Sanjaya said O king, in the morning of that awful day commenced the fearful battle that mangled the bodies of so many kings.

Desiring victory in battle, the loud shouts that the Kurus and the Srinjayas made, resembling those of so many lions, caused the earth and the sky to be resounded.

A tremendous uproar was heard mingled with the flapping of the leather and the blare of conchs. Lion-like roars rose from men shouting at one another.

O best of the Bharata race, the twang of the bow-strings, the heavy feared of infantry, the furious neighing of horses.

The falling of sticks and iron hooks the clash of weapons, the jingle of bells round the necks of elephants rushing upon one another.

The clatter of the wheels of cars that resembled the roars of clouds, all these mingled together, produced a hair-stirring uproar.

All the Kuru warriors, reckless of their lives, with cruel intentions, rushed upon the Pandavas with their standards upraised.

O king, taking up a fearful bow that resembled the rod of death himself, the son of Shantanu, Bhishma, rushed upon Dhananjaya (Arjuna) on the field of battle.

The greatly powerful Arjuna also a king up the bow Gandiva which is celebrated all over the world, rushed upon the son of Ganga (Bhishma) on the field of battle.

Both those two foremost heroes of the Kuru race desired to kill each other. Though the mighty son of Ganga pierced Partha with his arrows, yet he could not make him waver.

O king, that son of Pandu (Arjuna) also could not make Bhishma waver in battle. The great bowman Satyaki rushed against Kritavarma.

The fight between these two(heroes) was extremely fearful and hair-string. Satyaki wounded Kritavarma and Kritavarma wounded Satyaki with loud shouts and thus they weakened each other. Pierced all over the body with arrows, those two great warriors shone like two blossoming Kinshukas, when they are adorned with flowers in spring. The great bowman Abhimanyu fought with Brihadbala.

O king, the ruler of Kosala, soon in that battle, cut off the standard and overthrew the charioteer of the son of Subhadra, (Abhimanyu).

When his charioteer was overthrown, Subhadra's son was filled with wrath. O king, be pierced Brihadbala with nine arrows.

That chastiser of foes, (Abhimanyu) with a couple of sharp arrows cut off his standard, with one (arrow) he cut down one of the protectors of his car-wheels and with another his charioteer.

Those (two) chastisers of foes fought on and weakened each other with sharp arrows. Bhimasena fought with your son Duryodhana, that great car-warrior who had injured (the Pandavas) in pride. Both of those Kuru chiefs are foremost of men and both of them are great car-warriors.

They covered each other, on the field of battle, with showers of arrows. O descendant of Bharata, seeing the fight between these two illustrious and accomplished warrior learned in all the modes of warfare all creatures were filled with amazement. Dushasana rushed against the great car warrior Nakula and pierced him with many sharp arrows. The son of Madri laughingly cut off with his sharp arrows the standard and the bow of his adversary. He then wounded him with twenty five small headed arrows.

Your son who is ever difficult to be vanquished then killed in that fearful battle Nakula's horses and then cut down his standard.

Durmukha rushed upon the mighty Sahadeva. He fought with him in that terrible battle and pierced him with a shower of arrows.

The heroic Sahadeva soon overthrew in that fearful battle Durmukha's charioteer with a sharp arrow.

Both of them were irresistible in fight. Each attacking the other, and being desirous of warding of each other's attack struck terror into each other with fearful arrows.

The king Yudhishthira himself fought with the ruler of the Madra. The Madra king cut off the bow of Yudhishthira.

Thereupon, the son of Kunti, took up another bow which was stronger and capable of imparting greater velocity.

The king, then saying in great wrath “Wait" covered the king of Madra with straight arrows.

O descendant of Bharata, Dhrishtadyumna rushed against Drona. In great anger Drona cut off in that battle the hard bow of the illustrious Panchala prince, the bow which was ever capable of taking the lives of the foes. He shot in that battle a fearful arrow which was like the second rod of Yama. The arrow thus shot son penetrated into the body of the prince. Taking up another bow and fourteen arrows, the son of Drupada pierced Drona with his arrows. Enraged with each other they fought on.

O king, the impetuous Shankha met Somadatta son who was equally impetuous in battle and he shouted out to him "Wait" “Wait".

That hero then pierced his right arm in that fight. Thereupon the of Somadatta wounded Shankha on the shoulders.

O king, the battle that was fought between these two proud heroes soon became as fearful as the battle between the celestial and the Asuras.

O king, that high-souled great car-warrior Dhrishtaketu angrily rushed upon Balhika who was the very embodiment of anger.

O king, great Balhika, sending up a lionlike roar, weakened the wrathful Dhrishtaketu with countless arrows.

The king of the Chedis, then becoming exceedingly, angry, quickly pierced Balhika with nine arrows in that battle. Like an infuriated elephants, attacking another infuriated elephants, they roared against each other in great anger. They fought in great wrath and they looked like the planets Angaraka and Budha. Ghatotkacha the barbarous monster attacked on the monster known as Alambusha, the evildoer. This attack was made same way as Indra invaded on Bala, a dangerous demon.

The doer of cruel deeds, Ghototkacha, O descendant of Bharata, wounded that mighty and angry Rakshasa (Alambusha with ninety sharp arrows.

Alambusha, in that great battle, wounded the mighty son of Bhimasena (Ghototkacha) in many places with straight arrows.

Wounded with arrows they appeared in the battle like the mighty Indra and the powerful Bala in the battle between the celestial and the Danavas.

O king, the mighty Shikhandin attacked Drona's son. But Ashvatthama severely wounded Shikhandin with a sharp arrows and thus made him tremble.

O king, Shikhandin also wounded the son of Drona (Ashvatthama) with a sharp and excellent weapon.

They brought on striking cach other with various kinds of arrows. O king, Virata, that commander of an army, against the heroic Bhagadatta in battle. Becoming exceedingly angry, Virata shot at Bhagadatta a shower of arrows, as the clouds shower of arrows, as the clouds shower rain on a mountain. But that ruler of earth, Bhagadatta, soon covered Virata with arrows as clouds cover the sun.

The son of Sharadvata, Kripa, attacked the ruler of the Kaikeyas named Brihatkshatra. O descendant of Bharata, Kripa covered him with a shower of arrows.

Brihatkshatra also cover the angry son of Gautama with a shower of arrows. Having killed each other's steeds and cut off each other's bows, those (two) warriors were both deprived of their cars. Becoming exceedingly angry, they attacked each other with swords.

The battle they then fought was fearful and unparalleled. That chastiser of foes, king Drupada, angrily rushed on the ruler of Sindhu, Jayadratha. The Sindhu king wounded Drupada in that battle with three arrows, and Drupada too wounded him in return.

The battle they fought was fearful and terrible. It gave satisfaction to the hearts of all spectators it was like the conflict between the planets Shukra and Angaraka your son Vikarna with fleet steeds attacked the greatly powerful Sutasoma and they began to fight. Though Vikarna wounded Sutasoma with many arrows, yet he failed to make him waver.

Sutasoma also could not make Vikarna waver. It was a wonderful sight. That great carwarrior, that foremost of men, that greatly powerful Chekitan rushed upon Susharma for the sake of the Pandavas. O king of kings, Susharma however cheated the advance of that great car-warrior Chekitana with heavy shower of Chekitana also becoming exceedingly angry showered on Susharma a shower of arrows as a mass of clouds shower rain on a mountain.

0 king the greatly powerful Shakuni attacked 'the might Prativindhya as a lion attacks an infuriated elephant.

The son of Yudhishthira in great anger wounded Subala's son with many sharp arrows as Maghavat (Indra) mangles a Danava.

In that terrible, battle, Shakuni also wounded Prativindhya and mangled the body arrows. of that greatly intelligent warrior with sharp arrows.

O great king, Shrutakarma attacked in that battle the great car warrior, the mighty Sudakshina, the king of the Kambojas.

O king of kings, Sudakshina wounded that great car-warrior the son of Sahadeva, but he could not make him waver; he stood as the Mainaka mountain.

Thereupon Shrutakarma in great anger weakened that great car warrior of the Kambojas with countless arrows and mangled him in many parts of his body.

That chastiser of foes, Iravan rushed in great anger on the wrathful Shrutayush in that great battle.

The mighty son of Arjuna that great carwarrior, then killing the horses of his adversary, sent up a loud roar. O king, all the kings praised him (by his this great fear).

Shruthayusha, in the battle the horses of the son of Arjuna with a great mace and then they fought on.

The two princes of Avanti, Vinda and Anuvinda attacked in that battle the great carwarrior the brave Kuntibhoja who was with his son at the head of his troops.

We saw wonderful prowess in those two princes for they fought with great coolness, though they had to fight with a very large number of troops.

Anuvinda hurled a mace of Kuntibhoja but he (Kuntibhoja) soon covered him with a shower of arrows.

The son of Kuntibhoja wounded Vinda with many arrows but he too wounded him in return. The battle they fought was wonderful.

O respected one, the Kaikeya brothers at the head of their troops attacked in that battle the five Gandharva princes with their troops.

Your son Virabahu fought with that foremost of car-warriors, Uttara, the son of Virata and wounded him with nine arrows.

Uttara also wounded him with many sharp arrows; O king, the ruler of Chedi attacked in that battle Uluka.

He wounded Uluka with a shower of arrows and Uluka too wounded him with sharp arrows with excellent wings.

O king, the battle they fought was fearful in the extreme, for, being unable to defeat each other, they fearfully mangled each other body.

Thus in that great battle thousands of single combats were fought between car-warriors, elephants men, horse-men sand foot-soldiers of both the sides.

For a short time the battle looked beautiful, but O king, it soon grew furious and nothing could be seen.

In that battle elephants rushed against elephants, car-warriors against car-warriors, horseman against horseman and foot-soldiers against foot-soldiers.

Thus battle then became confused and fearful in the extreme. The heroes rushed against one another in a great number.

The celestial Rishis, the Siddhas and Charanas who were present, saw that battle as if it were the battle between the gods and the demons.

Thousands of elephants and cars, countless horsemen and foot-soldiers, appeared to have altered their character.

O foremost of men, it was seen that carwarriors, elephants, horsemen and foot. soldiers, all fought with one another, again and again , on the same place.