SECTION CLXXXVII
"Sanjaya said, 'During that fearful carnage of men and steeds and
elephants, Duhsasana, O king, encountered Dhrishtadyumna. Mounted upon
hi, golden car and exceedingly afflicted with the shafts of Duhsasana,
the Panchala prince wrathfully showered his shafts upon your son's steeds.
Covered with the shafts of Prishata's son, O king, Duhsasana's car, with
standard and driver, soon became invisible. Afflicted with those showers
of arrows, Duhsasana, O monarch, became unable to stay before the
illustrious prince of the Panchalas. Forcing, by means of his shafts,
Duhsasana to turn back Pritha's son, scattering his arrows, proceeded
against Drona in that battle. At the time Hridika's son, Kritavarman,
with three of his uterine brothers, appeared on the scene and attempted
to oppose Dhrishtadyumna. Those bulls among men, however, viz., the
twins, Nakula and Sahadeva following in the wake of Dhrishtadyumna who
was thus proceeding like a blazing fire towards Drona, began to protect
him. Then, all those great car-warriors, endued with might and excited
with rage, began to strike one another, making death their goal. Of pure
souls and pure conduct, O king, and keeping heaven in view, they fought
according to righteous methods, desirous of vanquishing one another. Of
stainless lineage and stainless acts, and endued with great intelligence,
those rulers of men, keeping heaven in view, fought fair battles with
another. There was nothing unfair in that fight and no weapon was used
that was regarded as unfair. No barbed arrows, nor those called nalikas,
nor those that are poisoned, nor those with heads, made of horns, nor
those equipped with many pointed heads, nor those made of the bones of
bulls and elephants, nor those having two heads, nor those having rusty
heads, nor those that are not straight going, were used by any of
them.[251] All of them used simple and fair weapons and desired to win
both fame and region of great blessedness by fighting fairly. Between
those four warriors of your army and those three of the Pandava side, the
battle that took place was exceedingly dreadful but divested of
everything unfair. Then Dhrishtadyumna, exceedingly quick in the use of
weapons, beholding those brave and mighty car warriors of your army
checked by the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva), proceeded towards Drona.
Checked by those two lions among men, those four heroic warriors
encountered the former like the wind assailing a couple of mountains
(standing on their way). Each of the twins--those great car-warriors--was
engaged with a couple of arrows against Drona. Beholding the invincible
prince of the Panchalas proceeding against Drona, and those four heroes
(of his own army) engaged with the twins, Duryodhana, O monarch, rushed
to that spot, scattering showers of blood-drinking arrows. Seeing this,
Satyaki quickly approached the Kuru king. Those two tigers among men,
viz., the two descendants of Kuru and Madhu, approaching each other,
became desirous of striking each other in battle. Recalling to mind their
behaviour towards each other in childhood and reflecting with pleasure on
the same, they gazed at each other and smiled repeatedly. 'Then king
Duryodhana (mentally), blaming his own conduct, addressed his ever dear
friend Satyaki, and said, 'Fie on wrath, O friend, and fie on
vindictiveness! Fie on Kshatriya usage, and fie on might and prowess,
since you aimest your weapons at me, and I too am aiming at thee, O bull
of Sini's race! In those days you wert dearer to me than life itself,
and I also was such to thee! Alas, all those acts of childhood that I
remember, of both thyself and mine, became quite insignificant in the
field of battle! Alas, moved by wrath and convetousness, we are here
to-day for fighting against each other, O you of the Satwata race!' Unto
him who said those words, O king, Satyaki, conversant with high weapons,
taking up some keen arrows, smilingly replied, 'This is no assembly, O
prince, nor the abode of our preceptor, where in former days we sported
together.' Duryodhana answered, 'Where have those sports of our childhood
gone, O bull of Sini's race, and, alas, how has this battle now come upon
us? It seems that the influence of Time is irresistible. (Urged though we
are) by desire of wealth, what use, however, have we of wealth that,
assembled together, we are now engaged in battle, moved by the avarice of
wealth.'
"Sanjaya said, 'Unto king Duryodhana who said so, Satyaki replied, 'This
has always been the usage of the Kshatriyas that they have to fight even
against their preceptors. If I am dear to thee, O king, then slay me
without any delay. Through thee, O bull of Bharata's race, I shall then
enter the region of the righteous. Exhibit, without delay, all your might
and prowess. I do not desire to witness this great calamity of friends.'
Having replied and reasoned thus, Satyaki, O monarch, fearlessly and in
utter disregard of life, quickly advanced against Duryodhana. Beholding
him advance, your son received him; indeed, O king, your son poured on him
of Sini's race a perfect shower of arrows. Then commenced a terrible
battle between those lions of Kuru's and Madhu's races, resembling an
encounter between an elephant and a lion. Then Duryodhana, filled with
wrath, pierced the invincible Satyaki with many keen arrows, shot from
his bow drawn to its fullest stretch. Satyaki quickly pierced the Kuru
prince in return with fifty keen shafts in that battle and once more with
twenty, and again with ten shafts. Then, in that encounter, O king, thy
son, smiling the while, pierced Satyaki in return with thirty arrows shot
from his bowstring drawn to his ear. Shooting then a razor-headed arrow,
he cut off in twain the bow, with arrow fixed thereon, of Satyaki. Endued
with great lightness of hand, the latter then, taking up a tougher bow,
shot showers of shafts at your son. As those lines of arrows advanced for
compassing the death of Duryodhana, the latter, O king, cut them in
pieces, at which the troops shouted loudly. With great swiftness, the
Kuru king afflicted Satyaki with three and seventy shafts, equipped with
wings of gold and steeped in oil and shot from his bow drawn to its
fullest stretch. All those arrows of Duryodhana, as also his bow, with
arrow fixed thereon, Satyaki quickly cut off. The Satwata hero then
poured showers of shafts on his antagonist. Deeply pierced by Satyaki and
feeling great pain, Duryodhana, O king, in great distress, sought shelter
in another car. Having rested awhile and refreshed himself, your son once
more advanced against Satyaki, shooting showers of shafts at the latter's
car. Smilingly, O king, Satyaki ceaselessly shot multitudes of shafts at
Duryodhana's car. The shafts of both mingled with one another in the
welkin. In consequence of those arrows thus shot by both, falling fast on
every side, loud sounds, like those of a raging fire consuming a mighty
forest, arose there. With thousands of arrows shot by both, the earth was
densely covered. The welkin also became filled therewith. Beholding then
that foremost of car-warriors, viz., that hero of Madhu's race, to be
mightier than Duryodhana, Karna rushed to that spot, desirous of rescuing
thy son. Mighty Bhimasena, however, could not brook that attempt of
Karna. He, therefore, quickly proceeded against Karna, shooting
innumerable shafts. Cutting off all those shafts of Bhima with the
greatest ease, Karna cut off Bhima's bow, arrows and driver also, with
his own shafts. Then, Pandu's son, Bhima, filled with rage, took up a
mace and crushed the bow, standard, and driver of his antagonist in that
encounter. The mighty Bhima also broke one of the wheels of Karna's car.
Karna, however, stood on that car of his, which had one of his wheels
broken, immovable as (Meru), the king of mountains. That beautiful car of
his which had now only one wheel, was borne by his steeds, like the
single wheeled car of Surya, drawn by the seven celestial steeds.
Incapable of brooking the feats of Bhimasena, Karna continued to fight
with the latter, using diverse kinds of shafts in profusion and diverse
kinds of other weapons in that encounter. Bhimasena also filled with
wrath, continued to fight with the Suta's son. When the engagement became
general ant confused, (Yudhishthira) the son of Dharma, addressing all
the foremost of warriors among the Panchalas and the Matsyas, said, 'They
that are our life, they that are our heads, they amongst us that are
endued with great strength, those bulls among men are all engaged with
the Dhartarashtras. Why do the then stand thus, as if stupefied and
deprived of your senses? Proceed thither where those car-warriors of my
army are fighting. Driving away your fears and keeping in view the duties
of Kshatriyas (engage in fight), for then conquering or slain the will
gain desirable goals. If you prove victors, you may perform diverse
sacrifices with profuse gifts to Brahmanas. If, on the other hand, you
are slain, becoming then equals of the celestials, you will win many
regions of blessedness. Thus urged by the king, those heroic and mighty
car-warriors engaged in battle, observant of Kshatriya duties, quickly
proceeded against Drona. The Panchalas then, from one side, assailed
Drona with innumerable arrows, while others headed by Bhimasena began to
resist him from another side. The Pandavas had three crooked-minded
mighty car-warriors amongst them. They were Bhimasena and the twins
(Nakula and Sahadeva). These addressed Dhananjaya loudly and said, 'Rush,
O Arjuna, with speed and drive away the Kurus from Drona's vicinity. If
the preceptor can be derived of his protectors, the Panchalas may then
slay him easily.' Thus addressed, Partha suddenly rushed against the
Kauravas, while Drona rushed against the Panchalas headed by
Dhrishtadyumna. Indeed, on that the fifth day (of Drona's command) those
heroic combatants, O Bharata, were grounded and crushed with
great-celerity (by Bharadwaja's son.)"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 187 ---------------------
