Sanjaya said O Sire, O descendant of Bharata, seeing that great and fearful Vyuha, formed by the immeasurably powerful Pandava, your son (Duryodhana) came to the preceptor, Kripa, Shalya, Somadatta's son, Vikarna, Ashvathama and all his brothers headed by Dushasana, and also all other mighty heroes, assembled there for battle, spoke these words giving great pleasures to all, “You are armed with various kinds of weapons, you are learned in the Shastras. O great car-warriors, each of you singly is capable of destroying the Pandavas with all their troops.

How easy it is for you then (to destroy them) when you are united. Our army protected by Bhishma is unlimited and their army protected by Bhima is limited.

Let the Samsthanas, the Shurasenas, the Vetarikas, the Kukuras, the Rechakas, the Trigartas, the Madrakas, the Yavanas, with Shatrunjaya and Dushasana, and with also that great hero Vikarna, Nanda, Upananda, and Chitrasena, with the Paribhadrakas protect Bhishma with their respective troops”.

O Sire, then Bhishma, Drona and your sons formed a great Vyuha to resist that of the sons of Pritha.

Then, like the lord of the celestial (Indra), Bhishma surrounded by innumerable troops, advanced at the head of a mighty army,

O king, that great bowman, that greatly powerful son of Bharadvaja (Drona) followed him with the Kuntalas, the Dasharnas, the Magadhas, the Vidarbhas, the Mekalas, the Karnas, and the Paravarnas, the Gandharvas, the Sindhusauviras, the Shibis, and the Vasati with their all combatants, Shakuni with all his troops protected the son of Bharadvaja.

Then king Duryodhana with all his brothers accompanied by the Ashvatakas, the Vikarnas, the Ambashta, the Kosalas, the Daradas, the Shaka, the Kshudrakas and the Malavas, Cheerfully advanced against the Pandava army.

O sire, Bhurishrava, Shala and Shalya, Bhagadatta, Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti protected the left wing.

Somadatta, Susharma, the ruler of Kambojas, Sudakshina, Shrutayus and Achyutayu protected the right wing.

Ashvathama, Kripa, the Satvata hero Kritvarma, with large number of troops protected the rear.

Behind them stood many chiefs, Ketumata, Vasudana and the powerful prince of Kashi.

O descendant of Bharata, then all your troops, when they were cheerfully waiting for like roars.

Hearing these shouts, the greatly powerful and the venerable Kuru grandsire uttered a lion-like roar and then blew his conch in great delight.

Their conchs, drums, Peshis and cymbals were sounded by all, which created a fearful din all over the field of battle.

Krishna and Arjuna riding on the same car yoked with (four) white horses, blew their excellent conchs adorned with gold and jewel.

Hrishikesha (Krishna) blew the conch called Panchajanya and Dhananjaya Devadatta. That doer of fearful deeds, Vrikodara (Bhima) blew his huge conch, called Paundra.

The son of Kunti, Yudhishthira, blew the conch called Anantavijaya, Nakula and Sahadeva blew Sughosha and Manipushpaka.

The king of Kashi, and Shaivya and Shikhandin, the great car-warrior Dhrishtadyumna and Virata and the great carwarrior Satyaki and the great bowman the Panchala king, and also the five sons of Draupadi, all blew their large conches and sent forth lion-like roars.

That great uproar, thus uttered by those heroes resounded through the sky. O great king, thus again the Kurus and the Pandavas advanced against each other with the intention of fighting a great battle. hinTrn-0