SECTION CXVI
"Sanjaya said, 'Then that bull of Vrishni's race, viz., the high-souled
Satyaki of great intelligence, having slain Sudarsana, once more
addressed his driver, saying, Having forded through the almost unfordable
ocean of Drona's division, teeming with cars and steeds and elephants,
whose waves are constituted by arrows and darts, fishes by swords and
scimitars and alligators by maces, which roar with the whiz of shafts and
the clash of diverse weapons,--an ocean that is fierce and destructive of
life, and resounds with the noise of diverse musical instruments, whose
touch is unpleasant and unbearable to warriors of victory, and whose
margin is infested with fierce cannibals represented by the force of
Jalasandha.--I think, the portion of the array that remains may easily be
forded like a poor stream of shallow water. Urge you the steeds,
therefore, without fear. I think, I am very near to Savyasachin. Having
vanquished in battle the invincible Drona with his followers, and that
foremost of warriors, viz., the son of Hridika, I think, I cannot be
distant from Dhananjaya. Fear never comes to my heart even if I behold
countless foes before me. These to me are like a heap of straw and grass
to a blazing conflagration in the woods. Behold, the track by which the
diadem-decked (Arjuna), that foremost one among the Pandavas, hath gone,
is rendered uneven with large bodies of foot-soldiers and steeds and
car-warriors and elephants lying slain on the ground. Behold, routed by
that high-souled warrior, the Kaurava army is flying away. Behold, O
charioteer, a dark brown dust is raised by those retreating cars and
elephants and steeds. I think, I am very near to Arjuna of white steeds
having Krishna for his charioteer. Hark, the well-known twang of Gandiva
of immeasurable energy is being heard. From the character of the omens
that appear to my view, I am sure that Arjuna will slay the ruler of the
Sindhus before the sun sets. Without causing their strength to be spent,
urge the steeds slowly to where those hostile ranks are staying, that is,
to where yonder warriors headed by Duryodhana, their hands cased in
leathern fences, and yonder Kamvojas of fierce deeds, clad in mail and
difficult of being defeated in battle, and those Yavanas armed with bow
and arrows and skilled in smiting, and under Sakas and Daradas and
Barbaras and Tamraliptakas, and other countless Mlecchas, armed with
diverse weapons, are,--to the spot (I repeat) where, indeed, yonder
warriors headed by Duryodhana, their hands cased in leathern fences,--are
waiting with their faces turned towards me and inspired with the
resolution of battling with me. Regard me to have already passed through
this fierce fastness, O Suta, having slain in battle all these combatants
with cars and elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers that are amongst
them.'
"The charioteer, thus addressed, said, 'O you of Vrishni's race, fear I
have none, O you of prowess that cannot be baffled! If you hast before
the Jamadagni's son himself in wrath, or Drona, that foremost of
car-warriors, or the ruler of the Madras himself, even then fear doth not
enter my heart, O you of mighty arms, as long as I am under the shadow
Of your protection, O slayer of foes, countless Kamvojas, clad in mail, of
fierce deeds, and difficult to defeat in battle, have already been
vanquished by thee, as also many Yavanas armed with bow and arrows and
accomplished in smiting, including Sakas and Daradas and Tamraliptakas,
and many other Mlecchas armed with various weapons. Never before did I
experience fear in any battle. Why shall I, therefore, O you of great
courage, experience any fear in this miserable fray? O you that art
blessed with length of days, by which way shall I take you to where
Dhananjaya is? With whom hast you been angry, O you of Vrishni's race?
Who are they that will fly away from battle, beholding you endued with
such a prowess, resembling the Destroyer himself as he appears at the end
of the Yuga, and putting forth that prowess of yours (against your foes)?
O you of mighty arms, who are they of whom king Vaivaswata is thinking
today?'
"Satyaki said, 'Like Vasava destroying the Danavas, I shall slay these
warriors with shaved heads. By slaying these Kamvojas I will fulfil my
vow. Bear me thither. Causing a great carnage amongst these, I shall
today repair to the dear son of Pandu. The Kauravas, with Suyodhana at
their head, will today behold my prowess, when this division of Mlecchas,
of shaved heads, will have been exterminated and the whole Kaurava army
put to the greatest distress. Hearing the loud wails of the Kaurava host,
today, mangled and broken by me in battle Suyodhana will be inspired with
grief. Today, I shall show unto my preceptor, the high-souled Pandava, of
white steeds, the skill in weapons acquired by me from him. Beholding
today thousands of foremost warriors slain with my arrows, king
Duryodhana will be plunged into great grief. The Kauravas will today
behold the bow in my hands to resemble a circle of fire when,
light-handed, I will stretch the bowstring for shooting my host of
shafts. Beholding the incessant slaughter of his troops today, their
bodies covered with blood and pierced all over with my shafts, Suyodhana
will be filled with grief. While I shall slay in wrath the foremost of
Kuru warriors, Suyodhana will today behold to count two Arjunas.
Beholding thousands of kings slain by me in battle, king Duryodhana will
be filled with grief in today's great battle. Slaying thousands of kings
today, I will show my love and devotion to those high-souled ones, viz.,
the royal sons of Pandu. The Kauravas will know today the measure of my
might and energy, and my gratefulness (to the Pandavas).'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Thus addressed, the charioteer urged to their utmost
speed those well-trained coursers of delightful pace and of the hue of
the moon. Those excellent animals, endued with the speed of the wind or
thought, proceeded, devouring the very skies, and bore Yuyudhana to the
spot where those Yavanas were. Thereupon, the Yavanas, many in number and
endued with lightness of hands, approaching unretreating Satyaki, covered
him with showers of arrows. The rushing Satyaki, however, O king, cut off
by means of his own straight arrows, all those shafts and weapons of the
Yavanas. Inflamed with wrath, Yuyudhana. then, with his straight shafts
of great sharpness, winged with gold and vulture's feathers, cut off the
heads and arms of those Yavanas. Many of those arrows, again, piercing
through their coats of mail, made of iron and brass, entered the earth.
Struck by the brave Satyaki in that battle, the Mlecchas began to fall
down on the earth in hundreds, deprived of life. With his arrows shot in
continuous lines from his bow drawn to its fullest stretch, that hero
began to slay five, six, seven, or eight Yavanas at a time. Thousands of
Kamvojas, and Sakas, and Barbaras, were similarly slain by Satyaki.
Indeed, the grandson of Sini, causing a great carnage among your troops,
made the earth impassable and miry with flesh and blood. The field of
battle was strewn with the head-gears of those robbers and their shaved
heads too that looked, in consequence of their long beards, like
featherless birds. Indeed, the field of battle covered with headless
trunks dyed all over with blood, looked beautiful like the welkin covered
with coppery clouds. Slain by Satwata by means of his straight shafts
whose touch resembled that of Indra's thunder, the Yavanas covered the
surface of the earth. The small remnant of those mail-clad troops
vanquished in battle, O king, by Satwata, becoming cheerless, their lives
on the point of being taken, broke and urging their steeds with goads and
whips to their utmost speed, fled from fear in all directions. Routing
the invincible Kamvoja host in battle, O Bharata, as also that host of
the Yavanas and that large force of the Sakas, that tiger among men who
had penetrated into your army, viz., Satyaki, of prowess incapable of
being baffled, crowned with victory, urged his charioteer, saying,
'Proceed!' Beholding that feat of his in battle, never before achieved by
any one else, the Charanas and the Gandharvas applauded him highly.
Indeed, O king, the Charanas, as also your warriors, beholding Yuyudhana
thus proceeded for aiding Arjuna, became filled with delight (at his
heroism).'
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 116 ---------------------
