Injured by my wicked sons, how can that son of Pandu
come under my control now? Cruel and extremely
wrathful, he would break but not bend. Of oblique
glances and contracted eye-brows, how can he be induced
to remain quiet? Endued with heroism, of incomparable
might and fair complexion, tall like a palmyra tree,
and in height taller than Arjuna by the span of the
thumb, the second son of Pandu surpasseth the very
steeds in swiftness, and elephants in strength, speaketh
in indistinct accents, and possesseth eyes having
the hue of honey. As regards form and might,
even such was he in his very boyhood, as I truly heard
long before from the lips of Vyasa! Terrible
and possessed of cruel might, when angry he will destroy
in battle with his iron-mace cars and elephants and
men and horses. By acting against his wishes,
that foremost of smiters who is ever wrathful and
furious, hath before been, O child, insulted by me.
Alas, how will my sons bear that mace of his which
is straight, made of steel, thick, of beautiful sides,
adorned with gold, capable of slaying a hundred, and
producing a terrible sound when hurled at the foe?
Alas, O child, my foolish sons are desirous of crossing
that inaccessible ocean constituted by Bhima, which
is really shoreless, without a raft on it, immeasurable
in depth, and full of currents impetuous as the course
of arrows. Fools in reality though boasting of
their wisdom, alas, my children do not listen to me
even though I cry out. Beholding only the honey
they do not see the terrible fall that is before them.
They that will rush to battle with Death himself in
that human shape, are certainly doomed to destruction
by the Supreme Ordainer, like animals within the lion’s
view. Full four cubits in length, endued with
six sides and great might, and having also a deadly
touch, when he will hurl his mace from’ the
sting, how shall my sons, O child, bear its impetus?
Whirling his mace and breaking therewith the heads
of (hostile) elephants, licking with his tongue the
corners of his mouth and drawing long breaths, when
he will rush with loud roars against mighty elephants,
returning the yells of those infuriated beasts that
might rush against him, and when entering the close
array of cars he will slay, after taking proper aim,
the chief warriors before him, what mortal of my party
will escape from him looking like a blazing flame?
Crushing my forces and cutting a passage through them,
that mighty armed hero, dancing with mace in hand,
will exhibit the scene, witnessed during the universal
Dissolution at the end of a Yuga. Like an infuriated
elephant crushing trees adorned with flowers, Vrikodara,
in battle will, furiously penetrate the ranks of my
sons. Depriving my warriors of their cars, drivers,
steeds, and flag-staff, and afflicting all warriors
fighting from cars and the backs of elephants, that
tiger among men will, O Sanjaya, like the impetuous
current of Ganga throwing down diverse trees standing
on its banks, crush in battle the troops of my sons.