Chapter 114

“Sanjaya said, ‘While the (Kuru) host was shaken by the grandson of Siniin these places (through which he proceeded), the son of Bharadwajacovered him with a dense shower of arrows. The encounter that then tookplace between Drona and Satwata in the very sight of all the troops wasextremely fierce, like that between Vali and Vasava (in days of old).Then Drona pierced the grandson of Sini on the forehead with threebeautiful arrows made entirely of iron and resembling’ snakes of virulentpoison. Thus pierced on the forehead with those straight shafts,Yuyudhana, O king, looked beautiful like a mountain with three summits.The son of Bharadwaja always on the alert for an opportunity, then spedin that battle many other arrows of Satyaki which resembled the roar ofIndra’s thunder. Then he of Dasarha’s race, acquainted with the highestweapons, cut off all those arrows shot from Drona’s bow, with twobeautifully winged arrows of his. Beholding that lightness of hand (inSatyaki), Drona, O king, smiling the while, suddenly pierced that bullamong the Sinis with thirty arrows. Surpassing by his own lightness thelightness of Yuyudhana, Drona, once more, pierced the latter with fiftyarrows and then with a hundred. Indeed, those mangling arrows, O king,issued from Drona’s car, like vigorous snakes in wrath issuing through anant-hill. Similarly, blood-drinking arrows shot by Yuyudhana in hundredsand thousands covered the car of Drona. We did not mark any difference,however, between the lightness of hand displayed by that foremost ofregenerate ones and that displayed by him of the Satwata race. Indeed, inthis respect, both those bulls among men were equal. Then Satyaki,inflamed with wrath, struck Drona with nine straight arrows. And hestruck Drona’s standard also with many sharp shafts. And in the sight ofBharadwaja’s son, he pierced the latter’s driver also with a hundredarrows. Beholding the lightness of hand displayed by Yuyudhana, themighty car-warrior Drona piercing Yuyudhana’s driver with seventy shafts,and each of his (four) steeds with three, cut off with a single arrow thestandard that stood on Madhava’s car. With another broad-headed arrow,equipped with feathers and with wings of gold, he cut off in that battlethe bow of that illustrious hero of Madhu’s race. Thereupon, the mightycar-warrior Satyaki, excited with wrath, laid aside that, taking up ahuge mace, hurled it at the son of Bharadwaja. Drona, however, with manyarrows of diverse forms, resisted that mace, made of iron and twinedround with strings, as it coursed impetuously towards him. Then Satyaki,of prowess incapable of being baffled, took up another bow and piercedthe heroic son of Bharadwaja with many arrows whetted on stone. PiercingDrona thereby in that battle, Yuyudhana uttered a leonine shout. Drona,however, that foremost of all wielders of weapons, was unable to brookthat roar. Taking up a dart made of iron and equipped with golden staffDrona sped it quickly at the car of Madhava. That dart, however, fatal asDeath, without touching the grandson of Sini, pierced through thelatter’s car and entered the earth with a fierce noise. The grandson ofSini then, O king, pierced Drona with many winged arrows. Indeed,striking him on the right arm, Satyaki, O bull of Bharata’s race,afflicted him greatly. Drona also, in that battle, O king, cut off thehuge bow of Madhava with a crescent-shaped arrow and smote the latter’sdriver with a dart. Struck with that dart, Yuyudhana’s driver swoonedaway and for a while lay motionless on the terrace of the car. Then, OMonarch, Satyaki, acting as his own driver, achieved a superhuman feat,inasmuch as he continued to fight with Drona and hold the reins himself.Then the mighty car-warrior Yuyudhana struck that Brahmana with a hundredarrows in that battle, and rejoiced exceedingly, O monarch, at the feathe had achieved. Then Drona, O Bharata, sped at Satyaki five arrows.Those fierce arrows, piercing Satyaki’s armour, drank his blood in thatbattle. Thus pierced with those frightful arrows, Satyaki became inflamedwith wrath. In return, that hero shot many shafts at him of the goldencar. Then felling on the earth with a single shaft, the driver of Drona,he caused next, with his arrows, those driverless steeds of hisantagonist to fly away. Thereupon that car was dragged to a distance.Indeed, the bright chariot of Drona, O king, began to trace a thousandcircles in the field of battle like a sun in motion. Then all the kingsand princes (of the Kaurava host) made a loud uproar, exclaiming, ‘Run,Rush, Seize the steeds of Drona.’ Quickly abandoning Satyaki in thatbattle, O monarch, all those mighty car-warriors rushed to the placewhere Drona was. Beholding those car-warriors run away afflicted with thearrows of Satyaki, thy troops once more broke down and became exceedinglycheerless. Meanwhile, Drona, once more proceeding to the gate of thearray, took up his station there, borne away (from Satyaki’s presence) bythose steeds, fleet as the wind, that had been, afflicted with the shaftsof the Vrishni hero. The valiant son of Bharadwaja, beholding the arraybroken (in his absence) by the Pandavas and the Panchalas, made noendeavour to follow the grandson of Sini, but employed himself inprotecting his (broken) array. Checking the Pandavas and the Panchalasthen, the Drona fire, blazing up in wrath stayed there, consumingeverything, like the sun that rises at the end of the Yuga.'”