06095001a prabhAtAyAnM tu zarvaryAmM prAtar utthAya vai nRpaH And when the night dawned, rising up, the king,
06095001c rAjJasH samAjJApayata senAM yojayateti ha ordered all the royal warriors, saying, -- ' Draw up the forces.
06095001e adya bhISmo raNe kruddho nihaniSyati somakAn Today bhISma, excited with wrath, will slay all the somakas.'
06095002a duryodhanasya tac chrutvA rAtrau vilapitamM bahu Hearing those copious lamentations of duryodhana in the night,
06095002c manyamAnasH sa taM rAjan pratyAdezam ivAtmanaH bhISma regarded them, O king, as commands to himself.
06095003a nirvedamM paramaGM gatvA vinindya paravazyatAm Filled with great grief and deprecating the status of servitude,
06095003c dIrghanM dadhyau zAnMtanavo yoddhukAmo 'rjunaM raNe zantanu's son reflected for a long time, thinking of an encounter with arjuna in battle.
06095004a iGgitena tu taj jJAtvA gAGgeyena vicintitam
06095004c duryodhano mahArAja duzHzAsanam acodayat Understanding from signs that gaGgA's son had been thinking of that, duryodhana, O king, commanding duHzAsana, saying,
06095005a duzHzAsana rathAs tUrNaM yujyantAmM bhISmarakSiNaH 'O duHzAsana, let cars be quickly appointed for protecting bhISma.
06095005c dvAtriMzat tvam anIkAni sarvANy evAbhicodaya Let all the two and twenty divisions (of our army) be urged on.
06095006a idaM hi samanuprAptaM varSapUgAbhicintitam That hath now come about which we had been thinking for a series of years,
06095006c pANDavAnAM sasainyAnAM vadho rAjyasya cAgamaH viz., the slaughter of the pANDavas with all their troops and the acquisition (by ourselves) of the kingdom.
06095007a tatra kAryam ahamM manye bhISmasyaivAbhirakSaNam In this matter, I think, the protection of bhISma is our foremost duty.
06095007c sa no guptasH sukhAya syAd dhanyAt pArthAMz ca saMyuge Protected by us, he will protect us and slay the pArthas in battle.
06095008a abravIc ca vizuddhAtmA nAhaM hanyAM zikhaNDinam Of cleansed soul, he said unto me,--I will not slay Sikhandini.
06095008c strIpUrvako hy asau jAtas tasmAd varjyo raNe mayA He was a female before, O king, and, therefore, should be avoided by me in battle.
06095009a lokas tad veda yad ahamM pituH priyacikIrSayA The world knoweth, O thou of mighty arms, that from desire of doing good to my father,
06095009c rAjyaM sphItamM mahAbAho striyaz ca tyaktavAn purA I formerly gave up a swelling kingdom.
06095010a naiva cAhaM striyaJM jAtu na strIpUrvaGM kathaJM cana
06095010c hanyAM yudhi narazreSTha satyam etad bravImi te I will not, therefore, slay in battle, O foremost of men, any female or anybody that was a female before. This that I tell thee is true.
06095011a ayaM strIpUrvako rAjaJ zikhaNDI yadi te zrutaH This Sikhandin, O king, was first born a female. Thou hast heard that story.
06095011c udyoge kathitaM yat tat tathA jAtA zikhaNDinI She was born as Sikhandini after the manner I told thee before the battle began.
06095012a kanyA bhUtvA pumAJ jAtasH sa ca yotsyati bhArata Taking her birth as a daughter she hath become a man.
06095012c tasyAhamM pramukhe bANAn na muJceyaGM kathaJM cana Indeed, she will fight with me, but I will never shoot my arrows at her.
06095013a yuddhe tu kSatriyAMs tAta pANDavAnAJM jayaiSiNaH As regards all other kSatriyas desirous of victory to the pANDavas, O sire,
06095013c sarvAn anyAn haniSyAmi samMprAptAn bANagocarAn whom I may get within my reach on the field of battle, I will slay them.--
06095014a evamM mAmM bharatazreSTho gAGgeyaH prAha zAstravit These were the words that gaGgA's son acquainted with the scriptures, that chief of bharata's race, said unto me.
06095014c tatra sarvAtmanA manye bhISmasyaivAbhipAlanam Therefore, with my whole soul I think that protecting the son of gaGgA is our foremost duty.
06095015a arakSyamANaM hi vRko hanyAt siMhamM mahAvane The very wolf may slay the lion left unprotected in the great forest.
06095015c mA vRkeNeva zArdUlaGM ghAtayema zikhaNDinA Let not gaGgA's son be slain by Sikhandin like the lion slain by the wolf.
06095016a mAtulazH zakunizH zalyaH kRpo droNo viviMzatiH Let our maternal uncle zakuni, and zalya, and kRpa, and droNa, and viviMzati,
06095016c yattA rakSantu gAGgeyanM tasmin gupte dhruvo jayaH carefully protect the son of gaGgA. If he is protected, (our) victory is certain.'
06095017a etac chrutvA tu rAjAno duryodhanavacas tadA
06095017c sarvato rathavaMzena gAGgeyamM paryavArayan 'Hearing these words of duryodhana, all surrounded gaGgA's son with a large division of cars.
06095018a putrAz ca tava gAGgeyamM parivArya yayur mudA
06095018c kampayanto bhuvanM dyAJM ca kSobhayantaz ca pANDavAn And thy sons also, taking up their position around bhISma, proceeded to battle. And they all went, shaking the earth and the welkin, and causing fear in the hearts of the pANDavas.
06095019a tai rathaiz ca susaMyuktair dantibhiz ca mahArathAH
06095019c parivArya raNe bhISmanM daMzitAsH samavasthitAH The mighty car-warriors (of the kaurava army), supported by those cars and elephants, and clad in mail, stood in battle, surrounding bhISma.
06095020a yathA devAsure yuddhe tridazA vajradhAriNam And, like the celestials in the battle between themselves and the asuras for protecting the wielder of the thunder-bolt,
06095020c sarve te sma vyatiSThanta rakSantas tamM mahAratham all of them took up their positions for protecting that mighty car-warrior.
06095021a tato duryodhano rAjA punar bhrAtaram abravIt Then king duryodhana once more addressing his brother, said,
06095021c savyaJM cakraM yudhAmanyur uttamaujAz ca dakSiNam 'yudhAmanyu protects the left wheel of arjuna's car, and uttamaujas his right wheel.
06095022a sa rakSyamANaH pArthena tathAsmAbhir vivarjitaH
06095022c yathA bhISmanM na no hanyAd duzHzAsana tathA kuru O duHzAsana, adopt such steps that, protected by pArtha, Sikhandin may not be able to slay bhISma left unprotected by us.'
06095023a bhrAtus tad vacanaM zrutvA putro duzHzAsanas tava Hearing these words of his brother, thy son duHzAsana,
06095023c bhISmamM pramukhataH kRtvA prayayau senayA saha accompanied by the troops, advanced for battle, placing bhISma in the van.
06095024a bhISmanM tu rathavaMzena dRSTvA tam abhisaMvRtam Beholding bhISma (thus surrounded by a large number of cars),
06095024c arjuno rathinAM zreSTho dhRSTadyumnam uvAca ha arjuna, that foremost of car-warriors, addressed dhRSTadyumna and said,
06095025c sthApayasvAdya pAJcAlya tasya goptAham apy uta 'O prince, place that tiger among men, Sikhandin, today in front of bhISma, I myself will be his protector, O prince of pAJcala.'
06095029a droNo bhUrizravAzH zalyo bhagadattaz ca mAriSa
06095029c dakSiNamM pakSam Azritya sthitA vyUhasya daMzitAH saJjaya said, 'Then bhISma, the son of zantanu, went out with the troops. And he disposed his own troops in mighty array called Sarvatobhadra. 1 kRpa, and kRtavarman, and that mighty car-warrior Saivya, and zakuni, and the ruler of the Sindhus, and Sudakshina the ruler of the Kamvojas, these all, together with bhISma and thy sons, O bharata, took up their stations in the van of the whole army and in the very front of the (kaurava) array. droNa and bhUrizravas and zalya and bhagadatta, O sire, clad in mail, took up their position in the right wing of that array.
06095030a azvatthAmA somadatta Avantyau ca mahArathau
06095033a evam ete tadA vyUhaGM kRtvA bhArata tAvakAH
06095033c sanMnaddhAsH samadRzyanta pratapanta ivAgnayaH And azvatthAman, and somadatta, and those great car-warriors, viz., the two princes of Avanti, accompanied by a large force, protected the left wing. duryodhana, O monarch, surrounded on all sides by the Trigartas, took up, for encountering the pANDavas, a position in the midst of that array. That foremost of car-warriors, viz., Alamvusha, and that mighty car-warrior, viz., Srutayush, clad in mail, took up their position in the rear of that array, and therefore, of the whole army. Having, O bharata, on that occasion formed their array thus, thy warriors, clad in mail, looked like scorching fires.
06095034a tathA yudhiSThiro rAjA bhImasenaz ca pANDavaH
06095034c nakulasH sahadevaz ca mAdrIputrAv ubhAv api
06095038a evanM te 'pi mahAvyUhamM prativyUhya sudurjayam
06095038c pANDavAsH samare zUrAsH sthitA yuddhAya mAriSa 'Then king yudhiSThira, and that son of pANDu, viz., bhImasena, and the twin sons of madrI, viz., nakula and sahadeva, clad in mail, took up their position in the van of that array and therefore, at the very head of all their troops. And dhRSTadyumna, and virATa, and that mighty car-warrior, viz., sAtyaki,--these destroyers of hostile ranks,--stood, supported by a large force. And Sikhandin, and Vijaya (arjuna), and the rAkSasaghatotkaca, and cekitAna of mighty arms, and the valiant Kuntibhoja, stood for battle, surrounded by a large force. And that great bowman Abhimanyu, and the mighty drupada, and the (five) Kaikeya brothers, stood for battle, clad in mail. Having formed their mighty and invincible array thus, the pANDavas, endued with great courage in battle, stood for the fight, clad in mail.
06095039a tAvakAs tu raNe yattAsH sahasenA narAdhipAH
06095039c abhyudyayU raNe pArthAn bhISmaGM kRtvAgrato nRpa
06095040a tathaiva pANDavA rAjan bhImasenapurogamAH
06095041c bherImRdaGgapaNavAn nAdayantaz ca puSkarAn
06095041e pANDavA abhyadhAvanta nadanto bhairavAn ravAn 'Then the kings of thy array, O monarch, exerting themselves at their best, accompanied by their forces, and placing bhISma at their van, rushed against the pArthas in battle. Similarly the pANDavas also, O king, headed by bhImasena, and desirous of victory in battle proceeded, for battling with bhISma. With leonine roars and confused cries, blowing their conches Krakachas, and cow-horns, beating their drums and cymbals and pANDavas in thousands. 1 And uttering terrible shouts, the pANDavas advanced to battle.
06095042a bherImRdaGgazaGkhAnAnM dundubhInAJM ca nisvanaiH
06095042c utkruSTasiMhanAdaiz ca valgitaiz ca pRthagvidhaiH
06095043a vayamM pratinadantas tAn abhyagacchAma satvarAH
06095045a pakSiNaz ca mahAghoraM vyAharanto vibabhramuH With the din of our drums and cymbals and conches and smaller drums, with loud leonine roars, and other kinds of shouts, ourselves also, replying to the cries of the foe, rushed against him with great impetuosity, inflamed with rage. Those sounds mingling with one another, produced a tremendous uproar. The warriors then, of the two armies, rushing at one another, began to strike. And in consequence of the din produced by that encounter, the earth seemed to tremble. And birds, uttering fierce cries, hovered in the air.
06095049c rakSasAmM puruSAdAnAnM nadatAmM bhairavAn ravAn The Sun, radiant as he was when he had risen, became dimmed. And fierce winds blew, indicating great terrors. Frightful jackals wandered, yelling terribly, O king, and foreboding an awful carnage at hand. The quarters seemed, O king, to be ablaze, and showers of dust fell from the blue. And a shower fell there, of pieces of bones mixed with blood. And tears fell from the eyes of the animals which were all weeping. And filled with anxiety, O king, these began to urinate and eject the contents of their stomachs. And the loud shouts of battle, O bull of bharata's race, were rendered inaudible by the louder cries of rAkSasas and cannibals.
06095050a samMpatantasH sma dRzyante gomAyubakavAyasAH
06095050c zvAnaz ca vividhair nAdair bhaSantas tatra tasthire
06095051a jvalitAz ca maholkA vai samAhatya divAkaram
06095053c babhUva ghoSas tumulaz camUnAM vAtoddhutAnAm iva sAgarANAm And jackals and vultures and crows and dogs, uttering diverse kinds of cries, began, O sire, to fall and swoop down on the field. And blazing meteors, striking against the Sun's disc, fell with great celerity on the earth, foreboding great terrors. Then those two vast hosts belonging to the pANDavas and the Dhartarashtras, in course of that awful encounter, shook in consequence of that tremendous uproar of conches and drums like forests shaken by the tempest. And the noise made by the two armies, both of which abounded with kings, elephants, and steeds, and which encountered each other in an evil hour, resembled the noise made by oceans tossed by the tempest.'
