तत्राक्रन्दो महान् आसीत् तावकानां महात्मनाम् ॥
वध्यतां समरे राजन् पार्षतेन महात्मना ॥
तं श्रुत्वा निनदं घोरं तावकानां महारथौ ॥
विन्दानुविन्दाव् आवन्त्यौ पार्षतं पत्युपस्थितौ ॥
तौ तस्य तुरगान् हत्वा त्वरमाणौ महारथौ ॥
छादयाम् आसतुर् उभौ शरवर्षेण पार्षतम् ॥
अवप्लुत्याथ पाञ्चाल्यो रथात् तूर्णं महाबलः ॥
आरुरोह रथं तूर्णं सात्यकेः सुमहात्मनः ॥
ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा महत्या सेनया वृतः ॥
आवन्त्यौ समरे क्रुद्धाव् अभ्ययात् स परंतपौ ॥
तथैव तव पुत्रो ऽपि सर्वोद्योगेन मारिष ॥
विन्दानुविन्दाव् आवन्त्यौ परिवार्योपतस्थिवान् ॥
अर्जुनश् चापि संक्रुद्धः क्षत्रियान् क्षत्रियर्षभ ॥
अयोधयत संग्रामे वज्रपाणिर् इवासुरान् ॥
द्रोणश् च समरे क्रुद्धः पुत्रस्य प्रियकृत् तव ॥
व्यधमत् सर्वपाञ्चालांस् तूलराशिम् इवानलः ॥
दुर्योधनपुरोगास् तु पुत्रास् तव विशां पते ॥
परिवार्य रणे भीष्मं युयुधुः पाण्डवैः सह ॥
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा लोहितायति भास्करे ॥
अब्रवीत् तावकान् सर्वांस् त्वरध्वम् इति भारत ॥
युध्यतां तु तथा तेषां कुर्वतां कर्म दुष्करम् ॥
अस्तं गिरिम् अथारूढे नप्रकाशति भास्करे ॥
प्रावर्तत नदी घोरा शोणितौघतरङ्गिणी ॥
गोमायुगणसंकीर्णा क्षणेन रजनीमुखे ॥
शिवाभिर् अशिवाभिश् च रुवद्भिर् भैरवं रवम् ॥
घोरम् आयोधनं जज्ञे भूतसंघसमाकुलम् ॥
राक्षसाश् च पिशाचाश् च तथान्ये पिशिताशनाः ॥
समन्ततो व्यदृश्यन्त शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः ॥
tatrākrando mahān āsīt tāvakānāṃ mahātmanām ||
vadhyatāṃ samare rājan pārṣatena mahātmanā ||
taṃ śrutvā ninadaṃ ghoraṃ tāvakānāṃ mahārathau ||
vindānuvindāv āvantyau pārṣataṃ patyupasthitau ||
tau tasya turagān hatvā tvaramāṇau mahārathau ||
chādayām āsatur ubhau śaravarṣeṇa pārṣatam ||
avaplutyātha pāñcālyo rathāt tūrṇaṃ mahābalaḥ ||
āruroha rathaṃ tūrṇaṃ sātyakeḥ sumahātmanaḥ ||
tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā mahatyā senayā vṛtaḥ ||
āvantyau samare kruddhāv abhyayāt sa paraṃtapau ||
tathaiva tava putro 'pi sarvodyogena māriṣa ||
vindānuvindāv āvantyau parivāryopatasthivān ||
arjunaś cāpi saṃkruddhaḥ kṣatriyān kṣatriyarṣabha ||
ayodhayata saṃgrāme vajrapāṇir ivāsurān ||
droṇaś ca samare kruddhaḥ putrasya priyakṛt tava ||
vyadhamat sarvapāñcālāṃs tūlarāśim ivānalaḥ ||
duryodhanapurogās tu putrās tava viśāṃ pate ||
parivārya raṇe bhīṣmaṃ yuyudhuḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha ||
tato duryodhano rājā lohitāyati bhāskare ||
abravīt tāvakān sarvāṃs tvaradhvam iti bhārata ||
yudhyatāṃ tu tathā teṣāṃ kurvatāṃ karma duṣkaram ||
astaṃ girim athārūḍhe naprakāśati bhāskare ||
prāvartata nadī ghorā śoṇitaughataraṅgiṇī ||
gomāyugaṇasaṃkīrṇā kṣaṇena rajanīmukhe ||
śivābhir aśivābhiś ca ruvadbhir bhairavaṃ ravam ||
ghoram āyodhanaṃ jajñe bhūtasaṃghasamākulam ||
rākṣasāś ca piśācāś ca tathānye piśitāśanāḥ ||
samantato vyadṛśyanta śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
There arose a great cry from your great-souled men as they were being slain in battle, O king, by the great-souled son of Prishata. Hearing that dreadful roar of your men, the two great warriors, Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, drew near the son of Prishata. Those two great warriors, having quickly slain his horses, both covered the son of Prishata with a shower of arrows. Then the mighty Panchala prince leaped down swiftly from his chariot and swiftly mounted the chariot of great-souled Satyaki. Then King Yudhishthira, surrounded by a great army, enraged, advanced in the battle against the two Avantyas, those scorchers of foes. So too your son, O venerable one, with all his effort, surrounded Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti and stood by their side. And Arjuna, greatly enraged, O bull among kshatriyas, fought the kshatriyas in that battle as the wielder of the thunderbolt fights the asuras. Drona too, enraged in the battle and eager to please your son, scattered all the Panchalas as fire scatters a heap of cotton. Your sons, with Duryodhana at their head, O lord of men, having surrounded Bhishma in the fight, battled alongside him against the Pandavas. Then, as the sun grew red, King Duryodhana said to all your men, 'Make haste!' O Bharata. While they fought on thus, performing a hard task, the sun climbed the mountain of its setting and shone no more. In an instant, at the coming of night, a dreadful river began to flow, surging with waves of blood and thronged with packs of jackals. From the ill-omened she-jackals howling their fearsome cry, the field of battle grew terrible, thronged with hosts of spirits. Rakshasas, pishachas, and other eaters of flesh were seen on every side, by the hundreds and thousands."
8fe1f9ea96f5 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:46:24 PM UTC
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Evening turns the battle into an almost otherworldly space: blood becomes a river, the field fills with jackals, rakshasas, and pishachas. The epic will not let us forget that martial glory, by nightfall, turns into food for the beings that live on death.