Some blew their huge conchs; others beat their drums. Some
sported and jumped about, while some amongst thy foes laughed aloud. Many
heroes repeatedly said these words unto Bhimasena, "Exceedingly difficult
and great hath been the feats that thou hast achieved today in battle, by
having struck down the Kuru king, himself a great warrior, with thy mace!
All these men regard this slaughter of the foe by thee to be like that of
Vritra by Indra himself! Who else, save thyself, O Vrikodara, could slay
the heroic Duryodhana while careering in diverse kinds of motion and
performing all the wheeling manoeuvres (characteristic of such
encounters)? Thou hast now reached the other shore of these hostilities,
that other shore which none else could reach. This feat that thou hast
achieved is incapable of being achieved by any other warriors. By good
luck, thou hast, O hero, like an infuriated elephant, crushed with thy
foot the head of Duryodhana on the field of battle! Having fought a
wonderful battle, by good luck, O sinless one, thou hast quaffed the
blood of Duhshasana, like a lion quaffing the blood of a buffalo! By good
luck, thou hast, by thy own energy, placed thy foot on the head of all
those that had injured the righteous-souled king Yudhishthira! In
consequence of having vanquished thy foes and of thy having slain
Duryodhana, by good luck, O Bhima, thy fame hath spread over the whole
world! Bards and eulogists applauded Shakra after the fall of Vritra,
even as we are now applauding thee, O Bharata, after the fall of thy
foes! Know, O Bharata, that the joy we felt upon the fall of Duryodhana
hath not yet abated in the least!" Even these were the words addressed to
Bhimasena by the assembled eulogists on that occasion! Whilst those
tigers among men, the Pancalas and the Pandavas, all filled with delight
were indulging in such language, the slayer of Madhu addressed them,
saying, "You rulers of men, it is not proper to slay a slain foe with
such cruel speeches repeatedly uttered. This wight of wicked
understanding hath already been slain. This sinful, shameless, and
covetous wretch, surrounded by sinful counsellors and ever regardless of
the advice of wise friends, met with his death even when he refused,
though repeatedly urged to contrary by Vidura and Drona and Kripa and
Sanjaya, to give unto the sons of Pandu their paternal share in the
kingdom which they had solicited at his hands! This wretch is not now fit
to be regard