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| Kurukshetra and After |
Meanwhile Duryodhana told Karna, "The decisive hour has come, O Karna. If before sunset Jayadratha is not slain, Arjuna will kill himself true to his oath." Arjuna was making a desperate attempt to break through to Jayadratha before sunset.
Suddenly there was darkness and the cry rose on both sides, "The sun has set and Jayadratha still lives. Arjuna has lost! However, Krishna said to Arjuna, "The sun has not yet set. It is I who have caused this darkness covering the sun by my Sudershan Chakra. Jayadratha is looking at the horizon. Kill him." At that moment the sun emerged and a shaft from Arjuna's bow separated the Sindhu king's head from his body.
Even after this, the fighting continued, savage and relentless, into the terrible night. Terrible were the duels that took place between Satyaki and Drona, Drona and Bhima, Nakula and Karna, and Karna and Bhima. Bhima killed seven of Duryodhana's brothers, including the good and righteous Vikarna, and would himself have been slain by Karna, had the latter not remembered his promise to Kunti and spared his life. Last of all, came the duel between Karna and Ghatotkacha, Bhima's son. In the darkness these two advanced upon each other, Ghatotkacha fought with such great skill and savage fury that Karna would surely have been killed, had he not used the mighty weapon which he had acquired from Indra in exchange for his armour and earrings. In a moment of desperation, forgetting Indra's words of caution, Karna let the thunderbolt fly. It struck the valiant Ghatotkacha in the chest, killing him. The Pandavas mourned for him and Bhima, his father was inconsolable.
The slaying of Ghatotkacha fuelled the battle afresh. Though the night and into the pale morning the battle continued with unabated fury. It was now the fifteenth day of war; Krishna saw that the battle was going against the Pandavas. He knew that Drona must die if the Pandavas were to live. But he knew too that once more trickery must come into play for Drona was too strong for the Pandavas. Krishna leaned over and spoke to Arjuna: "City out aloud that Ashwatthama, Drona's son, has been killed! Let the news reach Drona. When he hears it, he will be shattered and will have no more heart to fight. Thus weakened, Drona might be slain." But Arjuna refused indignantly to stoop to such an unworthy act. Bhima realizing that Drona must be destroyed to win the battle, killed an elephant named Ashwatthama, and then cried out, "Ashwatthama is slain!" But saying so, he felt greatly ashamed. | |
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