SECTION CXII
"Sanjaya said, 'Listen with undivided attention, O king. After the rout
of that force by the high-souled son of Hridika, and upon the Parthas
being humiliated with shame and your troops elated with joy, he that
became protector of the Pandavas who were solicitous of protection while
sinking in that fathomless sea of distress, that hero, viz., the grandson
of Sini, hearing that fierce uproar, of your army in that terrible fight,
quickly turned back and proceeded against Kritavarman. Hridika's son,
Kritavarman, then excited with wrath, covered the grandson of Sini with
clouds of sharp shafts. At this, Satyaki also became filled with rage.
The grandson of Sini then quickly sped at Kritavarman a sharp and
broad-headed arrow in the encounter and then four other arrows. These
tour arrows slew the steeds of Kritavarman, and the other cut off
Kritavarman's bow. Then Satyaki pierced the charioteer of his foe and
those that protected the latter's rear, with many keen shafts, to afflict
his antagonist's forces. The hostile division then, afflicted with
Satyaki's arrows, broke down. Thereupon, Satyaki of prowess incapable of
being baffled, quickly proceeded on his way. Hear now, O king, what that
hero of great valour then did unto your troops. Having, O monarch, forded
the ocean constituted by Drona's division, and filled with joy at having
vanquished Kritavarman in battle, that hero then addressed his
charioteer, saying, 'Proceed slowly without fear.' Beholding, however,
that army of yours that abounded with cars, steeds, elephants and
foot-soldiers, Satyaki once more told his charioteer, 'That large
division which you seest on left of Drona's host, and which looks dark
as the clouds, consists of the elephants (of the foe). Rukmaratha is its
leader. Those elephants are many, O charioteer, and are difficult of
being resisted in battle. Urged by Duryodhana, they wait for me, prepared
to cast away their lives. All those combatants are of princely birth, and
great bowmen, and capable of displaying great prowess in battle,
belonging to the country of the Trigartas, they are all illustrious
car-warriors, owning standards decked with gold. Those brave warriors are
waiting, desirous of battle with me. Urge the steeds quickly, O
charioteer and take me thither. I shall fight with the Trigartas in the
very sight of Bharadwaja's son.' Thus addressed, the charioteer, obedient
to Satwata's will, proceeded slowly. Upon that bright car of solar
effulgence, equipped with standard, those excellent steeds harnessed
thereto and perfectly obedient to the driver, endued with speed of the
wind, white as the Kunda flower, or the moon, or silver, bore him (to
that spot). As he advanced to battle, drawn by those excellent steeds of
the hue of a conch, those brave warriors encompassed him on all sides
with their elephants, scattering diverse kinds of keen arrows capable of
easily piercing everything. Satwata also fought with that elephant
division, shooting his keen shafts, like a mighty cloud at the end of
summer pouring torrents of rain on a mountain breast. Those elephants
slaughtered with those shafts, whose touch resembled thunder sped by that
foremost one among the Sinis began to fly away from the field, their
tusks broken, bodies covered with blood, heads and frontal globes split
open, ears and faces and trunks cut off, and themselves deprived of
riders, and standards cut down, riders slain, and blankets loosened, ran
away, O king, in all directions. Many amongst them, O monarch, mangled by
Satwata with long shafts and calf-tooth-headed arrows and broad-headed
arrows and Anjalikas and razor-faced arrows and crescent-shaped ones fled
away, with blood flowing down their bodies, and themselves ejecting urine
and excreta and uttering loud and diverse cries, deep as the roar of
clouds. And some amongst the others wandered, and some limped, and some
fell down, and some became pale and cheerless. Thus afflicted by
Yuyudhana, with shafts that resembled the sun or fire, that elephant
division fled away in all directions. After that elephant division was
exterminated, the mighty Jalasandha, exerting himself coolly, led his
elephant before Yuyudhana's car drawn by white steeds. Cased in golden
Angadas, with ear-rings and diadem, armed with sword, smeared with red
sandal-paste, his head encircled with a blazing chain of gold, his breast
covered with a cuirass, his neck adorned with a bright chain (of gold),
that hero of sinless soul, stationed on the heads of his elephant,
shaking his bow decked with gold, looked resplendent, O king, like a
cloud charged with lightning. Like the continent resisting the surging
sea, Satyaki checked that excellent elephant of the ruler of the Magadhas
that approached him with such fury. Beholding the elephant checked by the
excellent shafts of Yuyudhana, the mighty Jalasandha became filled with
rage. Then, O king, the enraged Jalasandha, pierced Sini's grandson on
his broad chest with some shafts of great force. With another sharp and
well tempered broad-headed arrow, he cut off the bow of the Vrishni hero
while the latter was drawing it. And then, O Bharata, smiling the while,
the heroic ruler of the Magadhas pierced the bowless Satyaki with five
keen shafts. The valiant and mighty-armed Satyaki, however, though
pierced with many shafts by Jalasandha, trembled not in the least. All
this seemed exceedingly wonderful. Then mighty Yuyudhana without any
fear, thought of the shafts (he should use). Taking up another bow,
addressed Jalasandha, saying, 'Wait, Wait!' Saying this much, the
grandson of Sini deeply pierced Jalasandha on his broad breast with sixty
arrows, smiling the while. And with another razor-faced arrow of great
sharpness he cut off Jalasandha's bow at the handle, and with three more
shafts he pierced Jalasandha himself. Then Jalasandha, casting aside that
bow of his with an arrow fixed thereon, hurled a lance, O sire, at
Satyaki. That terrible lance, passing through the left arm of Madhava in
fierce battle, entered the earth, like a hissing snake of gigantic
proportion. And his left arm had thus been pierced. Satyaki, of prowess
incapable of being baffled, struck Jalasandha with thirty keen shafts.
Then mighty Jalasandha taking up his scimitar and large shield made of
bull's hide and decked with a hundred moons whirled the former for a
while and hurled it at Satwata. Cutting off the bow of Sini's grandson,
that scimitar fell down on the earth, and looked resplendent like a
circle of fire, as it lay on the earth. Then Yuyudhana took up another
bow capable of piercing everybody, large as a Sala-offshoot, and of twang
resembling the roar of Indra's thunder, and filled with rage, stretched
in and then pierced Jalasandha with a single shaft. And then Satyaki,
that foremost one of Madhu's race, smiling the while, cut off, with a
pair of razor-faced arrows, the two arms, decked with ornaments, of
Jalasandha. Thereupon, those two arms, looking like a couple of spiked
maces, fell down from that foremost of elephants, like a couple of
five-headed snakes falling down from a Mountain. And then, with a third
razor-headed arrow, Satyaki cut off his antagonist's large head endued
with beautiful teeth and adorned with a pair of beautiful ear-rings. The
headless and armless trunk, of fearful aspect, dyed Jalasandha's elephant
with blood. Having slain Jalasandha, in battle, Satwata quickly felled
the wooden structure, O king, from that elephant's back. Bathed in blood,
the elephant of Jalasandha bore that costly seat, hanging down from his
back. And afflicted with the arrows of Satwata, the huge beast crushed
friendly ranks as it ran wildly, uttering fierce cries of pain. Then, O
sire, wails of woe arose among your troops, at the sight of Jalasandha
slain by that bull among the Vrishnis. Thy warriors then, turning their
faces, fled away in all directions. Indeed, despairing of success over
the foe, they set their hearts on flight. Mean. while, O king, Drona,
that foremost of all wielders of bows, approached the mighty car-warrior
Yuyudhana, borne by his swift coursers. Many bulls among the Kurus,
beholding Sini's grandson swelling (with rage-and pride), rushed at him
with fury, accompanied by Drona. Then commenced a battle, O king, between
the Kurus and Drona (on one side) and Yuyudhana (on the other), that
resembled the awful battle of old between the gods and the Asuras.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 112 ---------------------
