SECTION CXX
"Sanjaya said, 'Meanwhile, O king, Duhsasana rushed against the grandson
of Sini, scattering thousands of shafts like a mighty cloud pouring
torrents of rain. Having pierced Satyaki with sixty arrows and once more
with sixteen, he failed to make that hero tremble, for the latter stood
it, battle, immovable as the Mainaka mountain. Accompanied by a large
throng of cars hailing from diverse realms, that foremost one of
Bharata's race shot numberless arrows, and filled all the points of the
compass with roars deep as those of the clouds. Beholding the Kaurava
coming to battle, Satyaki of mighty arms rushed towards him and shrouded
him with his shafts. They that were at the van of Duhsasana, thus covered
with those arrowy showers, all fled away in fear, in the very sight of
thy son. After they had fled away, O monarch, your son Duhsasana, O king,
remained fearlessly in battle and began to afflict Satyaki with arrows.
And piercing the four steeds of Satyaki with four arrows, his charioteer
with three, and Satyaki himself with a hundred in that battle, Duhsasana
uttered a loud roar, Then, O monarch, Madhava, inflamed with rage, soon
made Duhsasana's car and driver and standard and Duhsasana himself
invisible by means of his straight arrows. Indeed, Satyaki entirely
shrouded the brave Duhsasana with arrows. Like a spider entangling a gnat
within reach by means of its threads, that vanquisher of foes quickly
covered Duhsasana with his shafts. Then King Duryodhana, seeing Duhsasana
thus covered with arrows, urged a body of Trigartas towards the car of
Yuyudhana. Those Trigarta car-warriors, of fierce deeds, accomplished in
battle, and numbering three thousand, proceeded towards Yuyudhana. Firmly
resolved upon battle and swearing not to retreat, all of them encompassed
Yuyudhana with a large throng of cars, Soon, however, Yuyudhana struck
down five hundred of their foremost warriors stationed in the van of the
force as it advanced towards him in battle, shooting showers of arrows at
him. Speedily slain by that foremost one amongst the Sinis with his
shafts, these fell down, like tall trees from mountain-tops uprooted by a
tempest. And the field of battle, strewn with mangled elephants, O
monarch, and fallen standards, and bodies of steeds decked in trappings
of gold, and torn and lacerated with the shafts of Sini's grandson and
weltering in blood, looked beautiful, O king, like a plain overgrown with
flowering Kinsukas. Those soldiers of thine, thus slaughtered by
Yuyudhana, failed to find a protector like elephants sunk in a morass.
Then all of them turned towards the spot where Drona's car was, like
mighty snakes making towards holes from fear of the prince of birds.
Having slain those five hundred brave warriors by in means of his shafts,
resembling snakes of virulent poison, that hero slowly proceeded towards
the place where Dhananjaya was. And as that foremost of men was thus
proceeding your son Duhsasana quickly pierced him with nine straight
arrows. That mighty bowman then (Yuyudhana), pierced Duhsasana, in
return, with five straight and sharp arrows equipped with golden wings
and vulturine feather. Then Duhsasana, O Bharata, smiling the while,
pierced Satyaki, O monarch, with three arrows, and once more with five.
The grandson of Sini, then, striking your Son with five arrows and Cutting
off his bow proceeded smilingly towards Arjuna. Then Duhsasana, inflamed
with wrath and desirous of slaying the Vrishni hero, hurled at him, as he
proceeded, a dart made wholly of iron. Satyaki, however, O king, cut off,
with his shafts, equipped with Kanka feathers, that fierce dart Of thy
son. Then, O ruler of men, then, your son, taking up another bow, pierced
Satyaki with some arrows and uttered a loud roar. Then Satyaki excited
with wrath, stupefying your son in that battle, struck him in the centre
of the chest with some shafts that resembled flames of fire. And once
more, he pierced Duhsasana with eight shafts made wholly of iron and
having very keen points. Duhsasana, however, pierced Satyaki in return
with twenty arrows. Then, the highly-blessed Satyaki, O monarch, pierced
Duhsasana in the centre of the chest with three straight arrows. And the
mighty car-warrior Yuyudhana, with some straight shafts slew the steeds
of Duhsasana; inflamed with wrath he slew, with some straight arrows,
that the latter's charioteer also. With one broad-headed arrow he then
cut off your son's bow, and with five arrows he cut the leathern fence
that encased his hand. Acquainted as he was with highest weapons,
Satyaki, then, with a couple of broad-headed shafts, cut off Duhsasana's
standard and the wooden shafts of his car. And then with a number of keen
arrows he slew both the Parshni charioteers of your son. The latter, then,
bowless and carless and steedless and driverless, was taken up by the
leader of the Trigarta warriors on his car. The grandson of Sini, then, O
Bharata, pursuing him a moment, restrained himself and slew him not, for
the mighty-armed hero recollected the words of Bhimasena. Indeed,
Bhimasena, O Bharata, vowed in the midst of the assembly the destruction
of all your sons in battle. Then, O lord, Satyaki, having thus vanquished
Duhsasana, quickly proceeded, O king, along the track by which Dhananjaya
had gone before him.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 120 ---------------------
