JAYADRATH VADH - PART 1
AFTER ABHIMANYU BEING SLAUGHTERED THUS BY THE COWARDLY ACT OF THE KAURAV MAHARATHIS, ARJUN VOWED TO KILL JAYADRATH. THE FEAT ARJUN ACHIEVED DURING HIS WAY TO KILL JAYADRATH WAS FIERCE. IT CANT BE DESCRIBED IN A SINGLE THREAD.
HERE IN THIS POST WE ARE POSTING THE STARTING OF ARJUN'S AWESOME JOURNEY TO ACCOMPLISH HIS VOW.
SOURCE : KMG Translation of ved vyas mahabharat.
Dhritarashtra asked Sanjay,
"O Sanjay, after the
death of Abhimanyu, what did the grief-striken
sons of Pandu do? Which warriors fought on my
side? They knew of Arjun's power and valour; in
spite of that they committed the heinous crime of
killing his son. Who faced Arjun in his furious
state? When Krishna came with the intention of
seeking peace of the benefit of mankind and all
other creatures, my foolish son rejected his offer.
I cajoled him to accept the accord but to no avail.
Forsaking my advice he followed words of advice
from Karna and Dushasan. I was against the
game of dice too. Vidur, Bhishma, Drona,
Bhurisrava, Purumitra, Jaya, Ashwatthama, Kripa
and many others were against the game. If only
my son had heeded the words of these wise
men! The Pandavas are straight-forward, good
natured, ever respectful, sweet tongued, and full
of virtue. They follow dharma at all times. Hence
they deserve the earth. Shri Krishna will always
side with dharma. I pleaded with all these words
with my heart but my headstrong son did not
listen to me. We are now at this calamity where
many of sons are dead. Many heroes who were
my friends and well-wishers are dead. The
venerable Bhishma, who is more than a father to
me, lies on the bed of arrows. Alas! When will
this end?"
Sanjay listened to all the outpour. He knew that
these were worthless words and a pitiful attempt
at self-ratification. He held the king equally guilty
of the current state of affairs. He said, "O King,
what is the point of going into the past now? Let
me recite what is happening on the battlefield
faithfully.
Arjun touched his brother's feet and went over to
Krishna, bowing low with folded palms. He then
took his seat and the Pandavas discussed the
day's strategy. They had heard from their spies of
Drona's plans to create a formation surrounding
Jayadrath, protected at every point by the
foremost warriors. Deciding upon a suitable
counter-array, the Pandavas got up and went out
for the battle.
Krishna fetched Arjun's chariot and equipped it
with every kind of weapon. Dressed in effulgent
gold armour, He drove the chariot to the royal
tent. Arjun came out and circumambulated the
chariot with his Gandiv in hand. He then
mounted the chariot like the sun rising over the
eastern mountains. Satyaki climbed aboard with
him and the chariot moved off. Setting out to slay
Jayadrath, Arjun appeared like Indra
accompanied by Varun and Surya setting out to
kill the Asuras.
Countless musical instruments rang out, while
bards and Brahmins sang Arjun's glories and
uttered benedictions. Hearing the chants and
cheered by the other warriors as he went toward
the battlefield, Arjun felt confident and eager for
the fight. From behind him a delightful breeze
blew, bearing the fragrance of celestial blossoms.
Arjun said to Satyaki, "I think my victory today is
assured. These signs all around us point to it and
my mind feels enthused. I will soon penetrate to
the spot where Jayadrath stands, passing through
all the heroes who desire to see my prowess and
then go to Yamaraja's domain. O mighty-armed
one, do not forget your prime duty to protect
Yudhishthir. None can vanquish you in battle, and
the king is as safe with you as he is with me.
With you by his side, I will be able to attack
Jayadrath with a peaceful mind."
Satyaki said that he would not leave Yudhishthir
as far as he was able. The two heroes continued
to talk as Krishna drove the chariot toward the
Kurukshetra plain, where millions of men had
already assembled for the battle.
Drona forming the array - The Sakata Vyuha
---------------------------------
As sunrise approached, Drona issued orders for
his great formation. Calling for Jayadrath he said,
"I will detail Karna to stand by your side. He will
be supported by my own son, as well as Shalya,
Kripa and Vrishasena. They will have with them a
force of one hundred thousand horsemen, sixty
thousand chariots, twenty thousand infantry, and
fourteen thousand elephants. This detachment,
with you in its midst, will form itself into an array
shaped like a needle. The formation will be
protected by a second, impenetrable array in the
shape of a lotus. I will be at the head of that
second formation. The king and his brothers, as
well as numerous other powerful warriors, will
stand in that array. At the front of these two
formations I will create a semi-circular array filled
with warriors who will not retreat. At the
foremost point before that will be an array
resembling a cart, which will serve to draw in and
capture any soldiers foolish enough to assail us
from that direction. Indeed, I do not think that
even Sakra, thunderbolt in hand, could reach you
today."
Comforted, Jayadrath made his way to his
position in the army. As he passed through the
troops they shouted out their battle cries. "Where
is Arjun?" they cried. "Bring Bheem here, I am
ready to do battle!" The warriors whirled their
polished maces and brandished their swords.
Maddened with pride, they roared tumultuously.
They slapped their arms and blew their conches,
proceeding swiftly and joyfully toward the
battlefield.
Gradually, carefully following Drona's detailed
directions, the Kauravas formed themselves into
the strategic array he had designed. It stretched
for miles and appeared like a collection of clouds
covering the earth. The wonderful configuration
appeared so formidable that no one could
imagine penetrating it. At its rear stood
Jayadrath, heavily guarded on all sides. Drona,
clad in a coat of white mail and a beautiful
turban, moved about making the final
arrangements. Seeing his shining chariot, with its
crimson horses and its standard bearing the mark
of a Brahmin's water pot and deerskin, the
Kauravas were delighted.
After the array of Jurisdiction are thus formed, the invincible Savyasachin made his appearance.
'After the divisions of the Kuru
army had been (thus) arrayed, and a loud
uproar, O sire, had, arisen; after drums and
Mridangas began to be beaten and played
upon, after the din of the warriors and the
noise of musical instruments had become
audible; after conch began to be blown, and
an awful roar had arisen, making the hair
stand on end; after the field of battle had beer
slowly covered by the Bharata heroes desirous
of fight; and after the hour called Rudra had
set in, Savyasachin made his appearance.
Many thousands of ravens and crows, O
Bharata, proceeded sporting on the front of
Arjuna's car. Various animals of terrible cries,
and jackals of inauspicious sight, began to
yell and howl on our right as we proceeded to
battle. Thousands of blazing meteors fell
with great noise. The whole earth trembled on
that dreadful occasion. Dry winds blew in all
directions, accompanied by thunder, and
driving bard pebbles and gravel when Kunti's
son came at the commencement of battle.'
Arjun vs Durmarssana
------------------------------
As the two armies converged, one of Duryodhan's
brothers, Durmarshana, came to the front of the
Kauravas. Roaring furiously he exclaimed, "Watch
as I check Arjun, like the shore resisting the
ocean. Let everyone see the irate and
indominatable Dhananjaya collide with me, like
one mass of rocks colliding with another. O
warriors, stay or turn back as you wish. I will
fight with the Pandavas alone to enhance my
glory and fame."
Durmarshana rushed across the field to begin the
fight. He saw Arjun's chariot at a distance, with
Hanuman sitting on its towering standard. The
roars of the celestial ape could be heard
throughout the Kaurava forces. They mingled with
the sounds of Arjun's conch, which he blew
repeatedly as he closed upon his foes. Both
sounds filled the Kauravas' hearts with anxiety as
they again remembered how fiercely Arjun fought
when he was angry. Drona had his musicians
strike up cheering melodies, but a deafening
clamour already filled the field.
Arjun saw Durmarshana charging at him and he
said, "Drive swiftly toward the Kaurava prince, O
Madhav. I will meet his challenge and send him
and all his followers reeling."
Krishna drove the chariot straight into the mouth
of the cart formation at the Kauravas' head. As
Arjun faced Durmarshana he was immediately
surrounded by thousands of chariot fighters.
Thinking of his son he began to slay them
mercilessly. Worked up to the highest pitch of
fury, he scattered his shafts in all directions. The
opposing warriors' heads fell like lotuses torn
from their stems. Gold armour spattered with
blood lay gleaming on the ground. Chariots were
smashed, elephants slain, and horses deprived of
their riders. Headless infantrymen ran about
wildly, still clutching their swords, before falling
lifeless to the earth.
After a brief fight, Durmarshana was routed and
put to flight. Wounded all over his body, his
armour shattered and standard broken, he raced
away from his enemy. Arjun spared his life only
to honour Bheem's vow.
Arjun massacres the Kaurava army
-----------------------------------------
In a short time Arjun had slain several thousand
of his foes. His chariot hurtled about with such
speed that the Kaurava troops felt there were
hundreds of Arjuns. In their fear and confusion,
they struck and killed each other. Crying in agony
and steeped in blood, many heroes lay dying on
the field. Whoever came toward Arjun soon found
himself pierced by a fatal shaft. No one could
detect any weakness in him as he danced on the
terrace of his chariot, his bow always drawn to a
circle. Krishna's driving was unrivalled and He
constantly thwarted the Kauravas' attacks.
Drona and the other Kaurava chiefs were
astonished to see Arjun annihilating their troops,
even as the sun destroys darkness. The killing of
Abhimanyu had clearly turned him into a different
person. He had been formidable before, but now
he was fighting with a frenzied passion, showing
no quarter. The warriors surrounding him broke
and ran. Seeing Arjun pressing steadily through
the Kaurava ranks, Dushasan came forward on
his chariot and challenged him. He was supported
by a mighty division of elephants that quickly
surrounded Arjun. The tuskers had large bells
around their necks which clanged as they raced
about the field.
Arjun sent up a fierce war cry and began to kill
the elephants with winged arrows that pierced
their tough hides. Like a killer whale plunging
through the ocean, he penetrated the elephant
division and brought them down one after
another. He struck each elephant with a hundred
shafts and they fell like cliffs broken by
thunderbolts. Gushing streams of blood, they
dropped, screaming, to the ground. The warriors
fighting on their backs were swept off by Arjun's
shafts, which penetrated two or three of them at
once. Seeing the elephant force in disarray,
Dushasan fled. It was impossible to face Arjun in
his present mood.
Arjun vs. Drona
-------------------
The Kaurava raced up to Drona and sought his
protection. Drona licked his lips and moved
through his forces toward Arjun. Seeing his
preceptor advancing upon him with upraised
weapons, Arjun folded his palms and bowed his
head. He called out, "O Brahmin, wish me well
and bless me. I desire to pass through this
impenetrable array. You are the same to me as
my own father, or as Yudhishthir or Krishna. Thus
even as Ashwatthama deserves your protection,
so do I. Let me pass. I wish to slay the Sindhu
ruler. O lord, O best of men, see to it that my
vow is fulfilled."
"O Bhibatsu, you will not be able to conquer
Jayadrath without first defeating me."
Drona then shot a hundred arrows at Arjun in
swift succession. The Pandava skillfully countered
them and replied with a hundred of his own.
Drona warded off Arjun's attack with ease and at
once pierced both him and Krishna with shafts
resembling blazing tongues of fire. He cut Arjun's
bowstring and covered his chariot with arrows.
Arjun attacked him back with six hundred arrows
fired with such speed that it appeared as if he
had shot only one shaft. He followed that with
another seven hundred, then a thousand, then
ten thousand, training them on the warriors who
supported Drona.
Seeing him again slaying large numbers of the
Kaurava troops, Drona pierced Arjun's chest with
a powerful barbed arrow. Hit hard by that shaft,
Arjun trembled like a mountain during an
earthquake. Quickly regaining his composure, he
broke off the arrow which was embedded in his
armour. He focused his attention on Drona and
sent showers of arrows at him. Drona replied by
covering Arjun with shafts. Neither Arjun nor
Krishna nor their chariot was visible as Drona
assailed them with countless arrows, which fell in
unbroken lines.
Working hard, Krishna drove the chariot away
from Drona's arrows. As the chariot came clear of
the attack he said, "O Parth, there is no time to
waste. Jayadrath still stands a great distance from
here. This battle with Drona could go on all day.
Leave him aside and proceed ahead with all
speed."
Arjun realized that Krishna was right. There was
little chance of defeating Drona, nor did he relish
fighting with him. Once again folding his palms,
Arjun called out, "O my lord, I will now take my
leave. You are my preceptor and I do not wish to
fight with you further. There exists no man in all
the worlds who can vanquish you in battle. Please
bless me. I am going on."
Krishna urged on Arjun's horses and the chariot
raced away, leaving Drona to the right. As they
passed him he shouted, "Where are you going,
Dhananjaya? Have you become afraid?"
Drona again released volleys of arrows at Arjun,
but Krishna drove the chariot so fast that all of
his shafts fell short. With Drona still calling, Arjun
sped away, leaving him far behind. He was joined
by Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas, two powerful
Panchals who had fought their way through to
him. They protected him on either side of his
chariot as he rushed forward into the hostile
array.
'Saying these words, the
mighty-armed Vibhatsu, desirous of slaying
Jayadratha, quickly proceeded against the
(Kaurava) troops. And while he penetrated
into thy army, those high-souled princes of
Panchala, viz., Yudhamanyu, and Uttamaujas,
followed him as the protector of his wheels.
Then, O King, Jaya, and Kritavarman of the
Satwata race, and the ruler of the Kamvojas,
and Srutayus, began to oppose the progress of
Dhananjaya. And these had ten thousand car-
warriors for their followers. The Abhishahas,
the Surasenas, the Sivis, the Vasatis, the
Mavellakas, the Lilithyas, the Kaikeyas, the
Madrakas, the Narayana Gopalas, and the
various tribes of the Kamvojas who had before
been vanquished by Karna, all of whom were
regarded as very brave, placing Bharadwaja's
son at their head, and becoming regardless of
their lives, rushed towards Arjuna, for
resisting that angry hero, burning with grief
on account of the death of his son, that
warrior resembling all-destroying Death
himself, clad in mail, conversant with all
modes of warfare, prepared to throw away his
life in thick of battle,--that mighty bowman of
great prowess, that tiger among men,--who
resembled an infuriate leader of elephantine
herd, and who seemed ready to devour the
whole hostile army. The battle then that
commenced was exceedingly fierce and made
the hair stand on end, between all those
combatants on the one side and Arjuna on the
other. And all of them, uniting together,
began to resist that bull among men,
advancing for the slaughter of Jayadratha, like
medicines resisting a raging disease.'"
'Held in check by them, that
foremost of car-warriors, viz ., Partha of great
might and prowess, was quickly pursued by
Drona from behind. The son of Pandu,
however, like diseases scorching the body,
blasted that army, scattering his sharp shafts
and resembling on that account the sun
himself scattering his countless rays of light.
And steeds were pierced, and cars with riders
were broken and mangled, and elephants
were overthrown. And umbrellas were cut off
and displaced, and vehicles were deprived of
their wheels. And the combatants fled on all
sides, exceedingly afflicted with arrows. Even
thus progressed that fierce battle between
those warriors and Arjuna encountering each
other. Nothing could be distinguished. With
his straight shafts, Arjuna, O monarch, made
the hostile army tremble incessantly.
--------To be continued --------
JAI JISHNU !!
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