Mahabharata Drona Parva Chapter 155:9

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Mahabharata Drona Parva (Ghatotkacha-badha Parva) Chapter 155:9


Riding on that formidable car equipped with triumphal banners, that slayer of foes once more proceeded against Drona's son, desirous of a single combat with the latter. Endued with terrible prowess, the Rakshasa, uttering a loud leonine roar, hurled in that encounter at Drona's son, having whirled it (previously), a terrible Asani of celestial workmanship, and equipped with eight bells.[1] Drona's son, however, jumping down from his car, having left his bow thereon, seized it and hurled it back at Ghatotkacha himself. Ghatotkacha, meanwhile, had quickly alighted from his car. That formidable Asani, of dazzling effulgence, having reduced to ashes the Rakshasa's vehicle with steeds and drivers and standard, entered the earth, having pierced her through. Beholding that feat of Drona's son, viz., his having jumped down and seized that terrible Asani of celestial workmanship, all creatures applauded it. Proceeding then, O king, to Dhrishtadyumna's car, Bhimasena's son, taking up a terrible bow that resembled the large bow of Indra himself, once more shot many keen shafts at the illustrious son of Drona.

Dhrishtadyumna also fearlessly shot at Aswatthaman's chest many foremost of shafts, equipped with wings of gold and resembling snakes of virulent poison. Then Drona's son shot arrows and long shafts by thousands. These two heroes, however, viz., Ghatotkacha and Dhrishtadyumna, struck and baffled Aswatthaman's shafts by means of their own shafts whose touch resembled that of fire. The battle then that took place between those two lions among men (Ghatotkacha on the one side) and the son of Drona (on the other) became fierce in the extreme and gladdened all the combatants, O bull of Bharata's race! Then, accompanied by a thousand cars, three hundred elephants, and six thousand horses, Bhimasena arrived at that spot.

The virtuous son of Drona, however, endued as he was with prowess that knew no fatigue, continued to fight with the heroic son of Bhima and with Dhrishtadyumna supported by his followers.[2] The prowess then that Drona's son displayed on that occasion was exceedingly wonderful, in as much as, O Bharata, none else amongst all creatures is capable of accomplishing such feats. Within the twinkling of an eye, he destroyed, by means of his sharp shafts, a full Akshauhini of Rakshasa troops with steeds, drivers, cars, and elephants, in the very sight of Bhimasena and Hidimva's son and Prishata's son and the twins and Dharma's son and Vijaya and Achyuta.[3] Deeply struck with the straight-going shafts (of Aswatthaman), elephants fell down on elephants on the earth like crestless mountains. Strewn all around with the lopped off trunks of elephants, that moved still in convulsions, the earth looked as if overspread with moving snakes.


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References

  1. Asani literally means the thunder. Probably, some kind of iron mace.
  2. The Bengal texts read Utkrisha-vikramas. The correct reading seems to be Aklivhtavikramas. Then again Sahanujam seems to be inaccurate. I follow the Bombay reading Sahanugam.
  3. Achyuta, when used as a proper noun, refers to Krishna. It means of unfading glory and 'the immortal.'