SECTION CLXXXVII

“Sanjaya continued, ’The warrior, O king, thus clad in mail on the field of battle, adored the thousand-rayed Aditya as he rose at morn.  When the thousand-rayed luminary, of splendour bright, as burning gold, arose, and the world became illumined, the battle once more commenced.  The same soldiers that were engaged with each other before the sunrise, once more fought with each other, O Bharata, after, the rise of the sun.  Horsemen engaged with car-warriors, and elephants with horsemen, and foot-soldiers with elephants and horsemen with horsemen, O bull of Bharata’s race.  Sometimes, unitedly and sometimes separately, the warriors, fell upon one another in battle.  Having fought vigorously in the night, many, tired with exertion, and weak with hunger and thirst became deprived of their senses.  The uproar made of the blare of conchs, the beat of drums, the roar of elephants, and the twang of out-stretched bows drawn with force touched the very heavens, O king!  The noise made also by rushing infantry and falling weapons, and neighing steeds and rolling cars, and shouting and roaring of warriors, became tremendous.  That loud noise increasing every minute, reached the heavens.  The groans and wails of pain, on falling and fallen foot-soldiers and car-warriors and elephants, became exceedingly loud and pitiable as these were heard on the field.  When the engagement became general, both side slew each other’s own men and animals.  Hurled from the hands of heroes upon warriors and elephants, heaps of swords were seen on the field, resembling heaps of cloths on the washing ground.  The sound, again, of uplifted and descending swords in heroic arms resembled that of cloths thrashed for wash.  That general engagement then, in which the warriors encountered one another with swords and scimitars and lances and battle-axes, became exceedingly dreadful.  The heroic combatants caused a river there, that ran its course towards the regions of the dead.  The blood of elephants and steeds and human beings formed its current.  Weapons formed its fish in profusion.  It was miry with blood and flesh.  Wails of grief and pain formed its roar.  Banners and cloth formed its froth.  Afflicted with shafts and darts, worn with exertion, spent with toil on the (previous) night, and exceedingly weakened, elephants and steeds, with limbs perfectly motionless, stood on the field.  With their arms (in beautiful attitudes) and with their beautiful coats of mail, and heads decked with beautiful ear-rings, the warriors, adorned with implements of battle, looked exceedingly resplendent.[250] At that time, in consequence of the carnivorous animals and the dead and the dying, there was no path for the cars all over the field.  Afflicted with shafts steeds of the noblest breed and high mettle, resembling elephants (in size and strength), worn out with toil, were seen to tremble with great effort, as they drew vehicles