Mahabharata Drona Parva Chapter 155:4

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Mahabharata Drona Parva (Ghatotkacha-badha Parva) Chapter 155:4


And that huge vehicle was furnished with eight wheels. Riding on it, Ghatotkacha was surrounded by a full Akshauhini of fierce-looking Rakshasas armed with lances and heavy clubs and rocks and trees. Seeing him advance with uplifted bow, resembling the mace-armed Destroyer himself in the hour of universal dissolution, the hostile kings were struck with fear. At sight of that prince of Rakshasas, viz., Ghatotkacha, looking like a mountain summit of terrible aspect, frightful, possessed of terrible teeth and fierce face, with arrow-like ears and high cheek-bones, with stiff hair rising upwards, awful eyes, sunken belly, blazing mouth, wide as a chasm, and diadem on his head, capable of striking every creature with fear, possessing jaws wide-open like those of the Destroyer, endued with great splendour and capable of agitating all foes, advancing towards them, thy son's host, afflicted with fear, became highly agitated like the current of the Ganga agitated into fierce eddies by (the action of) the wind. Terrified by the leonine roar uttered by Ghatotkacha, elephants began to eject urine and the kings began to tremble. Then, thrown by the Rakshasas who had become more powerful in consequence of the night, there began to fall on the field of battle a thick shower of stones.

And a ceaseless shower of iron wheels and Bhundis and darts and lances and spears and Sataghnis and axes also fell there. Beholding that fierce and awful battle, the kings, thy sons, and Karna, also exceedingly pained, fled away. Only the proud son of Drona, ever boastful of his might in arms, stood fearlessly. And he soon dispelled that illusion that had been created by Ghatotkacha. Upon the destruction of his illusion, Ghatotkacha in rage sped fierce shafts at (Aswatthaman).

These pierced the son of Drona, like angry snakes speedily piercing through an ant-hill. Those arrows, having pierced through the body of Aswatthaman, dyed with blood and quickly entered the earth like snakes into an ant-hill. The light-handed Aswatthaman, however, of great prowess, filled with wrath, pierced Ghatotkacha with ten arrows. Ghatotkacha, deeply pierced in his vital parts by Drona's son, and feeling great pain, took up a wheel having a thousand spokes. Its edge was sharp as a razor, and it was resplendent as the rising sun. And it was decked with diverse gems and diamonds. Desirous of slaying him, the son of Bhimasena hurled that wheel at Aswatthaman. And as that wheel coursed swiftly towards Drona's son, the latter cut it into fragments by means of his shafts. Baffled, it fell down on the earth, like the hope cherished by an unfortunate man. Beholding his wheel baffled, Ghatotkacha quickly covered the son of Drona with his shafts, like Rahu swallowing the sun.

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