SECTION CLXXXVI

“Sanjaya said, ’When three-fourths of that night had worn away, the battle, O king, once more commenced between the Kurus and the Pandavas.  Both sides were elated with joy.  Soon after, Aruna, the charioteer of Surya, weakening the splendour of the moon, appeared, causing the welkin to assume a coppery hue.  The east was soon reddened with the red rays of the sun that resembled a circular plate of gold.  Then all the warriors of the Kuru and the Pandava hosts, alighting from cars and steeds and vehicles borne by men, stood, with joined hands, facing the sun, and uttered the prayers of the twilight of dawn.  The Kuru army having been divided into two bodies, Drona, with Duryodhana before him, proceeded (with one of those divisions) against the Somakas, the Pandavas, and the Panchalas.  Beholding the Kuru host divided into two bodies, Madhava addressed Arjuna and said, ’Keeping thy foes to thy left, place this division (commanded by Drona) to thy right.  Obedient to the counsels of Madhava in respect of the Kurus, Dhananjaya moved to the left of those two mighty bowmen, viz., Drona, and Karna.  Understanding the intentions of Krishna, that subjugator of hostile cities, viz., Bhimasena, addressing Partha who was then staying at the van of battle, said these words.

“Bhimasena said, ’O Arjuna, O Vibhatsu, listen to these words of mine.  The time for that object for which Kshatriya ladies bring forth sons has now come.  If at such a time thou dost not strive to win prosperity, thou shalt then act meanly like a veritable wretch.  Putting forth thy prowess, pay the debt thou owest to Truth, Prosperity, Virtue, and Fame!  O foremost of warriors, pierce this division, and keep these to thy right.’

“Sanjaya continued, ’Thus urged by Bhima and Kesava, Savyasachin prevailing over Drona and Karna, began to resist the foe all round.  Many foremost of Kshatriyas (among the Kurus), putting forth all their prowess, failed to withstand Arjuna who advanced at the very van of his troops, and who, like a raging conflagration, was consuming the foremost ones among his foes.  Then Duryodhana and Karna, and Sakuni, the son of Suvala, covered Kunti’s son, Dhananjaya, with showers of shafts.  Baffling the weapons of all those warriors, that foremost of all persons well-skilled in weapons, O monarch, covered them (in return) with his shafts.  Aiming at their weapons with his (and thus baffling them all), Arjuna, endued with great lightness of hand and possessing a complete control over his senses, pierced every one of those warriors with ten keen-pointed shafts.  The welkin was then covered with dust.  Thick showers of arrows fell.  Darkness set in, and a loud and terrible uproar arose.  When such was the state of things, neither the welkin, nor the earth, nor the points of the compass, could any longer be seen.  Stupefied by the dust, all the troops became blind.