O scorcher of foes, thou
hadst, clad in mail, and armed with bow and arrows and scimitar, sprung
from fire, for the destruction of Drona! Cheerfully rush thou to battle,
thou needst have no fear. Let also Janamejaya and Sikhandin and
Durmukha's son and Yasodhara, rush in wrath against the Pot-born on every
side. Let Nakula and Sahadeva and the sons of Draupadi and the
Prabhadrakas, and Drupada and Virata with their sons and brothers, and
Satyaki and the Kaikeyas and the Pandavas and Dhananjaya, rush with speed
against Bharadwaja's son, from desire of slaying him. Let also all our
car-warriors and all the elephants and horses we have, and all our
foot-soldiers, overthrow the mighty car-warrior Drona in battle." Thus
ordered by the illustrious son of Pandu, all of them rushed impetuously
against the Pot-born from desire of slaughtering him. Drona, however,
that foremost of all wielders of arms, received in battle all those
Pandava warriors thus rushing towards him suddenly with great force and
perseverance. The king Duryodhana, desiring to protect Drona's life,
rushed, filled with wrath, against the Pandavas, with great force and
perseverance. Then commenced the battle between the Kurus and the
Pandavas who roared at each other. The animals of both hosts as also the
warriors were all tired. The great car-warriors also, O king, with eyes
closing in sleep and worn out with exertion in battle, knew not what to
do. That night of nine hours, so terrible and awful[242] and so
destructive of creatures, appeared to them to be everything.[243] While
they were being thus slain and mangled by one another, and while sleep
sat heavy on their eyes, it became midnight. All the Kshatriyas became
cheerless. Thy troops, as also those of the foe, had no more weapons and
arrows. Passing the time thus (most of), the warriors (of both armies)
endued with modesty and energy and observant of the duties of their
order, did not abandon their divisions. Others, blind with sleep,
abandoning their weapons, laid themselves down. Some laid themselves down
on the backs of elephants, some on cars, and some on horseback, O
Bharata! Blind with sleep, they became perfectly motionless, O king.
Other warriors (that were yet awake) in that battle, despatched these to
Yama's abode. Others, deprived of their senses, and dreaming in sleep,
slew themselves, that is, their own comrades, as also foes. Indeed, these
fought in that dreadful battle, uttering various excl