Chapter 89

“Sanjaya said, ‘Held in check by them, that foremost of car-warriors,viz., Partha of great might and prowess, was quickly pursued by Dronafrom behind. The son of Pandu, however, like diseases scorching the body,blasted that army, scattering his sharp shafts and resembling on thataccount the sun himself scattering his countless rays of light. Andsteeds were pierced, and cars with riders were broken and mangled, andelephants were overthrown. And umbrellas were cut off and displaced, andvehicles were deprived of their wheels. And the combatants fled on allsides, exceedingly afflicted with arrows. Even thus progressed thatfierce battle between those warriors and Arjuna encountering each other.Nothing could be distinguished. With his straight shafts, Arjuna, Omonarch, made the hostile army tremble incessantly. Firmly devoted totruth, Arjuna then, of white steeds desirous of accomplishing his vowrushed against the foremost of car-warriors, viz., Drona of red steeds.Then the preceptor, Drona, struck his disciple, viz., the mighty bowmanArjuna, with five and twenty straight shafts capable of reaching the veryvitals. Thereupon, Vibhatsu, that foremost of all wielders of weapons,quickly rushed against Drona, shooting arrows capable of baffling theforce of counter arrows, shot at him. Invoking into existence then theBrahma weapon, Arjuna, of immeasurable soul, baffled with his straightshafts those shot so speedily at him by Drona. The skill we then beheldof Drona was exceedingly wonderful, since Arjuna, though young, andthough struggling vigorously, could not pierce Drona with a single shaft.Like a mass of clouds pouring torrents of rain, the Drona cloud rainedshower on the Partha-mountain. Possessed of great energy, Arjuna receivedthat arrowy downpour, O king, by invoking the Brahma weapon, and cut offall those arrows by arrows of his own. Drona then afflicted Partha ofwhite steeds with five and twenty arrows. And he struck Vasudeva withseventy arrows on the chest and arms. Partha then, of great intelligence,smiling the while resisted the preceptor in that battle who wasincessantly shooting sharp arrows. Then those two foremost ofcar-warriors, while thus struck by Drona, avoided that invinciblewarrior, who resembled the raging Yuga fire. Avoiding those sharp shaftsshot from Drona’s bow, the diadem-decked son of Kunti, adorned withgarlands of flowers, began to slaughter the host of the Bhojas. Indeed,avoiding the invincible Drona who stood immovable like the Mainakamountain, Arjuna took up his position between Kritavarman and Sudakshinathe ruler of the Kamvojas. Then that tiger among men, viz., the ruler ofthe Bhojas, coolly pierced that invincible and foremost descendant ofRuru with ten arrows winged with Kanka feathers. Then Arjuna pierced him,O monarch, in that battle with a hundred arrows. And once more he piercedhim with three other arrows, stupefying that hero of the Satwata race.The ruler of the Bhojas then, laughing the while, pierced Partha andVasudeva each with five and twenty arrows. Arjuna then, cutting offKritavarman’s bow, pierced him with one and twenty arrows resemblingblazing flames of fire or angry snakes of virulent poison. ThenKritavarman, that mighty car-warrior, taking up another bow, piercedArjuna in the chest, O Bharata, with five arrows. And once more hepierced Partha with five sharp arrows. Then Partha struck him in returnin the centre of the chest with nine arrows. Beholding the son of Kuntiobstructed before the car of Kritavarman, he of Vrishni’s race thoughtthat no time should be wasted. Then Krishna addressing Partha, said, Donot show any mercy to Kritavarman! Disregarding thy relationship (withhim), crush and slay him!’ Then Arjuna, stupefying Kritavarman with hisarrows, proceeded, on his swift steeds, to the division of the Kamvojas.Seeing Arjuna of white steeds penetrate into the Kamvoja force,Kritavarman became filled with wrath. Taking his bow with arrows fixedthereon, he then encountered the two Panchala princes. Indeed,Kritavarman, with his arrows resisted those two Panchala princes as theyadvanced, following Arjuna for protecting his wheels. Then Kritavarman,the ruler of the Bhojas, pierced them both with sharp shafts, strikingYudhamanyu with three, and Uttamaujas with four. Those two princes inreturn each pierced him with ten arrows. And once more, Yudhamanyushooting three arrows and Uttamaujas shooting three cut off Kritavarman’sstandard and bow. Then the son of Hridika, taking up another bow, andbecoming infuriated with rage, deprived both those warriors of their bowsand covered them with arrows. Then those two warriors, taking up andstringing two other bows, began to pierce Kritavarman. Meanwhile Vibhatsupenetrated into the hostile army. But those two princes, resisted byKritavarman, obtained no admittance into the Dhritarashtra host, althoughthose bulls among men struggled vigorously. Then Arjuna of white steedsquickly afflicted in that battle the divisions opposed to him. Thatslayer of foes, however, slew not Kritavarman although he had got himwithin reach.. Beholding Partha thus proceeding, the brave kingSrutayudha, filled with wrath, rushed at him, shaking his large bow. Andhe pierced Partha with three arrows, and Janardana with seventy. And hestruck the standard of Partha with a very sharp arrow having a razor-likehead. Then Arjuna, filled with wrath deeply pierced his antagonist withninety straight shafts, like (a rider) striking a mighty elephant withthe hook. Srutayudha, however, could not, O king, brook that act ofprowess on the part of Pandu’s son. He pierced Arjuna in return withseven and seventy shafts. Arjuna then cut off Srutayudha’s bow and thenhis quiver, and angrily struck him on the chest with seven straightshafts. Then, king Srutayudha, deprived of his senses by wrath, took upanother bow and struck the son of Vasava with nine arrows on the latter’sarms and chest. Then Arjuna, that chastiser of foes laughing the while, OBharata, afflicted Srutayudha with many thousands of arrows. And thatmighty car-warrior quickly slew also the latter’s steeds and charioteer.Endued with great strength the son of Pandu then pierced his foe withseventy arrows. Then the valiant king Srutayudha abandoning thatsteedless car, rushed in that encounter against Partha, uplifting hismace. The heroic king Srutayudha was the son of Varuna, having for hismother that mighty river of cool water called Parnasa. His mother, Oking, had for the sake of her son, begged Varuna saying, ‘Let this my sonbecome unslayable on earth.’ Varuna, gratified (with her), had said, ‘Igive him a boon highly beneficial to him, viz., a celestial weapon, byvirtue of which this thy son will become unslayable on earth by foes. Noman can have immortality. O foremost of rivers, every one who hath takenbirth must inevitably die. This child, however, will always be invincibleby foes in battle, through the power of this weapon. Therefore, let thyheart’s fever be dispelled.’ Having said these words, Varuna gave him,with mantras, a mace. Obtaining that mace, Srutayudha became invincibleon earth. Unto him, however, illustrious Lord of the waters again said,’This mace should not be hurled at one who is not engaged in fight. Ifhurled at such a person, it will come back and fall upon thyself. Oillustrious child, (if so hurled) it will then course in an oppositedirection and slay the person hurling it.’ It would seem that when hishour came, Srutayudha disobeyed that injunction. With that hero-slayingmace he attacked Janardana, The valiant Krishna received that mace on oneof his well-formed and stout shoulders. It failed to shake Sauri, likethe wind failing to shake the Vindhya mountain. That mace, returning untoSrutayudha himself, struck that brave and wrathful king staying on hiscar, like an ill-accomplished act of sorcery injuring the performerhimself, and slaying that hero fell down on the earth. Beholding the maceturn back and Srutayudha slain, loud cries of Alas and Oh arose thereamong the troops, at the sight of Srutayudha that chastiser of foes,slain by a weapon of his own.[137] And because, O monarch, Srutayudha hadhurled that mace at Janardana who was not engaged in fighting it slew himwho had hurled it. And Srutayudha perished on the field, even in themanner that Varuna had indicated. Deprived of life, he fell down on theearth before the eyes of all the bowmen. While falling down, that dearson of Parnasa shone resplendent like a tall banian with spreading boughsbroken by the wind. Then all the troops and even all the principalwarriors fled away, beholding Srutayudha, that chastiser of foes, slain.Then, the son of the ruler of the Kamvojas, viz., the brave Sudakshina,rushed on his swift steeds against Phalguna that slayer of foes. Partha,then, O Bharata, sped seven shafts at him. Those shafts passing throughthe body of that hero, entered the earth. Deeply pierced those shaftssped in battle from Gandiva, Sudakshina pierced Arjuna in return with tenshafts winged with Kanka feathers. And piercing Vasudeva with threeshafts, he once more pierced Partha with five. Then, O sire, Partha,cutting off Sudakshina’s bow, lopped off the latter’s standard. And theson of Pandu pierced his antagonist with a couple of broad-headed arrowsof great sharpness. Sudakshina, however, piercing Partha once more withthree arrows, uttered a leonine shout. Then the brave Sudakshina, filledwith wrath, hurled at the wielder of Gandiva a terrible dart made whollyof iron and decked with bells. That dart blazing as a large meteor, andemitting sparks of fire, approaching that mighty car-warrior pierced himthrough and fell down on the earth. Deeply struck by that dart andovercome with a swoon, Arjuna soon enough recovered. Then that hero ofmighty energy, licking the corners of his mouth, that son of Pandu, ofinconceivable feats, pierced his foe, along with his steeds, standard,bow, and charioteer, with four and ten shafts winged with Kanka feathers.With other arrows, countless in number, Partha then cut Sudakshina’s carinto fragments. And then the son of Pandu pierced Sudakshina, the princeof the Kamvojas, whose purpose and prowess had both been baffled, with asharp arrow in the chest. Then the brave prince of the Kamvojas, his coatof mail cut off, his limbs weakened, his diadem and Angadas displaced,fell head downwards, like a pole of Indra when hurled from an engine.Like a beautiful Karnikara tree in the spring, gracefully growing on amountain summit with beautiful branches, lying on the earth when uprootedby the wind, the prince of the Kamvojas lay on the bare ground deprivedof life, though deserving of the costliest bed, decked with costlyornaments. Handsome, possessed of eyes that were of a coppery hue, andbearing on his head a garland of gold, endued with the effulgence offire, the mighty-armed Sudakshina, the son of the ruler of the Kamvojas,overthrown by Partha with his shafts, and lying on the earth, reft offife, looked resplendent like a beautiful mountain with a level top. Thenall the troops of thy son fled away, beholding Srutayudha, and Sudakshinathe prince of the Kamvojas, slain.'”