"Sanjaya said, 'During the progress of that fierce and terrible battle, when the world was enveloped with darkness and dust, O king, the combatants, as they stood on the field, could not see one another. Those foremost of Kshatriyas fought with each other, guided by conjectures and the personal and other names (they uttered). And during the progress, O lord, of that terrible carnage of car-warriors and elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers 1, those heroes, viz., Drona and Karna and Kripa, and Bhima and Prishata's son and Satwata, afflicted one another and the troops of either party, O bull of Bharata's race. The combatants of both armies, oppressed all around by those foremost of car-warriors, during the hour of darkness, fled away on all sides. Indeed, the warriors, broke and fled away in all directions with hearts perfectly cheerless. And as they fled away in all directions, they underwent a great carnage. Thousands of foremost car-warriors also, O king, slaughtered one another in that battle. Unable to see anything in the dark, the combatants became deprived of their senses. All this was the result of the evil counsels of thy son. Indeed, at that hour when the world was enveloped in darkness, all
"Dhritarashtra said, 'What became the state of your mind then when, afflicted by that darkness, ye all were deprived of your energy and furiously agitated by the Pandavas! How also, O Sanjaya, when everything was enveloped in darkness, did the Pandava troops as also mine once more became visible?'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Then the remnant of the army (of the Katirava), under the orders of their leaders, were once more disposed in (compact) array. Drona placed himself at the van, and Salya at the rear. And Drona's son and Sakuni, the son of Suvala, placed themselves on the right and the left flanks. And king Duryodhana himself, O monarch, on that night, busied himself in protecting all the troops. Cheering all the foot-soldiers, O king, Duryodhana said unto them, 'Laying aside your great weapons, take ye all blazing lamps in your hands.' Thus commanded by that best of kings, the foot-soldiers joyfully took up burning lamps. The gods and Rishis, Gandharvas and celestial Rishis, and the diverse tribes of Vidyadharas and Apsaras, and Nagas and Yakshas and Uragas and Kinnaras, stationed on the welkin also joyfully took up blazing lamps. Many lamps, filled with sweet-scented oil, were seen to fall from the Regents of the cardinal and the subsidiary points of the compass. For Duryodhana's sake, many such were seen to come from Narada and Parvata in especial, lighting up that darkness. The (Kaurava) army then, disposed in compact array, looked resplendent, on that night with the light of those lamps, the costly ornaments (on the persons of combatants), and the blazing celestial weapons as those were shot or hurled by it. On each car were placed five lamps, and on each infuriated elephant three. 2 And upon each horse was placed a large lamp. Thus was that host lighted up by the Kuru warriors. 3 Set in their places within a short time, those lamps speedily lighted up thy army. Indeed, all the troops, thus made radiant by the foot-soldiers with oil-fed lamps in their hands, looked beautiful like clouds in the nocturnal sky illumined by flashes of lightning. When the Kuru host had thus been illuminated, Drona, endued with the effulgence of fire, scorching everything around, looked radiant, O king, in his golden armour, like the midday sun of blazing ray. The light of those lamps began to be reflected from the golden ornaments, the bright cuirasses and bows, and the well-tempered weapons of the combatants. And maces twined with strings, and bright Parighas, and cars and shafts and darts, as they coursed along, repeatedly created, O Ajamidha, by their reflection myriads of lamps. And umbrellas and yak-tails and scimitars and blazing brands, O king, and necklaces of gold, as these were whirled or moved,
373:1 The Bombay edition reads the first line of 3 differently. The Bengal reading is also defective. The correct reading seems to be Rathanaga instead of Naranaga.
374:1 This is a Triplet.
374:2 Instead of mattagaje, the Bombay edition reads tatragaje.
374:3 There seems to be a mistake in this sloka in its reference to the Pandavas. The reading, however, that occurs in all the printed edition, is the same. In one manuscript I find Kamrava-yodhavurgais (which I adopt) for Pandava-Kauraveyais.
375:1 The second line of 30, as it occurs in the Bengal texts, is adopted by me. A slight difference of reading occurs between the Bengal and the Bombay editions.
