The war raged on!

 

Great horsemen, furious with anger, rushed against other horsemen while hurling long darts covered with gold or releasing arrows that severed enemy’s limbs. Some heroic horsemen carrying swords leaped high into the air to sever the heads of chariot warriors. Some horsemen were overthrown by elephants that trampled them underfoot along with their steeds

 

Polished spears flew thro’ the sky like meteors. They sometimes pierced a soldier & then entered the body of another. Indeed, entire sky was filled with weapons. The sounds of wounded warriors mixed with shouts of heroic soldiers were deafening

 

Enraged elephants smashed chariots and then picked them up with their trunks & threw them violently to ground. Although guarded on all sides, these elephants had thousands of weapons stuck into their bodies. They were cut by swords & mangled by maces & battleaxes. Some warriors had their armor torn off from their body. Even though their backs were cut open by swords, they still fought

 

Very soon, the entire battlefield became a sea of severed heads, arms & legs. Some warriors were crushed to death by maddened elephants. Others had their insides cut out by swords & battleaxes. Some warriors had their heads smashed by maces & clubs, while others were trampled to death by onrush of thousands of soldiers. Many mangled warriors lay upon battlefield, crying out names of their kinsmen. Some who were weak due to thirst, lay upon battlefield calling out for water. Other warriors mortally wounded, lay upon the ground silently, waiting for the end of life

 

In the late morning, Bhisma managed to penetrate the Pāndava army with the help of Krtvarmā, Krpā, Salya & Durmukha. As the grandsire appeared to dance through the enemy ranks, he left a path of destruction in his wake. Abhimanyu became enraged upon seeing Bhisma’s massacre of Pāndavas’ soldiers & rushed at him along with his protectors. With a well-aimed arrow, he shot down Salya’s flag, with another he cut Krpā’s bow in half & with a third he beheaded Durmukha’s driver

 

Bhisma rushed impetuously at Abhimanyu, cutting down his flag & piercing him with nine arrows. Abhimanyu retaliated by knocking down Bhisma’s famed palmyra flag, causing the Pāndava warriors to let out a great roar. Bhisma then invoked celestial weapons, covering Abhimanyu with thousands of arrows. Many great warriors then came to the aid of Subhadra’s son. Bhisma pierced them all & while doing so he cut down Bhima’s lion flag

 

Seeing this few cowered in fear

 

In life’s challenges which are difficult & dangerous, we may feel apprehensive and fearful and put down our weapons. Being fearful is not always bad but it can also be healthy in indicating danger and preventing us from being reckless. Fear which paralyses us in not doing anything needs to be surmounted. This can easily be done by focusing & pursuing a purpose bigger than fear

 

We can all acquire a purpose bigger than our fears by studying Gita’s wisdom

 

abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ
dānaṁ damaś ca yajñaś ca svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife