SECTION CXVII
"Sanjaya said, Having the vanquished the Yavanas and the Kamvojas that
foremost of car-warriors, viz., Yuyudhana, proceeded towards Arjuna,
right through the midst of your troops. Like a hunter slaying deer, that
tiger among men, (Satyaki), endued with beautiful teeth, clad in
excellent armour, and owning a beautiful standard, slew the Kaurava
troops and inspired them with fear. Proceeding on his car, he shook his
bow with great force, that bow, the back of whose staff was decked with
gold, whose toughness was great, and which was adorned with many golden
moons. His arms decked with golden Angadas, his head-gear adorned with
gold; his body clad in golden mail, his standard and bow also was so
embellished with gold, that he shone like the summit of Meru. Himself
shedding such effulgence, and bearing that circular bow in his hand, he
looked like a second sun in autumn, That bull among men, possessing the
shoulders and the tread and eyes of a bull, looked in the midst of thy
troops, like a bull in a cow-pen. Thy warriors approached him from desire
of slaughter like a tiger approaching the leader, with rent temples, of
an elephant-herd, standing proudly in the midst of his herd, resembling
as he did and possessed as he was of the tread of an infuriated elephant.
Indeed, after he had passed through Drona's division, and the unfordable
division of the Bhojas, after he had forded through the sea of
Jalasandha's troops as also the host of the Kamvojas, after he had
escaped the alligator constituted by Hridika's son, after he had
traversed those ocean-like host, many car-warriors of your army, excited
with wrath, surrounded Satyaki. And Duryodhana and Chitrasena and
Duhsasana and Vivinsati, and Sakuni and Duhsaha, and the youthful
Durdharshana, and Kratha, and many other brave warriors well-conversant
with weapons and difficult of defeat, wrathfully followed Satyaki from
behind as he proceeded onwards. Then, O sire, loud was the uproar that
arose among your troops, resembling that of the ocean itself at full tide
when lashed into fury by the tempest. Beholding all those warriors
rushing at him, that bull among the Sinis smilingly addressed his
charioteer, saying, 'Proceed slowly. The Dhartarashtra force, swelling
(with rage and pride), and teeming with elephants and steeds and cars and
foot-soldiers, that is rushing with speed towards me, filling the ten
points of the compass with deep roar of its cars, O charioteer, and
causing the earth, the welkin, and the very seas, to tremble,
therewith,--this sea of troops, O driver, I will resist in great battle,
like the continent resisting the ocean swelling to its utmost height at
full moon. Behold, O charioteer, my prowess which is equal to that of
Indra himself in great battle. I will consume this hostile force by means
of my whetted arrows. Behold these foot-soldiers and horsemen and
car-warriors, and elephants slain by me in thousands, their bodies
pierced with my fiery arrows.' While saying these words (unto his
charioteer), those combatants from desire of battle, speedily came before
Satyaki of immeasurable prowess. They made a loud noise, saying as they
came, 'Slay, Rush, Wait, See, See!' Of those brave warriors that said
these words, Satyaki, by means of his sharp arrows, slew three hundred
horsemen and four hundred elephants. The passage at arms between those
united bowmen (on the one side) and Satyaki (on the other) was
exceedingly fierce, resembling that between the gods and the Asuras (in
days of old). An awful carnage set in. The grandson of Sini received with
his shafts resembling snakes of virulent poison that force, O sire, of
thy son which looked like a mass of clouds. Shrouding every side, in that
battle with his arrowy downpours, that valiant hero, O monarch,
fearlessly slew a large number of your troops. Exceedingly wonderful, O
king, was the sight that I witnessed there, viz., that not an arrow even,
O lord, of Satyaki failed in effect. That sea of troops, abounding in
cars and elephants and steeds, and full of waves constituted by
foot-soldiers, stood still as soon as it came in contact with the Satyaki
continent. That host consisting of panic-stricken combatants and
elephants and steeds, slaughtered on all sides by Satyaki with his shafts
repeatedly turned round, and wandered hither and thither as if afflicted
with the chilling blasts of winter. We saw not foot-soldiers or
car-warriors or elephants or horsemen or steeds that were not struck with
Yuyudhana's arrows. Not even Phalguna, O king, had caused such a carnage
there as Satyaki, O monarch, then caused among those troops. That bull
among men, viz., the dauntless grandson of Sini, endued with great
lightness of hand and displaying the utmost skill, fighteth, surpassing
Arjuna himself. Then king Duryodhana pierced the charioteer of Satwata
with three keen shafts and his four steeds with four shafts. And he
pierced Satyaki himself with three arrows and once again with eight. And
Duhsasana pierced that bull among the Sinis with sixteen arrows. And
Sakuni pierced him with five and twenty arrows and Chitrasena with five.
And Duhsasana pierced Satyaki in the chest with five and ten arrows. That
tiger amongst the Vrishnis then, thus struck with their arrows, proudly
pierced every one of them, O monarch, with three arrows. Deeply piercing
all his foes with shafts endued with great energy, the grandson of Sini,
possessed of great activity and prowess, careered on the field with the
celerity of a hawk. Cutting off the bow of Suvala's son and the leathern
fence that cased his hand. Yuyudhana pierced Duryodhana in the centre of
the chest with three shafts. And he pierced Chitrasena with a hundred
arrows, and Duhsaha with ten. And that bull of Sini's race then pierced
Duhsasana with twenty arrows. Thy brother-in-law (Sakuni) then, O king,
taking up another bow, pierced Satyaki with eight arrows and once more
with five. And Duhsasana pierced him with three. And Durmukha, O king,
pierced Satyaki with a dozen shafts. And Duryodhana, having pierced
Madhava with three and seventy arrows, then pierced his charioteer with
three keen shafts. Then Satyaki pierced each of those brave and mighty
car-warriors vigorously contending in battle together with five shafts in
return. Then the foremost of car-warriors, (viz., Yuyudhana) speedily
struck your son's charioteer with a broad-headed shaft; whereupon, the
latter deprived of life, fell down on the earth. Upon the fall of the
charioteer, O lord, your son's car was taken away from the battle by the
steeds yoked thereto, with the speed of the wind. Then your sons, O king,
and the other warriors, O monarch, setting their eyes, on the king's car
fled away in hundreds. Beholding that host fly away, O Bharata, Satyaki
covered it with showers of keen shafts whetted on stone and equipped with
wings of gold. Routing all your combatants counting by thousands, Satyaki,
O king, proceeded towards the car of Arjuna. Indeed, your troops
worshipped Yuyudhana, beholding him shooting arrows and protecting his
charioteer and himself as he fought in battle.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 117 ---------------------
