremost duty. This fierce bowman Bhishma of illustrious vows is our protector.
स भवान्सर्वसैन्येन परिवार्य पितामहम् समरे दुष्करं कर्म कुर्वाणं परिरक्षतु
M. N. Dutt: Therefore surrounding the grandsire with all our troops, do you protect him as he accomplishes difficult feats in battle.”
एवमुक्तस्तु समरे पुत्रो दुःशासनस्तव परिवार्य स्थितो भीष्मं सैन्येन महता वृतः
M. N. Dutt: Thus spoken to, your son Dushasana stood with his mighty army, surrounding Bhishma in that battle.
ततः शतसहस्रेण हयानां सुबलात्मजः विमलप्रासहस्तानामृष्टितोमरधारिणाम्
M. N. Dutt: Then Shakuni the son of Subala with hundred thousands cavalry soldiers, holding resplendent spears, swords and lances,
दर्पितानां सुवेगानां बलस्थानां पताकिनाम् शिक्षितैर्युद्धकुशलैरुपेतानां नरोत्तमैः
M. N. Dutt: And forming proud and strong detachment of troops, bearing standards, and supported by well-disciplined and wellaccomplished foot-soldiers alll excellent fighters,
Supplementary Passages:
6.101.9 After 9, T G M2 ins.: *401 नानाशस्त्रसमाकीर्णो युद्धायैवाभिदंशितः
नकुलं सहदेवं च धर्मराजं च पाण्डवम् न्यवारयन्नरश्रेष्ठं परिवार्य समन्ततः
M. N. Dutt: Began to oppose Nakula, Sahadeva, and Yudhishthira the son of Pandu, surrounding those foremost of men on all sides.
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा शूराणां हयसादिनाम् अयुतं प्रेषयामास पाण्डवानां निवारणे
M. N. Dutt: Then king Duryodhana dispatched a detachment of ten thousand horses all brave warriors, for checking the Pandavas. a
तैः प्रविष्टैर्महावेगैर्गरुत्मद्भिरिवाहवे खुराहता धरा राजंश्चकम्पे च ननाद च
M. N. Dutt: As these highly fleet chargers resembling so many Sarudas rushed to battle, the earth, O king, struck with their hoof quaked and produced a loud din.
खुरशब्दश्च सुमहान्वाजिनां शुश्रुवे तदा महावंशवनस्येव दह्यमानस्य पर्वते
M. N. Dutt: The dreadful clatter of the hoofs of steeds that was then heard resembled the cracking sound produced by a bamboo forest on the top of a hill, when set on fire.
उत्पतद्भिश्च तैस्तत्र समुद्धूतं महद्रजः दिवाकरपथं प्राप्य छादयामास भास्करम्
M. N. Dutt: As these rushed to the charge, there arose a thick cloud of dust, that mounting to the solar orbit shrouded the sun itself.
वेगवद्भिर्हयैस्तैस्तु क्षोभितं पाण्डवं बलम् निपतद्भिर्महावेगैर्हंसैरिव महत्सरः हेषतां चैव शब्देन न प्राज्ञायत किंचन
AI Translation: The Pāṇḍava army was agitated by those swift horses, as by the fall of very swift swans into a great lake. And by the sound of their neighing, nothing could
Supplementary Passages:
6.101.15 After 15, T G ins.: *402 अन्तर्दधे महाञ्शब्दस्तेन शब्देन मोहितः
ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा माद्रीपुत्रौ च पाण्डवौ प्रत्यघ्नंस्तरसा वेगं समरे हयसादिनाम्
AI Translation: Then King Yudhishthira and the two Pandava sons of Madri quickly struck the speed of the horse riders in battle.
उद्वृत्तस्य महाराज प्रावृट्कालेन पूर्यतः पौर्णमास्यामम्बुवेगं यथा वेला महोदधेः
AI Translation: O great king, when the rainy season comes, the ocean swells, and on the full moon day, the force of the water is like that of the ocean.
ततस्ते रथिनो राजञ्शरैः संनतपर्वभिः न्यकृन्तन्नुत्तमाङ्गानि कायेभ्यो हयसादिनाम्
AI Translation: Then, O king, those charioteers with straight-tufted arrows cut off the heads of the horses and riders from their bodies.
ते निपेतुर्महाराज निहता दृढधन्विभिः नागैरिव महानागा यथा स्युर्गिरिगह्वरे
AI Translation: Those were struck down, O great king, by the archers, like great elephants by other great elephants in a mountain forest.
तेऽपि प्रासैः सुनिशितैः शरैः संनतपर्वभिः न्यकृन्तन्नुत्तमाङ्गानि विचरन्तो दिशो दश
AI Translation: They cut off the heads of the enemy with sharp spears and straight-tufted arrows, while moving in the ten directions.
अत्यासन्ना हयारोहा ऋष्टिभिर्भरतर्षभ अच्छिनन्नुत्तमाङ्गानि फलानीव महाद्रुमात्
AI Translation: The horse-riders, who were too close, cut off the heads of the enemy with their swords, O bull of the Bharata lineage, like fruits from a great tree.
ससादिनो हया राजंस्तत्र तत्र निषूदिताः पतिताः पात्यमानाश्च शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः
AI Translation: Horses with riders were killed here and there, O king. Those who fell and were being thrown down were in hundreds and thousands.
वध्यमाना हयास्ते तु प्राद्रवन्त भयार्दिताः यथा सिंहान्समासाद्य मृगाः प्राणपरायणाः
AI Translation: The horses, being killed, fled in fear, just as deer, intent on saving their lives, flee when they encounter lions.
Supplementary Passages:
6.101.23 After 23, D8 ins.: *403 एवं तु सौबलं सैन्यं प्रभग्नं सर्वतोदिशम्
पाण्डवास्तु महाराज जित्वा शत्रून्महाहवे दध्मुः शङ्खांश्च भेरीश्च ताडयामासुराहवे
AI Translation: The Pāṇḍavas, O great king, having defeated the enemies in the great battle, blew their conches and beat their drums in the battle.
ततो दुर्योधनो दृष्ट्वा दीनं सैन्यमवस्थितम् अब्रवीद्भरतश्रेष्ठ मद्रराजमिदं वचः
AI Translation: Then, seeing the army in a miserable state, Duryodhana said to the king of Madra, "O best of the Bharatas, speak to the army thus:
Supplementary Passages:
6.101.25 For 25, D2 subst.: *404 उवाच मद्राधिपतिं राजा दुर्योधनस्तदा
एष पाण्डुसुतो ज्येष्ठो जित्वा मातुल मामकान् पश्यतां नो महाबाहो सेनां द्रावयते बली
AI Translation: This is the eldest son of Pandu, having defeated my maternal uncles, O mighty-armed one, look, he is driving away our army.
तं वारय महाबाहो वेलेव मकरालयम् त्वं हि संश्रूयसेऽत्यर्थमसह्यबलविक्रमः
AI Translation: O mighty one, restrain him, as the ocean restrains the abode of the makara fish. For you are heard to be of unbearable strength and valour.
पुत्रस्य तव तद्वाक्यं श्रुत्वा शल्यः प्रतापवान् प्रययौ रथवंशेन यत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरः
AI Translation: Hearing those words of your son, the powerful Shalya went by the chariot-route to where King Yudhishthira was.
तदापतद्वै सहसा शल्यस्य सुमहद्बलम् महौघवेगं समरे वारयामास पाण्डवः
AI Translation: Then the great army of Shalya suddenly fell upon it, and in the battle the Pandava restrained it with the force of a great flood.
मद्रराजं च समरे धर्मराजो महारथः दशभिः सायकैस्तूर्णमाजघान स्तनान्तरे नकुलः सहदेवश्च त्रिभिस्त्रिभिरजिह्मगैः
AI Translation: In the battle, Dharmaraja, the great chariot-warrior, quickly struck the king of Madra between the breasts with ten arrows. Nakula and Sahadeva each struck him with three straight-flying arrows.
मद्रराजोऽपि तान्सर्वानाजघान त्रिभिस्त्रिभिः युधिष्ठिरं पुनः षष्ट्या विव्याध निशितैः शरैः माद्रीपुत्रौ च संरब्धौ द्वाभ्यां द्वाभ्यामताडयत्
M. N. Dutt: The king of the Madras in return pierced them all with three shafts each; then again he pierced Yudhishthira with sixty shafts of exceeding sharpness;
ततो भीमो महाबाहुर्दृष्ट्वा राजानमाहवे मद्रराजवशं प्राप्तं मृत्योरास्यगतं यथा अभ्यद्रवत संग्रामे युधिष्ठिरममित्रजित्
M. N. Dutt: Staying within the reach of the Madra king's car, as if within the very jaws of death, rushed in that battle to the side of Yudhishthira.
Supplementary Passages:
6.101.32 After 32, S ins.: *405 आपतन्नेव भीमस्तु मद्रराजमताडयत् सर्वपारशवैस्तीक्ष्णैर्नाराचैर्मर्मभेदिभिः ततो भीष्मश्च द्रोणश्च सैन्येन महता वृतौ राजानमभ्यपद्येतामञ्जसा शरवर्षिणौ After line 3, G3 ins.: *406 धृष्टद्युम्नस्त्रिभिर्विद्ध्वा राजानमभ्यपद्यत
ततो युद्धं महाघोरं प्रावर्तत सुदारुणम् अपरां दिशमास्थाय द्योतमाने दिवाकरे
M. N. Dutt: Then when the sun, rising on the western quarter, was scorching the earth, a fierce and sanguinary engagement commenced.