Chapter 23

“Sanjaya said, ‘While Sahadeva, filled with rage, was thus blasting thyhost, Duhshasana, O great king, proceeded against him, the brotheragainst the brother. Beholding those two engaged in dreadful combat, allthe great car-warriors uttered leonine shouts and waved their garments.Then, O Bharata, the mighty son of Pandu was struck in the chest withthree arrows by thy angry son armed with bow. Then Sahadeva, O king,having first pierced thy son with an arrow, pierced him again withseventy arrows, and then his driver with three. Then Duhshasana, Omonarch, having cut off Sahadeva’s bow in that great battle, piercedSahadeva himself with three and seventy arrows in the arms and the chest.Then Sahadeva filled with rage, took up a sword, in that dreadfulconflict, and whirling, hurled it quickly towards the car of thy son.Cutting off Duhshasana’s bow with string and arrow fixed on it, thatlarge sword fell down on the Earth like a snake from the firmament. Thenthe valiant Sahadeva taking up another bow, shot a deadly shaft atDuhshasana. The Kuru warrior, however, with his keen-edged sword, cut offinto two fragments that shaft, bright as the rod of Death, as it coursedtowards him. Then whirling that sharp sword, Duhshasana quickly hurled itin that battle as his foe. Meanwhile that valiant warrior took up anotherbow with a shaft. Sahadeva, however, with the greatest ease, cut off,with his keen shafts, that sword as it coursed towards him, and caused itto fall down in that battle. Then, O Bharata, thy son, in that dreadfulbattle, quickly sped four and sixty shafts at the car of Sahadeva.Sahadeva, however, O king, cut off every one of those numerous arrows asthey coursed with great impetuosity towards him, with five shafts of his.Checking then those mighty shafts sped by thy son, Sahadeva, in thatbattle, sped a large number of arrows at his foe. Cutting off each ofthose shafts with three shafts of his, thy son uttered a loud shout,making the whole Earth resound with it. Then Duhshasana, O king, havingpierced Sahadeva in that battle, struck the latter’s driver with ninearrows. The valiant Sahadeva then, O monarch, filled with rage, fixed onhis bow-string a terrible shaft resembling the Destroyer himself andforcibly drawing the bow, he sped that shaft at thy son. Piercing withgreat speed through his strong armour and body, that shaft entered theEarth, O king, like a snake penetrating into an ant-hill. Then thy son,that great car-warrior, swooned away, O king. Beholding him deprived ofhis senses, his driver quickly took away the car, himself forcibly struckall the while with keen arrows. Having vanquished the Kuru warrior thus,the son of Pandu, beholding Duryodhana’s division, began to crush it onall sides. Indeed, O king, as a man excited with wrath crushes swarm ofants, even so, O Bharata did that son of Pandu begin to crush the Kauravahost.'”