Mahabharata Drona Parva Chapter 165

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Mahabharata Drona Parva (Ghatotkacha-badha Parva) Chapter 165


Sanjaya said, 'Bhuri, O king, in that battle, resisted that foremost of car-warriors, viz., the grandson of Sini, who advanced like an elephant towards a lake full of water. Then Satyaki, excited with wrath, pierced his foe in chest with five keen shafts. At this, the latter's blood began to flow. The Kuru warrior in that encounter similarly pierced with great speed the grandson of Sini, that hero difficult of defeat in battle, with ten shafts in the chest. Those warriors, drawing their bows to their fullest stretch, and with eyes red in wrath, began, O king, to mangle each other in that combat. The arrowy downpours of those two warriors, both excited with rage and resembling Death himself or the sun scattering his rays, were exceedingly terrible. Shrouding each other with shafts, each stayed before the other in that battle. For a short while that battle proceeded equally. Then, O king, the grandson of Sini, excited with rage and smiling the while, cut off the bow of the illustrious Kuru warrior in that battle. Having cut off his bow, Satyaki quickly pierced him in the chest with nine keen arrows and addressing him, said, "Wait! Wait!" That scorcher of foes deeply pierced his mighty foe, quickly took up another bow and pierced the Satwata warrior in return. Having pierced the Satwata hero with three shafts, O monarch, Bhuri, then, smiling the while, cut off his foe's bow with a sharp and broad-headed shaft. His bow being cut off, Satyaki, O king, maddened with rage, hurled an impetuous dart at the broad chest of Bhuri. Pierced with that dart, Bhuri fell down from his excellent car, covered with blood, like the sun dropping down from the firmament.

Beholding him thus slain, the mighty car-warrior Aswatthaman, O Bharata, rushed impetuously against grandson of Sini. Having addressed Satyaki, O king, saying, "Wait, Wait," he shrouded him with showers of shafts, like the clouds pouring torrents of rain on the crest of Meru. Beholding him rushing towards the car of Sini's grandson, the mighty car-warrior Ghatotkacha, O king, uttering a loud roar, addressed saying, "Wait, Wait, O son of Drona! Thou shalt not escape from me with life. I will presently slay thee like the six-faced (Karttikeya) slaying (the Asura) Mahisha. I shall today, on the field, purge thy heart of all desire of battle." Having said these words, that slayer of hostile heroes, viz., the Rakshasa (Ghatotkacha), with eyes red like copper in wrath, rushed furiously against the son of Drona, like a lion rushing against a prince of elephants. And Ghatotkacha sped at his foe shafts of the measure of the Aksha of a car, and covered that bull among car-warriors therewith, like clouds pouring torrents of rain. With his own shafts resembling snakes of virulent poison, Drona's son, however, in that battle, quickly dispelled that arrowy shower before it could reach him. He then pierced that chastiser of foes, viz., Ghatotkacha, that prince of the Rakshasas, with hundreds of keen and swift-coursing arrows, all capable of penetrating into the very vitals.


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