Introduction
Bhishma Vadha tells what happened in the first ten days of the Kuru Kshetre war before Bhishma is killed.
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Sequence: The two armies form vyuhas. (0) Bhishma attacks the Pandavas. (1) Arjuna checks Bhishma. (2) Drona, Duryodhana and Kripa fight with Arjuna.
Context: The above diagram is derived from Bibek Debroy’s description of the wings, bodies and head of the bird form Vyuhas the Kauravas and Pandavas form to start the day. Not pictured (for space) are the masses of various armies supporting the main characters. e.g., Kalingas, Chedis, Panchalas, Matsyas
Sequence: (0) Bhishma and Arjuna fight. (1) Drona attacks Dhrishtadyumna. Bhima counters Drona. (2) Drona repositions and attacks Virata and Drupada. (3) Bhima repositions and leads the Chedi army against the Kalingas. Yudhishthira brings an elephant army against the superior Kalinga elephant army along with the King of the Kalingas and his sons. Bhishma tries to stop Bhima, but is too slow and countered by Satyaki and Dhrishtadyumna.
Bhimasena roams around with a club, like death. Bhimasena, with the Chedis, met the Kalingas, led by Shrutaya. A fierce battle raged, terrible in form. ... With his horses slain, Bhimasena remained stationed on his chariot. He hurled a club of steel at Shakradeva. The son of Shrutaya was thus killed. Seeing his son fallen, Shrutaya moved to Bhima to attack. With the sword in his hand, Bhima used the elephant's tusks to climb onto its back. He sliced Bhanuman down the middle. He then made his sword descend on the neck of the elephant. With its neck severed, the elephant screamed and fell, like the summit of a mountain shattered by the battering sea. Bhima leaped from the falling elephant. He roamed along many paths, bringing down frightened elephants. Everywhere, he was a whirling wheel of fire. He slaughtered masses of horses, elephants, masses of chariots and infantry. Intoxicated, Bhima was seen in that battle, roaming like an angry hawk. Bhimasena was seen to display many different motions. Leaping onto chariots, horse riders, elephants. The elephants were slain, with the front and rears of their bodies, and their trunks, shattered. The arena was strewn with boulders of dead elephants. Having killed many elephants, Bhima began to destroy the horses. He leapt up and brought down chariots. He cut them and their standards down with his sword. Shrutaya pierced Bhimasena with nine arrows. Bhima ascended a chariot and advanced to Shrutaya, king of Kalinga. Shrutaya pierced Bhima with nine arrows that Bhima rushed through - Bhima stretched his bow and killed the king with seven iron headed arrows.
— Bibek Debroy. Mahb. Chapter 910.
The Kalingas were the best elephant fighters in the Bharata dynasty.
Sequence: (0) Dhrishtadyumna rocks Ashvatthama and Shalya, and attacks Kripa. (1) Abhimanyu enters the fray and attacks Duryodhana and the other kings with Dhrishtadyumna. (2) Abhimanyu is outnumbered when Arjuna comes in blazing arrows. Arjuna beats up the Kurus for a bit before Bhishma orders a retreat to end the day.
Gemstones are Duryodhana’s standard.