Mahabharata Drona Parva Chapter 113:3

Prev.png
Mahabharata Drona Parva (Jayadratha-Vadha Parva) Chapter 113:3


I think, seeing those two heroes pass through Drona's division unvanquished within a moment, my sons are filled with grief. Stupefied am I, O son, upon hearing that Krishna and Dhananjaya, those two heroes of unfading glory, have both, with Satwata, penetrated into my host. After that foremost of car-warriors among the Sinis, had entered my host, and after he had passed through the division of the Bhojas, what did the Kauravas do? Tell me also, O Sanjaya, how did the battle take place there where Drona afflicted the Pandavas on the field? Drona is endued with great might, is the foremost of all persons, is accomplished in weapons, and is incapable of being defeated in battle. How could the Panchalas pierce that great bowman in the fight? Desirous of Dhananjaya's victory, the Panchalas are inveterate foes of Drona. The mighty car-warrior Drona also is an inveterate foe of theirs. Thou art skilled in a narration, O Sanjaya! Tell me, therefore, everything about what Arjuna did for compassing the slaughter of the ruler of the Sindhus.

Sanjaya said, 'O bull of Bharata's race, overtaken by a calamity that is the direct result of thy own fault, thou shouldst not, O hero, indulge in such lamentations like an ordinary person. Formerly, many of thy wise well-wishers, numbering Vidura amongst them, had told thee, "Do not, O king, abandon the sons of Pandu." Thou didst not then heed those words. The man that heedeth not the counsels of well-wishing friends, weepeth, falling into great distress, like thyself. He of Dasarha's race, O king, had formerly begged thee for peace. For all that, Krishna of world-wide fame, obtained not his prayer. Ascertaining thy worthlessness, and thy jealousy towards the Pandavas, and understanding also thy crooked intentions towards the sons of Pandu, and hearing thy delirious lamentations, O best of kings, that puissant Lord of all the worlds, that Being, acquainted with the truth of everything in all the worlds, viz., Vasudeva, then caused the flame of war to blaze forth among the Kurus. This great and wholesale destruction hath come upon thee, brought about by thy own fault. O giver of honours, it behoveth thee not to impute the fault to Duryodhana. In the development of these incidents no merit of thine is to be seen in the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.

This defeat is entirely owing to thee. Therefore, knowing as thou dost the truth about this world, be quiet and hear how this fierce battle, resembling that between the gods and the Asuras, took place. After the grandson of Sini, that warrior of prowess incapable of being baffled, had entered into thy host, the Parthas headed by Bhimasena also rushed against thy troops. The mighty car-warrior Kritavarman, however, alone, resisted, in that battle the Pandavas thus rushing in fury and wrath with their followers against thy host. As the continent resists the surgings, even so did the son of Hridika resist the troops of the Pandavas in that battle. The prowess that we then beheld of the son of Hridika was wonderful, inasmuch as the united Parthas succeeded not in transgressing his single self.

Next.png

References