Mahabharata: Vol. 5 Read Online Free PDF Page B

patience. Arrows were like his teeth. The bow was his mouth. The sword was his
     tongue. He was invincible. He was a lion among men. Today, your father 3 has been brought down by the one from Panchala. 4 On seeing him ready for battle, the large army of the Pandavas trembled in
     fear, like a herd of cattle on seeing a lion. He protected your army and formations
     for ten nights. He performed extremely difficult deeds and has now departed, like
     the setting sun. Like Shakra, 5 he calmly showered thousands of arrows. For ten days, every day, he killed ten
     thousand warriors in battle. Like a tree struck by the wind, he has been killed and
     is lying down on the ground. O king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He did not
     deserve this and this is because of your evil counsel.”’
Chapter 875(15)
    ‘Dhritarashtra asked,
     “How has Bhishma, bull among the Kurus, been killed by Shikhandi? My
     father was the equal of Vasava. How has he been brought down from his chariot? O
     Sanjaya! What happened to my sons when they were deprived of Bhishma? He was
     powerful and was like the gods. He observed brahmacharya for the sake of his
     superior. 6 He was great in spirit and great in strength, a great archer. When that
     maharatha, a tiger among men, was killed, what was the state of their 7 minds then? My mind is pierced with great grief on hearing that he has been
     killed. He was a bull among the Kuru lineage. He was a brave one who did not waver.
     He was a bull among men. When he advanced, who followed him? Who were the ones who
     preceded him? O Sanjaya! Who was at his side and who advanced with him? He was a
     bull among kshatriyas who could not be dislodged. Which brave ones were with that
     bull among rathas when he suddenly penetrated the formation of chariots? Who wereat the rear? 8 That destroyer of enemies, who was like the sun and an equal of the one with
     the thousand rays, suddenly attacked the enemy soldiers and spread terror amidst the
     enemy. On the instructions of Kourava, 9 he performed difficult deeds in battle. He devoured their ranks. Who tried to
     repulse him? O Sanjaya! He was accomplished and unassailable. When
     Shantanu’s son advanced against them in battle, how did the Pandavas
     counter him? He slaughtered the soldiers. He possessed arrows for his teeth. He was
     swift. The bow was his gaping mouth. The terrible sword was his tongue. He was
     invincible. He was the ultimate of tigers among men. He was modest. He had never
     been vanquished. How could Kounteya bring down such an unvanquished one in battle?
     He was a terrible and fierce archer. He was stationed on his supreme chariot. With
     his sharp arrows, he sliced off the heads of enemies. On seeing him ready in battle,
     like the invincible fire of destruction, the great army of the Pandavas always
     trembled. That destroyer of troops destroyed the soldiers for ten nights. After
     having accomplished extremely difficult deeds, he has now departed like the setting
     sun. Like Shakra, he created a shower of inexhaustible arrows. In ten days, he
     slaughtered a hundred million warriors in battle. He is lying down on the bare
     ground, like a tree destroyed by the wind. This is because of my evil counsel. That
     descendant of the Bharata lineage did not deserve this. On witnessing the terrible
     valour of Bhishma, Shantanu’s son, how was the army of the Pandavas
     capable of striking him down? How did the sons of Pandu engage with Bhishma in
     battle? O Sanjaya! While Drona was still alive, how could Bhishma not be victorious?
     When Kripa was near him, and so was Bharadvaja’s son, 10 how could Bhishma, supreme among warriors, be killed? Bhishma was an
atiratha
. 11 Even the gods were incapable of withstanding him. Howcould
     Shikhandi of Panchala kill him in battle? He always rivalled Jamadagni’s
     extremely powerful son 12 in battle. Jamadagni’s son, who was Shakra’s equal in
     valour, could not defeat him. How could Bhishma,