Chapter 26

“Sanjaya said, ‘At Partha’s desire, Krishna then urged his white steeds,fleet as the mind and covered in golden armour, towards Drona’sdivisions. While that foremost one of the Kurus was thus proceedingtowards his brothers who were exceedingly afflicted by Drona, Susarmanwith his brothers, followed him behind, desirous of battle. Theever-victorious Arjuna then addressed Krishna, saying, ‘O thou ofunfading glory, this Susarman here, with his brothers, challengeth me tobattle! O slayer of foes, our host, again, is broken (by Drona) towardsthe north. In consequence of these Samsaptakas, my heart wavers today asto whether I should do this or that. Shall I slay the Samsaptakas now, orprotect from harm my own troops already afflicted by the foe? Know thisto be what I am thinking of, viz., ‘Which of these would be better forme?’ Thus addressed by him, he of Dasarha’s race, turned back the car,and took the son of Pandu to where the ruler of the Trigartas was. ThenArjuna pierced Susarman with seven shafts, and cut off both his bow andstandard with a couple of sharp arrows. He then, with six arrows, quicklydespatched the brothers of Trigarta king to Yama’s abode.[56] ThenSusarman, aiming Arjuna, hurled at him a dart made wholly of iron andlooking like a snake, and aiming Vasudeva, hurled a lance at him. Cuttingoff that dart with three arrows and that lance also with three otherarrows, Arjuna, by means of his arrowy showers, deprived Susarman of hissenses on his car. Then advancing fiercely (towards thy division),scattering showers of arrows, like Vasava pouring rain, none among thytroops, O king, ventured to oppose. Like a fire consuming heaps of strawas it advances, Dhananjaya advanced, scorching all the mightycar-warriors among the Kauravas by means of his arrows. Like a livingcreature incapable of bearing the touch of fire, thy troops could notbear the irresistible impetuosity of that intelligent son of Kunti.Indeed, the son of Pandu, overwhelming the hostile host by means of hisarrows, came upon the king of the Pragjyotishas, O monarch, like Garudaswooping down (upon his prey). He then held in his hands that Gandivawhich in battle was beneficial to the innocent Pandavas and baneful toall foes, for the destruction of Kshatriyas brought about, O king, by thefault of thy son who had recourse to deceitful dice for accomplishing hisend. Agitated by Partha thus, thy host then, O king, broke like a boatwhen it strikes against a rock. Then ten thousand bowmen, brave andfierce, firmly resolved to conquer, advanced (to encounter Arjuna). Withdauntless hearts, those mighty car-warriors all surrounded him. Capableof bearing any burden, howsoever heavy in battle, Partha took up thatheavy burden. As an angry elephant of sixty years, with rent temples,crushes an assemblage of lotus stalks, even so did Partha crush thatdivision of thy army. And when that division was being thus crushed, kingBhagadatta, on that same elephant of his, impetuously rushed towardsArjuna. Thereupon, Dhananjaya, that tiger among men, staying on his car,received Bhagadatta. That encounter between Arjuna’s car and Bhagadatta’selephant was fierce in the extreme. Those two heroes, viz., Bhagadattaand Dhananjaya, then coursed on the field, the one on his car and theother on his elephant, both of which were equipped according to the rulesof science. Then Bhagadatta, like the lord Indra, from his elephantlooking like a mass of clouds, poured on Dhananjaya showers of arrows.The valiant son of Vasava, however, with his arrows, cut off those arrowyshowers of Bhagadatta before they could reach him. The king of thePragjyotishas, then, baffling that arrowy shower of Arjuna, struck bothPartha and Krishna, O king, with many shafts and overwhelming both ofthem with a thick shower of shafts, Bhagadatta then urged his elephantfor the destruction of Krishna and Partha. Beholding that angry elephantadvancing like Death himself, Janardana quickly moved his car in such away as to keep the elephant on his left. Dhananjaya, although he thus gotthe opportunity of slaying that huge elephant with its rider from theback, wished not yet to avail himself of it, remembering the rules offair fight. The elephant, however, coming upon other elephants and carsand steeds, O king, despatched them all to Yama’s abode. Beholding this,Dhananjaya was filled with rage.