By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna
Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow
Fourteenth Day
The fourteenth day of the war was about to begin. It was said to be the deadliest and most decisive day of the epic battle.
Dronacharya meticulously arranged the Kaurava army in an almost impenetrable formation, one so formidable that even Arjuna would find it challenging to breach. He employed three battle formations for this purpose: Sakada/Cart Vyuha, Makara Vyuha and Padma Vyuha.
Within the impenetrable Padma Vyuha, Drona also formed the Suchi Mukha (Needle) Vyuha. These formations were said to possess such immense power that even celestial beings would find it difficult to penetrate them.
The Kauravas had two options, defend Jayadratha with all their force or hide him where no one could find him. Since they knew Arjuna was nearly impossible to defeat in battle, they chose to keep Jayadratha hidden in order to stop Arjuna from fulfilling his vow.
As the battle began, Arjuna entered the battlefield with Krishna as his charioteer, wielding his Gandiva bow, his eyes blazing and his heart burning with grief and rage over his son’s death.
Turning to Satyaki, Arjuna said, “Satyaki, I have vowed to slay Jayadratha today, so I entrust my brother Yudhishthira’s protection to you. Guard him with all your strength, so I may pursue Jayadratha without concern for my brother’s safety.” Satyaki vowed to remain with Yudhishthira and protect him at all costs.
Duryodhana sent Durmarshana, one of his brothers to fight with Arjuna, to stop his advancement. Durmarshana arrived with a large force of chariots, war elephants, cavalry, infantry and skilled archers. He ordered his troops to form ranks before the Kaurava army and loudly challenged Arjuna.
Arjuna answered by blowing his conch and asked Krishna to drive his chariot toward the elephant division. Within moments, Arjuna crushed Durmarshana’s entire force and Durmarshana fled the battlefield.
Seeing his retreat, Dushasana, blazing with rage, confronted Arjuna. But Arjuna swiftly destroyed Dushasana’s forces as well, forcing him to retreat in defeat to the Kaurava camp.
Breaking through Drona’s formations, Arjuna advanced in search of Jayadratha. Drona intercepted him, but Arjuna pressed forward and said, “Revered Guru, I seek Jayadratha so that I may kill him and fulfill my vow. Kindly tell me where he is.”
Drona replied, “Arjuna, you cannot reach Jayadratha without first defeating me, for I have sworn to protect him.” Arjuna was about to rain arrows on Dronacharya, but Krishna urged him to go onwards, saying it was unwise to waste time fighting his revered Guru.
Seeing Arjuna move on, Drona exclaimed, “Arjuna, you never leave a duel unfinished without defeating your opponent.” Bowing to his revered Guru, Arjuna replied, “You are my Guru, never my foe. To you, I will always remain a disciple and a son.”
Smiling at Arjuna’s reverence, Drona could not stop him and watched as he moved ahead. Seeing this, Duryodhana rebuked Drona for failing to stop Arjuna and harshly declared that he was unfit to command the army.
Drona reacted, “If we can divert Arjuna away while he searches for Jayadratha, it will help carry out my plan to capture Yudhishthira. That is exactly what I am doing now,” and took his chariot towards the area where Yudhishthira was in the battlefield.
Krishna drove Arjuna’s chariot toward the left wing of the Kaurava army. Arjuna fought Kritavarma, King Shrutayudha and King Sudakshina of Kamboja.
After overwhelming Kritavarma with a fierce volley of arrows, he pressed on against the Kamboja kings. Arjuna was confronted by King Shrutayudha. In the clash that followed, he slayed the horses and the charioteer but could not kill the king.
Seeing Arjuna attack with furious volleys of arrows, Krishna said, “Arjuna, Shrutayudha cannot be slain by any of your weapons. His mother received a boon from Lord Varuna that he can be killed only by his own mace if he hurls it at someone who is unarmed.”
Hearing Krishna’s words, Arjuna shattered Shrutayudha’s bow and sword. Enraged, Shrutayudha hurled his mace at Arjuna with deadly force. Once again, Krishna saved Arjuna by turning the chariot in such a way that the mace would strike himself instead. And the mace struck unarmed Krishna. As foretold, it rebounded and killed Shrutayudha.
Arjuna slowly began to realize that he owed his life at every moment, not to his own skill, but to Krishna’s grace alone.
Enraged, Sudakshina hurled a sharp spear at Arjuna. It pierced his armor and struck his chest, causing him to slump in his seat. Arjuna quickly recovered, invoked the Indra Astra and slayed King Sudakshina along with ten thousand Kamboja warriors.
Struck in many vital places by Arjuna’s arrows, Sudakshina fell lifeless to the ground and the Kamboja warriors fled in all directions at the sight of their king’s death. Breaking through the Kaurava lines, Arjuna continued his search for Jayadratha.
When Duryodhana saw him advancing, he grew alarmed and rushed to Dronacharya, warning that Arjuna had breached their defenses and was closing in on Jayadratha. Drona looked at him and said, “I possess a magical armor. I will give it to you and no one will be able to pierce it.”
Duryodhana put on the armor and marched against Arjuna with a regiment of soldiers. He went to the place where Arjuna was searching for Jayadratha and engaged him in fierce combat. Joyfully wearing the armor, he attacked Arjuna. Arjuna’s arrows could not pierce the armor and a stunned Arjuna looked to Krishna for guidance.
Krishna said, “Only the armor is impenetrable. Why waste your arrows? Strike where there is no armor.” Understanding the secret of Duryodhana’s enchanted protection, Arjuna changed his battle strategy. First, he struck down Duryodhana’s charioteer, chariot, horses and bow.
Then he fired sharp arrows at the unprotected parts of his body. Unable to endure the pain, the wounded Duryodhana fled the battlefield. Arjuna pressed forward, cutting down countless warriors who came to defend Duryodhana.
As Arjuna tried to pursue the fleeing Duryodhana, Bhurisravas blocked his path and attacked him. A fierce duel followed. Bhurisravas, a Kuru prince, was the son of Somadatta and the grandson of King Bahlika. Since Bahlika was Shantanu’s elder brother, Bhurisravas was Bhishma’s nephew. He fought on the Kaurava side in the war. The Kaurava warriors, shouted out loud, thinking Bhurisravas would be able to stop Arjuna’s advancement.
Alarmed by the Kaurava warriors’ cries, Yudhishthira ordered Satyaki to go at once and support Arjuna. With Dhrishtadyumna at his side, leaving Bhima to protect Yudhishthira, Satyaki rode off in search of Arjuna, cutting through the Kaurava forces.
Satyaki rushed to Arjuna’s aid and engaged Bhurisravas. Their battle was fierce. Each warrior destroyed the other’s chariot and horses before they closed in for hand-to-hand combat. Bhurisravas then hurled the weary Satyaki to the ground and struck him in the chest with his foot.
Arjuna severed Bhurisravas’s hand as he tried to behead the unconscious Satyaki. Bhurisravas looked at Arjuna and said, “While I was engaged in combat with another warrior, you cut off my hand, violating the code of righteous warfare. You are Yudhishthira’s brother—how could you commit such an unrighteous act?”
Arjuna responded at once, “You are the one who joined in the unjust killing of my son Abhimanyu yesterday by abandoning the path of dharma. Was that righteous? Moreover, while a warrior on my side lies unconscious, you try to cut off his head. Do you expect me to stand by and watch? Is that not an unfair act?”
Filled with shame, Bhurisravas raised his left hand, spread his arrows on the ground and sat upon them. He then resolved to surrender to the Supreme Being, enter meditation and relinquish his life. At that moment, Satyaki regained consciousness. Though Bhurisravas was seated in meditation, he severed the head of Bhurisravas.
Arjuna objected to Satyaki’s action. Looking at Arjuna, Satyaki said, “A short while ago, this man placed his foot on my chest and humiliated me. I resolved that if I survived, I would kill him. I have now fulfilled that vow. Let the world judge my action as it pleases, but I believe what I did was correct.”
Arjuna had no time to argue further with Satyaki. Jayadratha had to be slain before sunset, so he pressed on with renewed intensity to complete his task. Warriors on both sides condemned Satyaki for this act, making it one of the epic’s many moments that highlight the triumph of dharma and honor over the destructive force of hatred.
Yudhishthira grew anxious again when he heard neither the conches of Krishna and Arjuna, nor any word from Satyaki. He said to Bhima, “Go and see how Arjuna, Krishna and Satyaki fare. When you find them, signal me with your conch.”Bhima left Dhrishtadyumna to guard Yudhishthira and set out in search of them. Along the way, he crushed some warriors with his mace and pierced others with his arrows.
He then faced the brothers of Duryodhana who tried to stop him and slayed seven more of them in a relentless shower of shafts. A bit later, he encountered another five of the brothers of Duryodhana, who he slayed with not much difficulty.
The last was Vikarna. When Bhima came face to face with Vikarna, whom he deeply respected and loved, with sorrow in his heart, he said, “Vikarna, you know dharma. In the royal court, you alone spoke in favor of us and Draupadi. If I must fight you or kill you now, it is only because of my vow. Forgive my actions.”
Bhima’s words, Vikarna replied, “Brother, do not ask for forgiveness. What you are about to do is your duty as a Kshatriya. We are both here because of our loyalty to our brothers. Remember your duty and fight me with all your might. I will do the same and gladly give my life for my brother, if that is my fate.”
In this battle, Vikarna was defeated and with a heavy heart Bhima killed him. Seeing the Kaurava princes fall, the Kaurava army fled in all directions.
More to come
- Arjuna & Krishna https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/anupam88/episodes/76–War-Day-14-Part-1–Race-Against-Time–Arjuns-Blitzkrieg–Jayadraths-Fear-e3fpidd
- Drona Image by S.A. Hancherow/Canva
- King Shrutayudha Image by S.A.Hancherow/yeri.ai
- Kamboja warriors https://historica.fandom.com/wiki/Kambojas
- Krishna advises Arjuna. https://stablediffusionweb.com/image/52347902-krishna-and-arjuna-on-kurukshetra?source_site=sdw&source_page_type=prompt_page&source_page_path=%2Fprompts%2Farjuna-and-duryodhana&source_action=view_prompt_image&source_image_slug=52347902-krishna-and-arjuna-on-kurukshetra&source_prompt_slug=arjuna-and-duryodhana
- Bhurisravas & Satyaki. https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/moral
- Bhurisrava in meditation. https://www.reddit.com/r/mahabharata/comments/1ibbkj4/bhurisravas/
- Vikarna is killed by Bhima. https://logicastra.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-death-of-vikarna.html