Chapter 120

“Sanjaya said, ‘Meanwhile, O king, Duhsasana rushed against the grandsonof Sini, scattering thousands of shafts like a mighty cloud pouringtorrents of rain. Having pierced Satyaki with sixty arrows and once morewith sixteen, he failed to make that hero tremble, for the latter stoodit, battle, immovable as the Mainaka mountain. Accompanied by a largethrong of cars hailing from diverse realms, that foremost one ofBharata’s race shot numberless arrows, and filled all the points of thecompass with roars deep as those of the clouds. Beholding the Kauravacoming to battle, Satyaki of mighty arms rushed towards him and shroudedhim with his shafts. They that were at the van of Duhsasana, thus coveredwith those arrowy showers, all fled away in fear, in the very sight ofthy son. After they had fled away, O monarch, thy 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 charioteerwith three, and Satyaki himself with a hundred in that battle, Duhsasanauttered a loud roar, Then, O monarch, Madhava, inflamed with rage, soonmade Duhsasana’s car and driver and standard and Duhsasana himselfinvisible by means of his straight arrows. Indeed, Satyaki entirelyshrouded the brave Duhsasana with arrows. Like a spider entangling a gnatwithin reach by means of its threads, that vanquisher of foes quicklycovered Duhsasana with his shafts. Then King Duryodhana, seeing Duhsasanathus covered with arrows, urged a body of Trigartas towards the car ofYuyudhana. Those Trigarta car-warriors, of fierce deeds, accomplished inbattle, and numbering three thousand, proceeded towards Yuyudhana. Firmlyresolved upon battle and swearing not to retreat, all of them encompassedYuyudhana with a large throng of cars, Soon, however, Yuyudhana struckdown five hundred of their foremost warriors stationed in the van of theforce as it advanced towards him in battle, shooting showers of arrows athim. Speedily slain by that foremost one amongst the Sinis with hisshafts, these fell down, like tall trees from mountain-tops uprooted by atempest. And the field of battle, strewn with mangled elephants, Omonarch, and fallen standards, and bodies of steeds decked in trappingsof gold, and torn and lacerated with the shafts of Sini’s grandson andweltering in blood, looked beautiful, O king, like a plain overgrown withflowering Kinsukas. Those soldiers of thine, thus slaughtered byYuyudhana, failed to find a protector like elephants sunk in a morass.Then all of them turned towards the spot where Drona’s car was, likemighty 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 towardsthe place where Dhananjaya was. And as that foremost of men was thusproceeding thy son Duhsasana quickly pierced him with nine straightarrows. That mighty bowman then (Yuyudhana), pierced Duhsasana, inreturn, with five straight and sharp arrows equipped with golden wingsand 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 thy Son with five arrows and Cuttingoff his bow proceeded smilingly towards Arjuna. Then Duhsasana, inflamedwith wrath and desirous of slaying the Vrishni hero, hurled at him, as heproceeded, a dart made wholly of iron. Satyaki, however, O king, cut off,with his shafts, equipped with Kanka feathers, that fierce dart Of thyson. Then, O ruler of men, then, thy son, taking up another bow, piercedSatyaki with some arrows and uttered a loud roar. Then Satyaki excitedwith wrath, stupefying thy son in that battle, struck him in the centreof the chest with some shafts that resembled flames of fire. And oncemore, he pierced Duhsasana with eight shafts made wholly of iron andhaving very keen points. Duhsasana, however, pierced Satyaki in returnwith twenty arrows. Then, the highly-blessed Satyaki, O monarch, piercedDuhsasana in the centre of the chest with three straight arrows. And themighty car-warrior Yuyudhana, with some straight shafts slew the steedsof Duhsasana; inflamed with wrath he slew, with some straight arrows,that the latter’s charioteer also. With one broad-headed arrow he thencut off thy son’s bow, and with five arrows he cut the leathern fencethat encased his hand. Acquainted as he was with highest weapons,Satyaki, then, with a couple of broad-headed shafts, cut off Duhsasana’sstandard and the wooden shafts of his car. And then with a number of keenarrows he slew both the Parshni charioteers of thy son. The latter, then,bowless and carless and steedless and driverless, was taken up by theleader of the Trigarta warriors on his car. The grandson of Sini, then, OBharata, pursuing him a moment, restrained himself and slew him not, forthe mighty-armed hero recollected the words of Bhimasena. Indeed,Bhimasena, O Bharata, vowed in the midst of the assembly the destructionof all thy sons in battle. Then, O lord, Satyaki, having thus vanquishedDuhsasana, quickly proceeded, O king, along the track by which Dhananjayahad gone before him.'”