SECTION CXIII
"Sanjaya said, 'Shooting clouds of arrows, all those warriors,
accomplished in smiting, carefully, O monarch, encountered Yuyudhana.
Drona struck him with seven and seventy shafts of great keenness. And
Durmarshana struck him with a dozen, Duhsasana, struck him with ten
shafts. And Vikarna also pierced him on the left side as also on the
centre of the chest with thirty keen shafts equipped with Kanka feathers.
And Durmukha struck him with ten shafts, and Duhsasana with eight,
Chitrasena, O sire, pierced him with a couple of shafts. And Duryodhana,
O king, and many other heroes, afflicted that mighty car-warrior with
dense showers of shafts in that battle. Though checked on all sides by
those mighty car-warriors, viz., your sons, Yuyudhana of Vrishni's race
pierced each of them separately with his straight shafts. Indeed, he
pierced the son of Bharadwaja with three shafts, and Duhsasana with nine,
and Vikarna with five and twenty, and Chitrasena with seven, and
Durmarshana with a dozen, and Vivinsati with eight, and Satyavrata with
nine, and Vijaya with ten shafts. And having pierced Rukmangada also that
mighty car-warrior, viz., Satyaki, shaking his bow, speedily proceeded
against your son (Duryodhana). And Yuyudhana, in the sight of all men,
deeply pierced with his arrows the king, that greatest of car-warriors in
the whole world. Then commenced a battle between those two. Both shooting
keen arrows and both aiming countless shafts, each of those mighty
car-warriors made the other invisible in that battle. And Satyaki,
pierced by the Kuru king, looked exceedingly resplendent as blood
copiously ran adown his body, like a sandal tree shedding its juicy
secretions. Thy son also pierced by Satwata with clouds of shafts, looked
beautiful like a stake set up (at a sacrifice) decked all over with gold.
Then Madhava, O king, in that battle, cut off with razor-faced arrow,
smiling the while, the bow of the Kuru king. And then he pierced the
bowless king with countless arrows. Pierced with arrows by that foe of
great activity, the king could not brook this indication of the enemy's
success. Duryodhana then, taking up another formidable bow, the back of
whose staff was decked with gold, speedily pierced Satyaki with a hundred
arrows. Deeply pierced by your mighty son armed with the bow, Yuyudhana
became inflamed with wrath and began to afflict your son. Beholding the
king thus afflicted, your sons, those mighty car-warriors, shrouded
Satyaki with dense showers of arrows, shot with great force. Whilst being
thus shrouded by those mighty car-warriors, viz., your multitude of sons,
Yuyudhana pierced each of them with five arrows, and once more with
seven. And soon he pierced Duryodhana with eight swift arrows and,
smiling the while, cut off the latter's bow that frightened all foes. And
with a few arrows he also felled the king's standard adorned with a
jewelled elephant. And slaying then the four steeds of Duryodhana with
four arrows, the illustrious Satyaki felled the king's charioteer with a
razor-faced shaft. Meanwhile, Yuyudhana, filled with joy, pierced the
mighty car-warrior, viz., the Kuru king, with many arrows capable of
penetrating into the very vitals. Then, O king, your son Duryodhana, while
being thus struck in that battle with those excellent arrows of Sini's
grandson, suddenly fled away. And the king, quickly mounted the car of
Chitrasena, armed with the bow. Beholding the king thus attacked by
Satyaki in battle, and reduced to the position of Soma in the firmament
while seized by Rahu, cries of woe arose from every section of the Kuru
host. Hearing that uproar, the mighty car-warrior Kritavarman quickly
proceeded to that spot where the puissant Madhava. was battling. And
Kritavarman proceeded, shaking his bow, and urging his steeds, and urging
his charioteer with the words, 'Go with speed, Go with speed!' Beholding
Kritavarman rushing towards him like the Destroyer himself with wide-open
mouth, Yuyudhana, O king, addressed his driver, saying, 'That
Kritavarman, armed with arrows, is rushing in his car towards me with
speed. Then, with his steeds urged to their greatest speed, and on his
car duly equipped, Satyaki came upon the ruler of the Bhojas, the
foremost of all bowmen. Then those two tigers among men, both inflamed
with rage, and both resembling fire encountered each other like two
tigers endued with great activity. Kritavarman pierced Sini's grandson
with six and twenty whetted arrows of keen points, and the latter's
driver with five arrows. And skilled in battle, the son of Hridika
pierced, with four mighty shafts, the four excellent and well-broken
steeds of Satyaki that were of the Sindhu breed. Owning a standard decked
with gold, and adorned with golden mail, Kritavarman, shaking his
formidable bow, whose staff was decked with gold, thus checked, Yuyudhana
with shafts equipped with golden wings. Then the grandson of Sini,
desirous of seeing Dhananjaya, sped with great activity eight arrows at
Kritavarman. That scorcher of foes, then, deeply pierced by that mighty
foe,--that invincible warrior,--began to tremble like a hill during an
earthquake. After this, Satyaki, of prowess incapable of being baffled,
speedily pierced Kritavarman's four steeds with three and sixty keen
arrows, and his driver also with seven. Indeed, Satyaki, then aiming
another arrow of golden wings, that emitted blazing flames and resembled
an angry snake, or the rod of the Destroyer himself, pierced Kritavarman.
That terrible arrow, penetrating through his antagonist's effulgent
armour decked with gold, entered the earth, dyed with blood. Afflicted
with the shafts of Satwata, and bathed in blood in that battle,
Kritavarman throwing aside his bow with arrow, fell upon his car. That
lion-toothed hero of immeasurable prowess, that bull among men, afflicted
by Satyaki with his arrows, fell on his knees upon the terrace of his
car. Having thus resisted Kritavarman who resembled the thousand-armed
Arjuna of old, or Ocean himself of immeasurable might, Satyaki proceeded
onwards. Passing through Kritavarman's division bristling with swords and
darts and bows, and abounding in elephants and steeds and cars, and out
of the ground rendered awful in consequence of the blood shed by foremost
Kshatriyas numbering by hundreds, that bull among the Sinis proceeded
onwards in the very sight of all the troops, like the slayer of Vritra
through the Asura array. Meanwhile, the mighty son of Hridika, taking up
another huge bow, stayed where he was, resisting Pandavas in battle.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 113 ---------------------
