SECTION LXXXVIII
"Sanjaya said, 'Slaying the force of Duhsasana, the mighty car-warrior,
Savyasachin, desirous of getting at the ruler of the Sindhus, proceeded
against the division of Drona, Having approached Drona who was stationed
at the entrance of the array, Partha, at Krishna's request joined his
hands and said these words unto Drona: 'Wish me well, O Brahmana, and
bless me, saying Swasti! Through your grace, I wish to penetrate into this
impenetrable array. Thou are to me even as my sire, or even as king
Yudhishthira the just, or even as Krishna! I tell you this truly. O
sire, O sinless one! Even as Aswatthaman deserves to be protected by
thee, I also deserve to be protected by thee, O foremost of regenerate
ones! Through your grace, O foremost of men, I desire to stay the ruler of
the Sindhu in battle. O lord, see that my vow is accomplished.'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Thus addressed by him, the preceptor, smiling,
replied unto him, saying, 'O Vibhatsu, without vanquishing me, you shalt
not be able to vanquish Jayadratha. Telling him this much, Drona, with a
smile covered him with showers of sharp arrows, as also his car and
steeds and standard and charioteer. Then, Arjuna baffling Drona's arrowy
showers with his own arrows, rushed against Drona, shooting mightier and
More awful shafts. Observant of Kshatriya duties, Arjuna then pierced
Drona in that battle with nine arrows. Cutting the shafts of Arjuna by
his own shafts, Drona then pierced both Krishna and Arjuna with many
shafts that resembled poison or fire, Then, while Arjuna was thinking of
cutting of Drona's bow with his arrows, the latter, endued with great
valour, fearlessly and quickly cut off, with shafts the bow-string of the
illustrious Phalguna. And he also pierced Phalguna's steeds and standard
and charioteer. And the heroic Drona covered Phalguna himself with many
arrows, smiling the while. Meantime, stringing his large bow anew,
Partha, that foremost of all persons conversant with arms, getting the
better of his preceptor, quickly shot six hundred arrows as if he had
taken and shot only one arrow. And once more he shot seven hundred other
arrows, and then a thousand arrows incapable of being resisted, and ten
thousand other arrows. All these slew many warriors of Drona's array.
Deeply pierced with those weapons by the mighty and accomplished Partha,
acquainted with all modes of warfare, many men and steeds and elephants
fell down deprived of life. And car-warriors, afflicted by those shafts,
fell down from their foremost of cars, deprived of horses and standards
and destitute of weapons and life. And elephants fell down like summits
of hills, or masses of clouds, or large houses, loosened, dispersed, or
burnt down by the thunder, or by the wind, or fire. Struck with Arjuna's
shafts, thousands of steeds fell down like swans on the breast of
Himavat, struck down by the force of watery current. Like the Sun, that
rises at the end of the Yuga, drying up with his rays, vast quantities of
water, the son of Pandu, by his showers of weapons and arrows, slew a
vast number of car-warriors and steeds and elephants and foot-soldiers.
Then like the clouds covering the sun, the Drona-cloud, with its arrowy
showers, covered the Pandava-sun, whose rays in the shape of thick
showers of arrows were scorching in the battle the foremost ones among
the Kurus. And then the preceptor struck Dhananjaya at the breast with a
long shaft shot with great force and capable of drinking the life-blood
of every foe. Then Arjuna, deprived of strength, shook in all his limbs,
like a hill during an earthquake. Soon, however, regaining for fortitude,
Vibhatsu pierced Drona with many winged arrows. Then Drona struck
Vasudeva with five arrows. And he struck Arjuna with three and seventy
arrows, and his standard with three. Then, O king, the valorous Drona
getting the better of his disciple, within the twinkling of an eye made
Arjuna invisible by means of his arrowy showers. We then beheld the
shafts of Bharadwaja's son falling in continuous lines, and his bow also
was seen to present the wonderful aspect of being incessantly drawn to a
circle. And those shafts, countless in number, and winged with the Kanka
feathers, shot by Drona in that battle, incessantly fell, O king, on
Dhananjaya and Vasudeva. Beholding then that battle between Drona and the
son of Pandu, Vasudeva of great intelligence began to reflect upon the
accomplishment of the (important) task. Then Vasudeva, addressing
Dhananjaya, said these words: 'O Partha, O you of mighty arms, we should
not waste time. We must go on, avoiding Drona, for a more important task
awaits us. In reply Partha said unto Krishna, O Kesava, as you pleasest!
Then keeping the mighty-armed Drona to their right, Arjuna proceeded
onwards. Turning his face round, Vibhatsu proceeded, shooting his shafts.
Then Drona, addressing Arjuna, said, Whither dost you proceed, O son of
Pandu! Is it not true that you ceasest not (to fight) till you hast
vanquished your foe?'
"Arjuna answered, 'Thou are my preceptor and not my foe. I am thy
disciple and, therefore, like to your son. Nor is there the man in the
whole world who can vanquish you in battle.'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Saying these words, the mighty-armed Vibhatsu,
desirous of slaying Jayadratha, quickly proceeded against the (Kaurava)
troops. And while he penetrated into your army, those high-souled princes
of Panchala, viz., Yudhamanyu, and Uttamaujas, followed him as the
protector of his wheels. Then, O King, Jaya, and Kritavarman of the
Satwata race, and the ruler of the Kamvojas, and Srutayus, began to
oppose the progress of Dhananjaya. And these had ten thousand
car-warriors for their followers. The Abhishahas, the Surasenas, the
Sivis, the Vasatis, the Mavellakas, the Lilithyas, the Kaikeyas, the
Madrakas, the Narayana Gopalas, and the various tribes of the Kamvojas
who had before been vanquished by Karna, all of whom were regarded as
very brave, placing Bharadwaja's son at their head, and becoming
regardless of their lives, rushed towards Arjuna, for resisting that
angry hero, burning with grief on account of the death of his son, that
warrior resembling all-destroying Death himself, clad in mail, conversant
with all modes of warfare, prepared to throw away his life in thick of
battle,--that mighty bowman of great prowess, that tiger among men,--who
resembled an infuriate leader of elephantine herd, and who seemed ready
to devour the whole hostile army. The battle then that commenced was
exceedingly fierce and made the hair stand on end, between all those
combatants on the one side and Arjuna on the other. And all of them,
uniting together, began to resist that bull among men, advancing for the
slaughter of Jayadratha, like medicines resisting a raging disease.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 88 ---------------------
