SECTION CIII
"Dhritarashtra said, 'After Arjuna had got the ruler of the Sindhus
within sight, what, O Sanjaya, did the Panchalas, attacked by
Bharadwaja's son, do, encountering the Kurus?'
"Sanjaya said, In the afternoon of that day, O monarch, in the battle
that took place between the Panchalas and the Kurus, Drona became, as it
were, the stake (for which each fought on to win or lose). The Panchalas,
O sire, desirous of slaying Drona, cheerfully uttered loud roars and shot
dense showers of arrows. Indeed, that encounter between the Panchalas and
the Kurus, fierce, awful, and highly wonderful as it was, resembled that
in days of yore between the gods and the Asuras. Indeed, all the
Panchalas with the Pandavas, obtaining Drona's car (within reach) used
many mighty weapons, desirous of piercing through his array. Car-warriors
stationed on their cars, causing the earth to shake under them, and
showering their arrowy downpours, rushed towards Drona's car, without
much speed. Then that mighty car-warrior among the Kaikeyas, viz.,
Vrihatkshatra, incessantly scattering keen shafts that resembled the
thunder in force, proceeded towards Drona. Then Kshemadhurti of great
fame quickly rushed against Vrihatkshatra, shooting keen arrows by
thousands. Beholding this, that bull among the Chedis, viz.,
Dhrishtaketu, endued with great might, quickly proceeded against
Kshemadhurti, like Mahendra proceeding against the Asura Samvara. Seeing
him rush with great impetuosity, like the Destroyer himself with
wide-open mouth, that mighty bowman viz., Viradhanwan, proceeded against
him with great speed. King Yudhishthira staying there at the head of his
division from desire of victory, was resisted by valiant Drona himself.
Thy son Vikarna, O lord, endued with great prowess, proceeded against the
rushing Nakula of great prowess, that warrior accomplished in battle.
That scorcher of foes, viz., Durmukha, covered the advancing Sahadeva
with many thousands of swiftly-coursing shafts. The heroic Vyughradatta
resisted that tiger among men, viz., Satyaki making him repeatedly
tremble by means of his sharp and keen-pointed shafts. The son of
Somadatta resisted the (five) sons of Draupadi, those tigers among men,
those great car-warriors, wrathfully shooting mighty shafts. That mighty
car-warrior, viz., Rishyasringa's fierce son (the Rakshasa Alamvusha), of
awful mien, resisted the advancing Bhimasena filled with wrath. The
encounter that then took place between that man and Rakshasa resembled, O
king, the battle in days of yore between Rama, and Ravana. Then, O
Bharata, Yudhishthira, that chief of the Bharatas, struck Drona with
ninety straight shafts in all his vital parts. Enraged by the famous son
of Kunti, Drona struck him in return, O chief of the Bharatas, in the
centre of the chest with five and twenty shafts. And once more, in the
very sight of all the bowmen, Drona struck him, with his steeds,
charioteer, and standard, with twenty shafts. Pandu's son, of virtuous
soul, displaying great lightness of hand, baffled with his own arrowy
showers those arrows shot by Drona, Then that great bowman Drona, filled
with rage, cut off the bow of the high souled king Yudhishthira the just.
Then that great car-warrior (viz., the son of Bharadwaja) speedily
covered the bowless Yudhishthira with many thousands of shafts. Beholding
the king made invisible by the shafts of Bharadwaja's son, all thought
that Yudhishthira was dead, and some thought that the king had fled
before Drona. And many cried out, O king, saying, 'Alas the king hath
been slain by the high-souled Brahmana.' Then, king Yudhishthira the
just, fallen into great distress, having laid aside that bow cut off by
Bharadwaja's son in battle took up another excellent, bright and tougher
bow. And that hero then cut off in that encounter all those shafts shot
in thousands by Drona. All this seemed exceedingly wonderful. Having cut
off those shafts, O king, Yudhishthira, with eyes red in wrath, took up
in that battle a dart, capable of riving even a mountain. Equipped with a
golden staff, of awful mien, having eight bells attached to it, and
exceedingly terrible, the mighty Yudhishthira, taking it up, uttered a
loud roar. And with that roar, O Bharata, the son of Pandu inspired all
creatures with fear. Beholding that dart upraised by king Yudhishthira
the just, all creatures, as if with one accord, said, 'Good be to Drona!'
Hurled from the king's arms, that dart resembling a snake just freed from
its slough, coursed towards Drona, illumining the welkin and all the
directions cardinal and subsidiary, like a she-snake with fiery mouth,
Beholding it coursing towards him impetuously, O king, Drona, that
foremost of all persons acquainted with weapons invoked into existence
the weapon called Brahma. That weapon, reducing that dart of terrible
mien into dust, coursed towards the car of the illustrious son of Pandu.
Then, O sire, king Yudhishthira of' great wisdom baffled that weapon of
Drona, thus coursing towards him by himself invoking the Brahma weapon.
And then piercing Drona himself in that battle with five straight shafts,
he cut off, with a sharp razor-faced shaft, the large bow of Drona. Then
Drona, that grinder of Kshatriyas, throwing aside that broken bow, hurled
with great force, O sire, a mace at the son of Dharma. Beholding that
mace impetuously coursing towards him, Yudhishthira, O chastiser of foes,
filled with rage, took up a mace. Then those two maces, both hurled with
great force, encountering each other in mid-air, produced by their
collision sparks of fire and then fell down on the earth. Then Drona,
filled with fury, slew, O sire, the steeds of Yudhishthira, with four
excellent shafts of keen points. And with another broad-headed shaft he
cut off he king's bow resembling a pole erected to the honour of Indra.
And with another shaft he cut off the standard of Yudhishthira, and with
three he afflicted the Pandava himself. Then king Yudhishthira, speedily
jumping down from that steedless car, stood weaponless and with arms
upraised, O bull of Bharata's race! Beholding him carless, and especially
weaponless, Drona, O lord, stupefied his foes, rather the whole army.
Firmly adhering to his vow, and endued with great lightness of hands,
Drona shot showers of sharp shafts and rushed towards the king, like a
furious lion towards a deer. Beholding Drona, that slayer of foes, rush
towards him, cries of Oh and Alas suddenly rose from the Pandava army.'
And many cried out, saying, 'The king is slain by Bharadwaja's son.' Loud
wails of this kind were heard, O Bharata, among the Pandava troops.
Meanwhile, king Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, getting up on the car of
Sahadeva, retreated from the field, borne away by swift steeds.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 103 ---------------------
