Bheeshm Counts the Warriors on Both Sides

Dhritraashtra asked Sanjaya - "What did my sons do after Arjun vowed to kill Bheeshm?" At this Sanjaya told him everything what Bheeshm had said. He said - "After worshipping Kumaar (Kaartikeya) I will surely be your Commander-in-Chief. I am well-versed with all kinds of warfare. Don't be afraid at all." Duryodhan said - "I don't fear from anybody, especially when you, the invincible, is the leader of my army and Drone. Now I listen to the names of warriors in my army." Bheeshm started counting the warriors of his sides - "Your brothers including you and Dushaasan are all very skilled in warfare. You all are disciples of Drone and Kripaa. Kritvarmaa,  Shalya,  Bhoorishravaa,  Somdatt,  Jayadrath, Sudakshinaa (king of Kaamboj), Vind and Anuvind  of Avantee, the five Trigart Brothers,  Shakuni, Ashwatthaamaa, Drone. Drone loves Arjun very much, he might never be able to slay him. Vrishsen, Baahleek, the chief of Raakshas Alambooshaa, the king of Praagjyotish Bhagadatt, are other some of them. Your great friend, Soorya-Putra Karn is neither a warrior nor a great warrior. He is always kind at heart. He has been deprived of his Kavach and Kundal. Besides he has two Shaap on his head, so he is not very useful." Hearing this Drone said - "You are right. He boasts on the eve of every fight but retreats from the battle."

Hearing all this Karn got very angry with Bheeshm and said to him - "Although I am innocent, still I tolerate your sharp words at every step only for sake of Duryodhan. I don't tell lie when I say that you are the greatest enemy of the Universe, and especially of all Kuru. Neither age, nor wrinkles, nor the number of friends would make a Kshatriya as a great warrior. A Kshatriya is a great warrior only because of his might. O Duryodhan, He is trying to disunite your warriors, you must abandon him soon. Warriors once disunited can be united with great difficulty. It is true that old people's words should be listened to, but not such old people's, because they become children again. I alone can withstand the whole Paandav army. In fact Bheeshm fears of my fame. I will not fight until Bheeshm is alive. After him I will fight."

Bheeshma said - "Well, now the time has come. I will quench your thirst of fighting and crush your hope of life. When Parashuraam's arrows could not cause me any pain, then what are you? Defeating all the Kshatriya gathered for Kaashee's princesses, I abducted them. Be a man, and fight with Paarth with whom you have been long desiring to fight." Duryodhan had to intervene at this point, he calmed down Bheeshm saying - "Pitaamaha, We have many big tasks at hand. Now I wish to hear the strength and weaknesses of my foes."

Bheeshm said - "If you desire to listen to warriors among Paandav's army, listen. Yudhishthir is a great warrior. Bheem is equal to eight warriors. There is none equal to him. With the power of 10,000 elephants, he is superhuman. Both Nakul and Sahadev are warriors. Thus all Paandav are brave and mighty and are more than human. No other man can face their weapons. Thus a collision with them is not desirable. Each of them alone can kill all the kings of the Earth. This has happened on the occasion of Raajsooya Yagya of Yudhishthir. Remember the harsh words spoken about Draupadee at the dice game - they will wander like many Rudra in the battle. And not even any man, neither any Devtaa - Indra, Kubder, Varun, Yam, or Asur, or Gandharv, or Raakshas or Yaksh is equal to Arjun. Who can face him who had killed thousands of Daanav single-handed at Hiranyapur? Except Drone and myself, no third chariot warrior can advance against him."

Hearing the might of Paandav, Duryodhan's arms smeared with sandal paste, decorated with bracelets seemed to hang down. Bheeshm further said - "All the five sons of Draupadee are great warriors. Abhimanyu is the leader of leaders among the chariot warriors. He is like Paarth himself. Possessing great lightness of hand in shooting weapons he is very energetic. The same is true about Saatyaki. Both Uttamaujaa and Yudhaamanyu are also good chariot warriors. Both Viraat and Drupad are great warriors. Shikhandee is also one of the foremost warriors. Dhrishtdyumn, a disciple of Drone, is also a great warrior. His son Kshatradharm is a good warrior too, but he is only half the warrior.

Dhrishtketu, the son of Shishupaal, is a great warrior. Kshaatradev is a great warrior in the Paandav army. Senbindu, otherwise called Krodh-hantri is equal to Arjun and Vaasudev. Drupad's son Satyajit should be regarded as equal to eight warriors. King Pandyaa is also another warrior. King Rochman is another warrior like another Devtaa. Kuntibhoj is another great warrior, like second Indra. Ghatotkach, son of Bheem, is the leader of leaders among chariot warriors. Fond of battle and with the power of illusion he will fight earnestly. Thus this army of Yudhishthir will be led by Arjun who himself is like Indra. With the desire of victory it is against these two warriors, Arjun and Vaasudev, I will advance in the battle field. But I will not strike or slay Shikhandee even if I see him rushing towards me in the battle field.

World knows that to fulfill the wish of my father, I took the vow of observing lifelong Brahmcharya and installed Vichitraveerya on the throne. So I will never slay a woman or a man who was a woman before or a man bearing a name of a woman. Shikhandee was first the daughter of Drupad, then she got converted to a male. I will not fight with him, but of course I will fight with all others. Besides I will never be able to kill Pandav also in the battle."

[read about Shikhandee here]

Sanjaya said - "Night passed. In the morning your sons asked Bheeshm - "Your army is ready for fight. In what time you will be able to win this Paandav's army, I just want to know it for curiosity." Bheeshm said - "So you want to know the strength and weaknesses of your enemy's army? Listen, I tell you my utmost limit of my power in battle, or the energy of my weapons, or the strength of my arms. With ordinary people one should fight artlessly. With the people who possess the power of deception, one should fight with them with deception. I can kill 10,000 ordinary soldiers every morning and 1,000 chariot warriors everyday as my share. So I will take a month to finish Paandav army."

Then Duryodhan asked the same question from Drone. Drone said - "I am ld and weak, but like Bheeshm I can also finish Paandav's army in a month time." Kripaa told that he would do it in two month's time. Ashwatthaamaa told that he could do it in ten nights, and Karn was sure to do it in five days time. Bheeshm laughed hearing this, he said - "O Karn, You can say so until you don't come across Paarth with Keshav."

As Yudhishthir heard this, he told his people about their statements and asked Arjun the same question about Kaurav army. Arjun said - "Al these warriors are very highly skilled. I can exterminate the three worlds, even with immortals, with my single chariot, along with Vaasudev, in a twinkling of an eye. This is what I think. The weapon Mahaadev gave me on the occasion of my encounter with him, still is with me. He uses that weapon to destroy the whole thing at the end of Yug. Bheeshm, Drone, Kripaa and Ashwatthaamaa do not know it, then how can Soot's son know it? It is not proper to kill ordinary people with celestial weapon. So we will defeat our enemy in a fair fight. You have Shikhandee, Saatyaki, Dhrishtdyumn, Bheem, Yudhaamanyu, Uttamaujaa, Viraat, Drupad who are equal to Bheeshm and Drone. You have Abhimanyu and five sons of Draupadee too. You yourself are competent to exterminate the three worlds."

Next morning, all kings set out to fight with Paandav. Duryodhan made all provisions available to all of them. Like Duryodhan, Yudhishthir also ordered his army to march and made all provisions available for all of them.

End of Udyog Parv