Chapter 21

“Sanjaya continued, ‘Then Drona, beholding Yudhishthira near himfearlessly received him with a thick shower of arrows. And there arose aloud noise among the troops of Yudhishthira’s army like what is made bythe elephants belonging to a herd when their leader is attacked by amighty lion. Beholding Drona, the brave Satyajit, of prowess incapable ofbeing baffled, rushed at the Preceptor who was desirous of seizingYudhishthira. The Preceptor and the Panchala prince, both endued withgreat might, fought with each other, agitating each other’s troops, likeIndra and Vali. Then Satyajit, of prowess incapable of being baffled,invoking a mighty weapon, pierced Drona with keen-pointed arrows. AndSatyajit shot at Drona’s charioteer five arrows, fatal as snake-poisonand each looking like Death himself. The charioteer, thus struck, becamedeprived of his senses. Then Satyajit quickly Pierced Drona’s steeds withten shafts; and filled with rage, he next pierced each of his Parshnidrivers with ten shafts. And then he coursed at the head of his troops onhis car in a circular motion. Excited with wrath, he cut off the standardof Drona, that crushers of foes Drona then, that chastiser of foes,beholding these feats of his foe in battle, mentally resolved to despatchhim to the other world.[37] The Preceptor, cutting off Satyajit’s bowwith arrow fixed thereon, quickly pierced him with ten arrows capable ofpenetrating into the very vitals. Thereupon, the valiant Satyajit,quickly taking up another bow, struck Drona, O king, with thirty arrowswinged with the feathers of the Kanka bird. Beholding Drona (thus)encountered in battle by Satyajit, the Pandayas, O king, shouted in joyand waved their garments. Then the mighty Vrika, O king, excited withgreat wrath, pierced Drona in the centre of the chest with sixty arrows.That feat seemed highly wonderful., Then that mighty car-warrior, viz.,Drona, of great impetuosity, covered with the arrowy showers (of hisfoes) opened his eyes wide and mustered all his energy. Then cutting offthe bows of both Satyajit and Vrika, Drona, with six shafts slew Vrikawith his charioteer and steeds. Then Satyajit, taking up another bow thatwas tougher, pierced Drona with his steeds, his charioteer, and hisstandard. Thus afflicted in battle by the prince of the Panchalas, Dronacould not brook that act. For the destruction then of his foe, he quicklyshot his arrows (at him). Drona then covered with incessant showers ofarrows his antagonist’s steeds and standards as also the handle of hisbow, and both his Parshni drivers. But though his bows were (thus)repeatedly cut off, the prince of the Panchalas conversant with thehighest weapons continued to battle with him of red steeds. BeholdingSatyajit swell with energy in that dreadful combat, Drona cut off thatillustrious warrior’s head with a crescent-shaped arrow.[38] Upon theslaughter of that foremost of combatants, that mighty car-warrior amongthe Panchalas, Yudhishthira, from fear of Drona, fled away, (borne) byfleet steeds. Then the Panchalas, the Kekayas, the Matsyas, the Chedis,the Karushas and the Kosalas, seeing Drona, rushed at him, desirous ofrescuing Yudhishthira. The Preceptor, however, that slayer of largenumbers of foes, desirous of seizing Yudhishthira, began to consume thosedivisions, like fire consuming heaps of cotton. Then Satanika, theyounger brother of the ruler of the Matsyas, rushed at Drona who was thusengaged in incessantly destroying those divisions (of the Pandava host).And Satanika, piercing Drona along with his driver and steeds with sixshafts, bright as the rays of the sun and polished by his hands of theirforger, uttered loud shouts. And engaged in a cruel act, and endeavouringto accomplish what was difficult of attainment, he covered Bharadwaja’sson, that mighty car-warrior with showers of arrows.[39] Then Drona, withan arrow sharp as razor, quickly cut off from his trunk the head, deckedwith ear-rings of Satanika, shouting at him. Thereupon, the Matsyawarriors all fled away. Having vanquished the Matsyas, the son ofBharadwaja then defeated the Chedis, the Karushas, the Kaikeyas, thePanchalas, the Srinjayas. and the Pandus repeatedly. Beholding that heroof the golden car, excited with rage and consuming their divisions, likea fire consuming a forest, the Srinjayas trembled (with fear). Enduedwith great activity and slaughtering the foe ceaselessly, the twang ofthe bow-string, as he stretched his bow, was heard in all directions.Fierce arrows shot by that warrior endued with great lightness of hand,crushed elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers and car-warriors andelephant-riders. As a mighty mass of roaring clouds in summer withviolent winds (blowing) poureth a shower of hail-stones, so did Dronapour his arrowy showers and inspired fear in the hearts of his foes. Thatmighty hero, that great bowman, that dispeller of the fears of hisfriends, careered in all directions (of the field) agitating the(hostile) host. The bow, decked with gold, of Drona of immeasurableenergy, was seen in all directions like the flashes of lightning in theclouds. The beautiful altar on his banner, as he careered in battle, OBharata, was seen to resemble a crest or Himavat. The slaughter thatDrona caused among the Pandava troops was very great, resembling thatcaused by Vishnu himself, the adored of both the gods and Asuras, amongthe Daitya host. Heroic, truthful in speech, endued with great wisdom andmight, and possessed of prowess incapable of being baffled, theillustrious Drona caused a river to flow there that was fierce andcapable of striking the timid with fear. Coats of mail formed its waves,and standards its eddies. And it carried away (as it ran) large numbersof mortal creatures. And elephants and steeds constituted its greatalligators, and swords formed its fishes. And it was incapable of beingeasily crossed over. The bones of brave warriors formed its pebbles, anddrums and cymbals its tortoises. And shields and armour formed its boats,and the hair of warriors its floating moss and weeds. And arrowsconstituted its wavelets and bows its current. And the arms of thecombatants formed its snakes.[40] And that river of fierce current,running over the field of battle, bore away both the Kurus and theSrinjayas. And the heads of human beings, constituted its stones, andtheir thighs its fishes. And maces constituted the rafts (by which manysought to cross it). And head-gears formed the forth that covered itssurface, and the entrails (of animals) its reptiles. Awful (in mien), itbore away heroes (to the other world). And blood and flesh constitutedits mire. And elephants formed its crocodiles, and standards, the trees(on its banks). Thousands of Kshatriyas sank in it. Fierce, clogged(dead) bodies, and having horse-soldiers and elephant-warriors for itssharks, it was extremely difficult to cross it. And that river rantowards the abode of Yama. And it abounded with Rakshasas and dogs andjackals. And it v as haunted by fierce cannibals all around.

“Then many Pandava warriors, headed by Kunti’s son, rushing at Drona,that mighty car-warrior consuming their divisions like Death himself,surrounded him on all sides. Indeed, those brave warriors completelyencompassed Drona who was scorching everything around him like the sunhimself scorching the world with his rays. Then the kings and the princesof thy army, with upraised weapons, all rushed for supporting that heroand great bowman. Then Sikhandin pierced Drona with five straight arrows.And Kshatradharman pierced him with twenty arrows, and Vasudeva withfive. And Uttamaujas pierced him with three arrows, and Kshatradeva withfive. And Satyaki pierced him in that battle with a hundred arrows, andYudhamanyu with eight. And Yudhishthira pierced Drona with a dozenshafts, and Dhrishtadyumna pierced him with ten, and Chekitana withthree. Then Drona, of unbaffled aim and resembling an elephant with renttemples, getting over the car-division (of the Pandavas), overthrewDridhasena. Approaching then king Kshema who was battling fearlessly, hestruck him with nine arrows. Thereupon, Kshema, deprived of life, felldown from his car. Getting then into the midst of the (hostile) troops,he careered in all directions, protecting others, but himself in no needof Protection. He then pierced Sikhandin with twelve arrows, andUttamaujas with twenty. And he despatched Vasudeva with a broad-headedarrow to the abode of Yama. And he pierced Kshemavarman with eightyarrows, and Sudakshina with six and twenty. And he felled Kshatradevawith a broad-headed arrow from his niche in the car. And having piercedYudhamanyu with sixty-four arrows and Satyaki with thirty, Drona, of thegolden car, quickly approached Yudhishthira. Then Yudhishthira, that bestof kings, quickly fled away from the preceptor, borne by his fleetsteeds. Then Panchala rushed at Drona. Drona slew the prince, cutting offhis bow, and felling his steeds and charioteer along with him. Deprivedof life, the prince fell down on the earth from his car, like a luminaryloosened from the firmament. Upon the fall of that illustrious prince ofthe Panchalas, loud cries were heard thereof, ‘Slay Drona, Slay Drona!’The mighty Drona then began to crush and mangle the Panchalas, theMatsyas, the Kaikeyas, the Srinjayas, and the Pandavas, all excited withrage. And supported by the Kurus, Drona, then vanquished Satyaki andChekitana’s son, and Senavindu, and Suvarchas, all these and numerousother kings. Thy warriors, O king, having obtained the victory in thatgreat battle, slew the Pandavas as they flew away in all directions. Andthe Panchalas, the Kaikeyas and the Matsyas, thus slaughtered on allsides like the Danavas by Indra, began to tremble (with fear).'”