Chapter 112

“Sanjaya said, ‘Listen with undivided attention, O king. After the routof that force by the high-souled son of Hridika, and upon the Parthasbeing humiliated with shame and thy troops elated with joy, he thatbecame protector of the Pandavas who were solicitous of protection whilesinking in that fathomless sea of distress, that hero, viz., the grandsonof Sini, hearing that fierce uproar, of thy army in that terrible fight,quickly turned back and proceeded against Kritavarman. Hridika’s son,Kritavarman, then excited with wrath, covered the grandson of Sini withclouds of sharp shafts. At this, Satyaki also became filled with rage.The grandson of Sini then quickly sped at Kritavarman a sharp andbroad-headed arrow in the encounter and then four other arrows. Thesetour arrows slew the steeds of Kritavarman, and the other cut offKritavarman’s bow. Then Satyaki pierced the charioteer of his foe andthose that protected the latter’s rear, with many keen shafts, to afflicthis antagonist’s forces. The hostile division then, afflicted withSatyaki’s arrows, broke down. Thereupon, Satyaki of prowess incapable ofbeing baffled, quickly proceeded on his way. Hear now, O king, what thathero of great valour then did unto thy troops. Having, O monarch, fordedthe ocean constituted by Drona’s division, and filled with joy at havingvanquished Kritavarman in battle, that hero then addressed hischarioteer, saying, ‘Proceed slowly without fear.’ Beholding, however,that army of thine that abounded with cars, steeds, elephants andfoot-soldiers, Satyaki once more told his charioteer, ‘That largedivision which thou seest on left of Drona’s host, and which looks darkas the clouds, consists of the elephants (of the foe). Rukmaratha is itsleader. Those elephants are many, O charioteer, and are difficult ofbeing resisted in battle. Urged by Duryodhana, they wait for me, preparedto cast away their lives. All those combatants are of princely birth, andgreat bowmen, and capable of displaying great prowess in battle,belonging to the country of the Trigartas, they are all illustriouscar-warriors, owning standards decked with gold. Those brave warriors arewaiting, desirous of battle with me. Urge the steeds quickly, Ocharioteer and take me thither. I shall fight with the Trigartas in thevery sight of Bharadwaja’s son.’ Thus addressed, the charioteer, obedientto Satwata’s will, proceeded slowly. Upon that bright car of solareffulgence, equipped with standard, those excellent steeds harnessedthereto and perfectly obedient to the driver, endued with speed of thewind, white as the Kunda flower, or the moon, or silver, bore him (tothat spot). As he advanced to battle, drawn by those excellent steeds ofthe hue of a conch, those brave warriors encompassed him on all sideswith their elephants, scattering diverse kinds of keen arrows capable ofeasily piercing everything. Satwata also fought with that elephantdivision, shooting his keen shafts, like a mighty cloud at the end ofsummer pouring torrents of rain on a mountain breast. Those elephantsslaughtered with those shafts, whose touch resembled thunder sped by thatforemost one among the Sinis began to fly away from the field, theirtusks broken, bodies covered with blood, heads and frontal globes splitopen, ears and faces and trunks cut off, and themselves deprived ofriders, and standards cut down, riders slain, and blankets loosened, ranaway, O king, in all directions. Many amongst them, O monarch, mangled bySatwata with long shafts and calf-tooth-headed arrows and broad-headedarrows and Anjalikas and razor-faced arrows and crescent-shaped ones fledaway, with blood flowing down their bodies, and themselves ejecting urineand excreta and uttering loud and diverse cries, deep as the roar ofclouds. And some amongst the others wandered, and some limped, and somefell down, and some became pale and cheerless. Thus afflicted byYuyudhana, with shafts that resembled the sun or fire, that elephantdivision fled away in all directions. After that elephant division wasexterminated, the mighty Jalasandha, exerting himself coolly, led hiselephant before Yuyudhana’s car drawn by white steeds. Cased in goldenAngadas, with ear-rings and diadem, armed with sword, smeared with redsandal-paste, his head encircled with a blazing chain of gold, his breastcovered with a cuirass, his neck adorned with a bright chain (of gold),that hero of sinless soul, stationed on the heads of his elephant,shaking his bow decked with gold, looked resplendent, O king, like acloud charged with lightning. Like the continent resisting the surgingsea, Satyaki checked that excellent elephant of the ruler of the Magadhasthat approached him with such fury. Beholding the elephant checked by theexcellent shafts of Yuyudhana, the mighty Jalasandha became filled withrage. Then, O king, the enraged Jalasandha, pierced Sini’s grandson onhis broad chest with some shafts of great force. With another sharp andwell tempered broad-headed arrow, he cut off the bow of the Vrishni herowhile the latter was drawing it. And then, O Bharata, smiling the while,the heroic ruler of the Magadhas pierced the bowless Satyaki with fivekeen shafts. The valiant and mighty-armed Satyaki, however, thoughpierced with many shafts by Jalasandha, trembled not in the least. Allthis seemed exceedingly wonderful. Then mighty Yuyudhana without anyfear, thought of the shafts (he should use). Taking up another bow,addressed Jalasandha, saying, ‘Wait, Wait!’ Saying this much, thegrandson of Sini deeply pierced Jalasandha on his broad breast with sixtyarrows, smiling the while. And with another razor-faced arrow of greatsharpness he cut off Jalasandha’s bow at the handle, and with three moreshafts he pierced Jalasandha himself. Then Jalasandha, casting aside thatbow of his with an arrow fixed thereon, hurled a lance, O sire, atSatyaki. That terrible lance, passing through the left arm of Madhava infierce battle, entered the earth, like a hissing snake of giganticproportion. And his left arm had thus been pierced. Satyaki, of prowessincapable of being baffled, struck Jalasandha with thirty keen shafts.Then mighty Jalasandha taking up his scimitar and large shield made ofbull’s hide and decked with a hundred moons whirled the former for awhile and hurled it at Satwata. Cutting off the bow of Sini’s grandson,that scimitar fell down on the earth, and looked resplendent like acircle of fire, as it lay on the earth. Then Yuyudhana took up anotherbow capable of piercing everybody, large as a Sala-offshoot, and of twangresembling the roar of Indra’s thunder, and filled with rage, stretchedin and then pierced Jalasandha with a single shaft. And then Satyaki,that foremost one of Madhu’s race, smiling the while, cut off, with apair of razor-faced arrows, the two arms, decked with ornaments, ofJalasandha. Thereupon, those two arms, looking like a couple of spikedmaces, fell down from that foremost of elephants, like a couple offive-headed snakes falling down from a Mountain. And then, with a thirdrazor-headed arrow, Satyaki cut off his antagonist’s large head enduedwith beautiful teeth and adorned with a pair of beautiful ear-rings. Theheadless and armless trunk, of fearful aspect, dyed Jalasandha’s elephantwith blood. Having slain Jalasandha, in battle, Satwata quickly felledthe wooden structure, O king, from that elephant’s back. Bathed in blood,the elephant of Jalasandha bore that costly seat, hanging down from hisback. And afflicted with the arrows of Satwata, the huge beast crushedfriendly ranks as it ran wildly, uttering fierce cries of pain. Then, Osire, wails of woe arose among thy troops, at the sight of Jalasandhaslain by that bull among the Vrishnis. Thy warriors then, turning theirfaces, fled away in all directions. Indeed, despairing of success overthe foe, they set their hearts on flight. Mean. while, O king, Drona,that foremost of all wielders of bows, approached the mighty car-warriorYuyudhana, borne by his swift coursers. Many bulls among the Kurus,beholding Sini’s grandson swelling (with rage-and pride), rushed at himwith fury, accompanied by Drona. Then commenced a battle, O king, betweenthe Kurus and Drona (on one side) and Yuyudhana (on the other), thatresembled the awful battle of old between the gods and the Asuras.'”