Parva 3 Chapter 122: saṅkulayuddham - close combat

vaiśampāyana said: O king! (O janamejaya!) Both the armies met along with flags as well as other paraphernalia. Both armies had huge iron clubs, maces as well as spears. bherījharjharasaṁpūrṇe ḍiṇḍimārāvasaṅkule | pragṛhītamahāśastre śūlāsivarakārmuke ||3-122-2 Both armies were full of sounds of kettle drums and other drums such as jharjharī and ḍiṇḍima. Both armies had great weapons, spears, swords as well as best bows. parasparakṛtotsāhe cakrāte yuddhamulbaṇam | Both armies fought a tumultuous battle against each other with enthusiasm. te śarāḥ kārmukotsṛṣṭā nirbhidyātha śarīriṇām ||3-122-3 śarīrāṇi mahārāja jagmurdūraṁ sahasraśaḥ | The arrows coming from the bows, split the bodies, O king, (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) and entered deep into many bodies. bhaṭabāhuvinirmuktāḥ khaḍgā nirbhidya vakṣasi ||3-122-4 sphurantashcha tathā rājaṣcarāṁsyāhṛtya khaṁ yayuḥ | The swords released from the powerful arms of the soldiers, split the chests, O king (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued), cut off the heads and entered the sky. parighāścha tathā rājṣāṁ bāhubhiḥ parichoditāḥ ||3-122-5 tilaśaścakruratulaṁ śarīraṁ nṛparakṣasām | The iron clubs released from the powerful arms of the kings powdered the bodies of kings and rākṣasa-s like the seeds of sesame. daityānāṁ kurvatāṁ nādamanyonyavadhakāṅkṣiṇām ||3-122-6 The sons of diti, desiring to kill their enemies roared loudly. daityā rakṣāṁsi rājendra rājānaścha samantataḥ | anyonyaṁ parighairjaghnuścāpamuktaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ ||3-122-7 O the indra of kings! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The sons of diti, rākṣasa-s as well as kings all over attacked each other with iron clubs as well as arrows, sharpened on the grinding stone and released from the bows. śaraishcha bhogibhogābhaistīkṣṇamanye mahābalāḥ | rākṣasā dānavāścānye mattamātaṅgavikramāḥ ||3-122-8 anyonyaṁ jaghnire rājaṁścāpamuktairmahāśaraiḥ | The highly powerful rākṣasa-s, sons of danu and other fighters valiant as elephants in rut, killed each other, O king, (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) with great sharp arrows, splendorous as serpents, released from their arrows. nāgā nāgairmahārāja hayā aśvaiḥ samantataḥ ||3-122-9 rathā rathaiḥ samājagmuḥ sādinaḥ sādibhirtathā | O great king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Elephants fought against elephants and horses fought against horses, chariots fought against chariots and horsemen fought against horsemen. paṭṭiśāsiśaravrātaiḥ kuntaiḥ sāyakakarṣaṇaiḥ ||3-122-10 saśaktiparighaprāsaparaśvadhasamākulaiḥ | bhindipālairmahāraudrairjaghnuranyonyamāhave ||3-122-11 anyonyaṁ jaghnire rājaṁścāpamuktaiḥ śilaśitaiḥ | In the battle, O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) they killed each other with spears having sharp edges (paṭṭiśa), swords, groups of arrows, spears and dragging arrows, spears, iron clubs, barbed missiles and hatchets and highly terrible bhindipāla-s (short sharp arrows) as well as arrows sharpened on the grinding stone and released from bows. rākṣasā dānavā rājaṅkṣatriyāścha samantataḥ | itashchetashcha dhāvantaḥ kurvanto visvaraṁ ravam ||3-122-12 O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) rākṣasa-s, the sons of danu as well as kings ran here and there (everywhere) in the battle field roaring in strange voices. hatāḥ kechinmahārāja petururvyāṁ mahāsibhiḥ | kechinmathitamastiṣkā gadābhirvīryavattamāḥ ||3-122-13 O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Some were killed, struck by the great swords. Some most valiant fighters were killed with their skulls shattered by maces. bhinnagrīvā mahārāja parighaiḥ parighāyudhaiḥ | yamarāṣṭraṁ gatāḥ kechitkechitsvargaṁ samāyayuḥ ||3-122-14 O great king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Some, holding iron clubs, went to the kingdom of the god of death with their necks broken by iron clubs and some went to heaven. apsarobhiḥ samāseduḥ paśyantaḥ svakalevaram | They (those who went to heaven) saw their own bodies (in the battle field) along with the divine women. kechitsvāṁścha parāṁścaiva hatvā bhrāntā ivābhavan ||3-122-15 Some became confused and killed their own men and their enemies during the battle. etasminnantare rājaṣśaṅkhā bheryaḥ sahasraśaḥ | sasvanuḥ sarvataḥ sainye mṛdaṅgā bahavastathā ||3-122-16 During this time, O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Thousands of conches and kettle drums along with many drums (mṛdaṅga-s) sounded all over in the armies. madhyaṁdinagate sūrye tāpaṁ dadhati ghoravat | tataḥ piśācā vikṛtāḥ karālavitatodarāḥ ||3-122-17 rākṣasāścha mahāghorāḥ pishitam keśaśādvalam | muditā bhakṣayāmāsuḥ pibantaḥ śoṇitaṁ bahu ||3-122-18 As the sun blazed terribly at the middle of the day, pishacha-s, deformed and having swollen bellies as well as highly terrible rākṣasa-s happily ate many dead bodies along with nails and hairs and drank lots of blood in the battle field. saṣchitāni śavānyāsankabandhāḥ khaḍgapātitāḥ | vibhajya deśaṁ bahusho yuddhabhūmau śavāśinaḥ ||3-122-19 Those eating dead bodies, collected lots of headless dead bodies felled by sword, demarking territories in the battle field. atha śyenā mṛgāścaiva kaṅkā gṛdhrāstathā pare | tuṇḍaiḥ śavānviniṣkṛśya bhakṣayanti tatastataḥ ||3-122-20 In the battle field, hawks, animals as well as herons and other vultures ate dead bodies by pulling and dragging them with their beaks here and there. saptāśītisahasrāṇi hatā nāgā nṛpottama | triṁśatsahasramayutaṁ nihatā hayasattamāḥ ||3-122-21 O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Seventy seven thousand elephants and three thousand, ten thousand, best horses were killed in the battle. hataṁ lakṣaṁ mahārāja rathānāṁ rathibhiḥ saha | triṁśatkoṭyo hatāstatra sādinaḥ sayudhā bhṛśam ||3-122-22 O great king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Hundred thousand chariots and charioteers perished in the battle along with thirty crore armed horsemen. madhyaṁdinagate sūrye hatāḥ kechana nirgatāḥ | keciccha tṛṣitā rājanviviśuḥ puṣkaraṁ saraḥ ||3-122-23 As the sun proceeded to the middle of the day, some were killed and left this world and O king, (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) some became thirsty and entered the lake puṣkara. kechidbhūmiṁ samāliṅgya bhītā ityabruvanraṇe | muktakeśāḥ patanti sma rathānsaṁtyajya kechana ||3-122-24 Some embraced the earth saying that they are terrified due to the battle. Some fell down loosening their hair and some abandoned their chariots saṁdaṣṭauṣṭhapuṭāḥ kechitsādinaḥ purato hatāḥ | Some bit their lips and some horsemen in the front were killed. atyadbhutaṁ mahāyuddhamāsitpuṣkaratīrthake | yathā devāsuraṁ yuddhamāsītpūrvaṁ nṛpottama ||3-122-25 O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) A most wonderful great battle took place in the holy place puṣkara which was like the battle between deva-s and asura-s which happened before. iti śrīmābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi haṁsaḍimbhakopākhyāne saṅkulayuddhe dvaviṁśtyadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ This is the one hundred and twenty second chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahābhārata, in the episode of haṁsa and ḍimbhaka, close combat