Chapter 95

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘After that shafts of Drona had been cut off andDhrishtadyumna thus rescued, O Sanjaya, by Yuyudhana, that foremost oneof the Vrishni race, what did that great bowman, that foremost of allwielders of weapons, viz., Drona, do in battle unto that tiger among men,viz., the grandson of Sini?’

“Sanjaya said, ‘Then Drona, like a mighty snake, having wrath for hispoison, his stretched bow for his wide-open mouth, his sharp shafts forhis teeth and whetted arrows for his fangs, with eyes red as copper fromrage, and breathing hard, that mighty hero among men, perfectly fearless,borne on his red steeds of great speed, that seemed to soar into theskies or get at the top of a mountain, rushed towards Yuyudhana,scattering his arrows equipped with golden wings. Then that subjugator ofhostile cities, that hero of Sini’s race invincible in battle, beholdingthat irresistible Drona cloud having showers of arrows for its waterydownpour, the rattle of car-wheels for its roar, the out-stretched bowfor its volume, long shafts for its lightning-flashes, darts and swordsfor its thunder, wrath for the winds and urged on by those steeds thatconstituted the hurricane (impelling it forwards), rushed towards him,addressed his charioteer and smilingly said, O Suta, proceed quickly andcheerfully, urging the steeds to their greatest speed, against thatheroic Brahmana, fallen off from the duties of his order, that refuge ofDhritarashtra’s son, that dispeller of the (Kuru) king’s sorrows andfear, that preceptor of all the princes, that warrior ever boastful ofhis prowess.’ Then the excellent steeds of silvery hue belonging to himof Madhu’s race, endued with the speed of the wind, quickly proceededtowards Drona. Then those two chastisers of foes, viz., Drona and Sini’sgrandson, fought with each other, each striking the other with thousandsof shafts. Those two bulls among men filled the welkin with their arrowyshowers. Indeed, the two heroes covered the ten points of the compasswith their shafts. And they poured on each other their shafts like twoclouds pouring their contents (on the earth) on the expiration of summer.The sun became invisible. The very wind ceased to blow. And inconsequence of those showers of shafts filling the welkin, a continuousand thick gloom was caused there that became unbearable to the otherheroes. And when the shafts of Drona and Sini’s grandson had caused thatgloom there, none beheld any cessation in shooting in either of them.They were both quick in the use of weapons, and they were both lookedupon as lions among men. The sound produced by those torrents of arrows,shot by both striking against each other was heard to resemble the soundof the thunder hurled by Sakra. The forms of heroic warriors pierced withlong shafts looked like those of snakes, O Bharata, hit by snakes ofvirulent poison. Brave warriors incessantly heard the twangs of theirbows and the sounds of their palms to resemble the sound of thunderfalling upon summits of mountains. The cars of both of those warriors, Oking, their steeds, and their charioteers pierced with shafts of goldenwings, became beautiful to behold. Fierce was the downpour, O monarch, ofshafts that were bright and straight and that looked resplendent likesnakes of virulent poison freed from their sloughs. The umbrellas of bothwere cut off, as also the standards of both. And both of them werecovered with blood, and both were inspired with the hope of victory. Withblood trickling down every limb of theirs, they resembled a couple ofelephants with secretions trickling down their bodies. And they continuedto strike each other with fatal shafts. The roars and shouts and othercries of the soldiers, the blare of conchs and the beat of drums ceased,O king, for none uttered any sound. Indeed, all the divisions becamesilent, and all the warriors stopped fighting. People, filled withcuriosity became spectators of that single combat. Car-warriors andelephant riders and horsemen and foot-soldiers, surrounding those twobulls among men, witnessed their encounter with steadfast eyes. And theelephant-divisions stood still and so also the horse-divisions, and soalso the car-divisions. All stood still, disposed in array. Variegatedwith pearls and corals, decked with gems and gold, adorned with standardsand ornaments, with coats of mail made of gold, with triumphal bannerswith rich caparisons of elephants, with fine blankets, with bright andsharp weapons, with yak-tails, ornamented with gold and silver, on theheads of steeds, with garlands, round the frontal globes of elephants andrings round their tusks, O Bharata, the Kuru and the Pandava hosts thenlooked like a mass of clouds at the close of summer, decked with rows ofcranes and myriads of fire-flies (under them) and adorned with rainbowsand flashes of lightning. Both our men and those of Yudhishthira, beheldthat battle between Yuyudhana and high-souled Drona; the gods also,headed by Brahma and Soma, and the Siddhas, and the Charanas, and theVidyadharas, and the great Snakes, saw it, stationed on their foremost ofsky-ranging cars. And beholding the diverse motion, forward and backward,of those lions among men, and their acts of striking each other, thespectators were filled with wonder. And both endued with great strength,Drona and Satyaki, displaying their lightness of hand in the use ofweapons, began to pierce each other with shafts. Then he of Dasarha’srace, with his mighty shafts, cut off those of the illustrious Drona inthat battle, and then, within a moment, the latter’s bow also. Within,however, the twinkling of an eye, the son of Bharadwaja took up anotherbow and strung it. Even that bow of his was cut off by Satyaki. Dronathen, with utmost quickness waited with another bow in hand. As often,however, as Drona strung his bow, Satyaki cut it off. And this he didfull nine and seven times. Beholding then that superhuman feat ofYuyudhana in battle, Drona, O monarch, thought in his mind, ‘This forceof weapons that I see in this foremost one among the Satwatas exists inRama and Dhananjaya and was seen also in Kartavirya and that tiger amongmen, viz., Bhishma. The son of Bharadwaja, therefore, mentally applaudedthe prowess of Satyaki. Beholding that lightness of hand equal unto thatof Vasava himself, that foremost of regenerate ones, that first of allpersons conversant with weapons, was highly gratified with Madhava. Andthe gods also, with Vasava at their head, were gratified with it. Thegods and the Gandharvas, O monarch, had never before witnessed thatlightness of hand of the quickly moving Yuyudhana, although they and theSiddhas and the Charanas had been acquainted with the feats of whichDrona was capable. Then Drona, that foremost of persons acquainted withweapons, that grinder of Kshatriyas, taking up another bow, aimed someweapons. Satyaki, however, baffling those weapons with the illusion ofhis own weapon struck him with some sharp shafts. All this seemed highlywonderful. Beholding that superhuman feat of his in battle, that feat ofwhich nobody else was capable, and which displayed very great skill,those amongst thy warriors that were judges of skill, applauded it.Satyaki shot the same weapons that Drona shot. Beholding this, thatscorcher of foes, viz., the preceptor, fought with a little lessboldness, than usual. Then that master of military science, O king,filled with wrath, invoked celestial weapons for the destruction ofYuyudhana. Beholding that terrible foe-slaughtering Agneya weapon,Satyaki, that mighty bowman, invoked another celestial weapon, viz., theVaruna. Seeing them both take up celestial weapons, loud cries of Oh andAlas arose there. The very creatures having the sky for their elementceased to range through it. Then the Varuna and the Agneya weapons whichhad thus been grafted on their shafts coming against each other becamefruitless.[140] Just at that time, the sun passed down in his course.Then king Yudhishthira and Bhimasena, the son of Pandu, and Nakula, andSahadeva, desirous of protecting Satyaki, and the Matsyas, and theSalweya troops, speedily proceeded towards Drona. Then thousands ofprinces placing Duhsasana at their head, hastily proceeded towards Drona(for protecting him) who was surrounded by foes. Then, O king, commenceda fierce battle between them and thy bowmen. The earth was covered withdust and with showers of arrows shot (by both sides). And everythingbeing thus covered, nothing could any longer be discerned. Indeed, whenthe troops were thus overwhelmed with dust, the battle proceeded in utterdisregard (of persons and rules).'”