Mahabharata Drona Parva Chapter 165:2

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Mahabharata Drona Parva (Ghatotkacha-badha Parva) Chapter 165:2


Thus pierced with those shafts by Aswatthaman, that Rakshasa, on the field of battle, looked beautiful, O monarch, like a porcupine with quills erect on its body. Then the valiant son of Bhimasena, filled with rage, mangled the son of Drona with many fierce arrows, whizzing through the air with the roar of thunder. And he rained on Aswatthaman a perfect shower of arrows of diverse kinds; some, equipped with heads like razors; some, shaped as the crescent; some, only pointed; some, frog-faced; some, with heads resembling the boar's ear; some, barbed; and some of other species.[1] Like the wind dispersing mighty masses of clouds, Drona's son, O king, without his senses being agitated, destroyed with his own terrible arrows, inspired by mantras with the force of celestial weapons, that fierce, unbearable and unrivalled shower of weapons, whose sound resembled the roar of thunder, and which fell incessantly upon him. It seemed then that another encounter was taking place in the welkin between weapons (as the combatants), which was terrible, and which, O king, filled the warriors with awe. With the sparks all around, generated by the clash of the weapons, shot by those two warriors, the welkin looked beautiful as illumined by myriads of fire-flies in the evening. Drona's son then, filling all the points of the compass with his shafts, shrouded the Rakshasa himself, for doing what was agreeable to thy sons. Then commenced a battle once more between Drona's son and the Rakshasa on that night of thick darkness, which resembled the encounter between Sakra and Prahlada. Then Ghatotkacha, filled with rage, struck Drona's son, in that battle, on the chest with ten shafts, each resembling the Yuga-fire.

Deeply pierced by the Rakshasa, the mighty son of Drona began to tremble in that battle like a tall tree shaken by the wind. Supporting himself by holding the flagstaff, he swooned away. Then all thy troops, O king, uttered cries of Oh and Alas. Indeed, O monarch, all thy warriors then regarded Drona's son as slain. Beholding Aswatthaman in that plight, the Panchalas and the Srinjayas in that battle uttered leonine roars. Then that crusher of foes, viz., the mighty car-warrior Aswatthaman, recovering his senses, forcibly drawing the bow with his left hand, stretching the bowstring to his ear, quickly shot a terrible shaft resembling the rod of Yama himself, aiming at Ghatotkacha.

That excellent shaft, fierce and equipped with golden wings, piercing through the chest of the Rakshasa, entered the earth, O king. Deeply pierced, O monarch, by Drona's son who was proud of his prowess in battle, that prince of Rakshasas, endued with great strength, sat down on the terrace of his car. Beholding Hidimva's son deprived of his senses, his charioteer, inspired with fear, speedily removed him from the field, bearing him away from the presence of Drona's son. Having pierced that prince of Rakshasas, viz., Ghatotkacha, in that encounter thus, Drona's son, that mighty car-warrior, uttered a loud roar. Worshipped by thy sons as also by all thy warriors, O Bharata, Aswatthaman's body blazed up like the midday sun.

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References

  1. Nalikas, as used here, appear to have been some species of shafts. In an earlier note, relying on other authorities, I took it to mean some kind of air-gun.