Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) (27 page)

‘“On hearing this great uproar, maharatha Kritavarma suddenly advanced towards the spot where the illustrious Madhava was. He brandished his supreme bow and censured his charioteer, urging him to speedily goad the horses and head swiftly in that direction. O great king! On seeing that he was descending, like Death with a gaping mouth, Yuyudhana spoke to his charioteer. ‘With his arrows, Kritavarma is quickly advancing towards me on his chariot. Drive your chariot and let us clash against this supreme of all archers.’ The horses were prepared well and were fast and advanced in the battle against Bhoja, who was revered by archers. Those two tigers
among men were extremely angry and were like blazing fires. They clashed against each other, like two spirited tigers. Kritavarma struck Shini’s descendant with twenty-six sharp arrows and his charioteer with seven. He struck Satvata’s four horses, which were from the Sindhu region and were well trained and well controlled, with four supreme arrows. His
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standard was golden and he brandished his giant bow, with a golden back. His armlets were golden and his armour was golden. He countered him with gold-tufted arrows. Wishing to leave and see Dhananjaya, Shini’s descendant also quickly struck Kritavarma with sharp arrows. Struck by his powerful enemy, the unassailable scorcher of enemies
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trembled, like a mountain during an earthquake. Satyaki then quickly pierced Kritavarma’s four horses with sixty-three sharp arrows and his charioteer with seven. Satyaki then affixed an arrow with golden tufts and released it. It blazed like a giant fire and was like an angry serpent. The arrow was like Yama’s staff and he released it at Kritavarma. It penetrated his armour, which shone like the sun and was decorated with colourful gold. Having drunk his blood, it fiercely penetrated the earth. Afflicted by Satvata, he was drenched in blood. He cast aside his bow and sank down on the floor of the supreme chariot. His teeth were like that of a lion and he was infinite in his valour. But afflicted by Satyaki’s arrows, the bull among men sank down on his knees on the floor of the chariot. Having countered Kritavarma, who was like the thousand-armed one
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and like an ocean that cannot be agitated, Satyaki left. That place was full of swords, lances and bows and populated by elephants, horses and chariots. It looked terrible, because of the blood shed by the bulls among the kshatriyas. While all the soldiers looked on, the bull of the Shini lineage passed through it. He immersed himself in that army and penetrated it, like the slayer of Vritra through an army of asuras. Meanwhile, Hardikya grasped another giant bow and stationed there, began to powerfully resist and fight with the Pandavas.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “At the time when the soldiers were scattered by Shini’s descendant, Bharadvaja’s son repulsed him with a great shower of arrows. While all the soldiers looked on, a tumultuous clash commenced between Drona and Satvata, like that between Bali and Vasava. Drona pierced Shini’s grandson in the forehead with three colourful arrows that were completely made out of iron and were like venomous snakes. O great king! Pierced in the forehead by those arrows, Yuyudhana was as beautiful as a mountain with three peaks. Bharadvaja’s son was looking for an opportunity in the battle. He released many other arrows, with roars like those of Indra’s vajra. While the arrows released from Drona’s bow were descending, Dasharha, who was supreme in the knowledge of weapons, severed them with two arrows that had excellent tufts. O lord of the earth! On beholding this dexterity of hand, Drona smiled and suddenly struck the bull among the Shini lineage with twenty arrows. He surpassed Yuyudhana’s lightness of hand with his own dexterity and pierced him with fifty arrows, and then yet again with one hundred. O king! They arose from Drona’s chariot, like large and angry serpents from a termite hill, and penetrated his body. In that fashion, Yuyudhana released hundreds and thousands of arrows. Those arrows could drink up blood and enveloped Drona’s chariot. O venerable one! No difference in dexterity could be seen between the foremost of brahmanas and Satyaki. Those bulls among men were equal. Extremely angry, Satyaki struck Drona with nine arrows with drooping tufts and also struck his standard with sharp arrows. While Bharadvaja’s son looked on, he struck his charioteer with one hundred arrows. On witnessing Yuyudhana’s dexterity, maharatha Drona pierced Satyaki with seventy arrows and each of the horses with three. With a single arrow, he pierced the standard that was stationed on Madhava’s chariot. In that battle, he then used another broad-headed arrow with golden tufts to sever the great-souled Madhava’s bow. At this, maharatha Satyaki became very angry. He discarded that bow. He grasped a giant club and
hurled it at Bharadvaja’s son. It was made completely out of iron and was bound with strips of cloth. It descended suddenly. However, Drona used many arrows of diverse kinds to counter it. Satyaki, for whom truth was his valour, then grasped another bow. He pierced Bharadvaja’s brave son with many arrows that had been sharpened on stone. He pierced Drona in the battle and roared like a lion. But Drona, supreme among the wielders of all weapons, could not tolerate this. He grasped an iron javelin with a golden handle and swiftly hurled it towards Madhava’s chariot. That javelin was like death, but it did not reach Shini’s descendant. It shattered his chariot and with a terrible noise, fiercely penetrated the ground. O king! O bull among the Bharata lineage! Shini’s grandson pierced Drona with arrows and struck him on his right arm. O king! In that battle, using an arrow that was in the shape of a half-moon, Drona severed Madhava’s great bow and struck the charioteer of his chariot with a javelin. For an instant, he
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sank down senseless on the floor of the chariot. O king! Satyaki then performed a superhuman deed there. He grasped the reins himself and fought with Drona. O lord of the earth! In that encounter, maharatha Yuyudhana pierced the brahmana with a hundred arrows and was delighted. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Drona released five arrows at him. In the battle, they penetrated his armour and drank his blood. Pierced by those terrible arrows, Satyaki became extremely angry. The brave one released arrows towards the one with the golden chariot. With an arrow, he brought Drona’s charioteer down on the ground. With the great-souled Drona’s charioteer slain, the horses began to run away. O king! In that battle, the radiant chariot whirled around in a thousand circles, like the sun. ‘Drona’s horses are running away. Grab them.’ These were the sounds that arose from all the princes and the kings. O king! The maharathas quickly abandoned the battle with Satyaki. All of them swiftly rushed to the spot where Drona was. On seeing that all of them were running away, afflicted by Satvata’s arrows, your soldiers were again shattered and distressed. Drona went and again stationed himself at the mouth of the vyuha.
He had been borne away by horses that were as fleet as the wind and had been afflicted by Vrishni’s arrows. The valiant one
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saw that the vyuha had been shattered by the Pandus and the Panchalas. Therefore, he devoted himself to protecting the vyuha and did not follow Shini’s descendant. The fire that was Drona consumed and countered the Pandus and the Panchalas. The flame of his ire blazed, like the sun that arises at the end of a yuga.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “O foremost among the bulls of the Kuru lineage! Having vanquished Drona and other foremost men on your side, with Hardikya at the forefront, the brave one of the Shini lineage laughed and spoke these words to his charioteer. ‘O charioteer! We are only instruments today. They have been consumed by Keshava and Phalguna. We have slain those whom that bull among men, the son of the lord of the gods, has already killed.’ Having thus spoken in that great battle, the bull among the Shini lineage, fierce archer and the destroyer of enemies, swiftly showered powerful arrows in every direction, like a hawk in search of flesh. The foremost of brave ones was borne on horses that had the complexion of the moon, or conch shells. He immersed himself in the soldiers and though they surrounded him from all sides, no one was capable of withstanding him. That fierce man was like the rays of the sun. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He was valiant and his spirit was indomitable. Not a single one from those masses was capable of standing up to him. His prowess was like that of the one with a thousand eyes.
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He was like the sun in the firmament, when the rainy season is over.

‘“There was a colourful warrior named Sudarshana and he was full of intolerance. He bore bow and arrows and sported golden armour. That supreme among kings advanced against Satyaki
and sought to counter him. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! An extremely terrible encounter took place between them and the warriors on your side, and the Somakas praised it. The large number of immortals compared it to that between Vritra and Indra. Sudarshana pierced the foremost one of the Satvata lineage with hundreds of extremely sharp arrows. But before those arrows could reach him, the bull among the Shini lineage struck them down with his own arrows. Sudarshana was stationed on his chariot. In similar fashion, when Satyaki, who was like Shakra, released arrows at him, Sudarshana severed those supreme arrows into two or three fragments. On seeing that his arrows were destroyed by the force of Satyaki’s arrows, Sudarshana, whose energy was fierce, became angry. He released golden and colourful arrows. He drew his bow completely back up to his ear and again released three sharp arrows that had excellent tufts and were like the fire. These pierced Satyaki’s body armour and penetrated his body. Yet again, the son of the king affixed another four flaming arrows and struck the four horses that possessed the complexion of silver. Shini’s grandson was like Indra in his valour. Thus afflicted, the spirited one quickly released a mass of extremely sharp arrows and killed Sudarshana’s horses, roaring loudly. He released a broad-headed arrow that was like the vajra or thunder and sliced off the head of his
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charioteer. The brave one from the Shini lineage then used a kshurapra arrow to sever Sudarshana’s head. It sported earrings and was like the full moon. It possessed a radiant face and was severed from the body. O king! This was like the battle in ancient times, when the wielder of the vajra used extreme force to kill Bala. Having slain the son and the grandson of a king in the battle, the spirited and great-souled bull of the Yadu lineage was overcome by great delight. He was as resplendent as the king of the gods. He then followed the path that Arjuna had taken, repulsing your soldiers with his mass of arrows. The chariot was borne by well-trained horses and the brave one among men filled everyone with wonder. All the supreme warriors who were assembled there honoured him and wondered at his fierce
deeds. With his arrows, he was like a blazing fire that consumed everything that came within the range of the arrows.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “The great-souled and intelligent Satyaki, the bull of the Vrishni lineage, killed Sudarshana and spoke these words to his charioteer. ‘O son!
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We have passed through the impenetrable and great ocean that is Drona’s army. It is full of chariots, horses and elephants. The arrows and javelins are the garlands of waves. The swords are the fish and the clubs are the crocodiles. The weapons of the brave ones make a loud roar. This is terrible and is destructive of life. There is a terrible din created by musical instruments. Warriors find this pleasant to the touch. But it is unassailable to those who desire victory. There are the forces of Jalasandha, surrounded by flesh-eating ones. But I think that the remaining part of the army is like a small river. It only has a little bit of water. Therefore, fearlessly, urge the horses forward. I think that Savyasachi is only the distance of a hand away and we will reach him. In the battle, we have vanquished the intolerable Drona and his followers and Hardikya, supreme among warriors. I think that we have reached Dhananjaya. At the sight of innumerable soldiers, no fear is engendered in me. They are like dried grass during the summer, before a blazing fire. Behold. This is the ground along which Kiriti, the foremost of the Pandavas, has passed. It has been rendered uneven by large numbers of infantry, horses, chariots and elephants that have fallen. I think that we are close to the one with the white horses, with Krishna as the charioteer. The sound of the infinitely energetic Gandiva can be heard. From the omens that manifest themselves before me, Arjuna will kill Saindhava before the sun has set. Go slowly and preserve the strength of the horses. Proceed towards the army of the enemy. That
is where the armoured ones are, with Suyodhana at the forefront. The Kambojas are indomitable in battle. They are armoured and are the performers of cruel deeds. There are armed Yavanas, wielding bows and arrows. There are Shakas, Kiratas, Daradas, Barbaras and Tamraliptakas. There are many other mlecchas, with diverse weapons in their hands. All of them are stationed with their faces towards me, wishing to fight. This is an extremely terrible fortress, with chariots, elephants and infantry. But consider that we have already passed through this and have slain them.’

‘“The charioteer replied, ‘O Varshneya! O one who has truth as his valour! Know that I have no fear, even if the extremely enraged son of Jamadagni
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were to be stationed before us now. O mighty-armed one! Even if it were to be Drona, best among rathas, or Kripa, or the lord of Madra, I have no fear as long as I am under your protection. O destroyer of enemies! You have already vanquished many of them in battle. I have never exhibited any fear in battle. O brave one! Why should I show it now, in this battle with a trifle?
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O one with a long life! Which route shall I take to reach Dhananjaya? O Varshneya! Whom are you angry with? To whom has death presented itself? Who have made up their minds to go to Yama’s residence today? You are like death at the end of a yuga and exhibit your valour in battle. On witnessing this valour, which warriors will run away? O mighty-armed one! Who are the ones whom King Vaivasvata
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has remembered today?’

‘“Satyaki said, ‘Like Vasava against the danavas, I will slay the ones with the shaved heads and fulfil my vow. Take me towards the Kambojas. Having caused carnage among them today, I will swiftly go to Pandava. The Kouravas, together with Suyodhana, will witness my valour today. O charioteer! I will afflict all the soldiers and kill the ones with the shaven heads. In the battle today, I will shatter the
soldiers of the Kouravas. Having heard many kinds of lamentations, Suyodhana will be satisfied. Today, in the battle, I will show my preceptor, the great-souled one with the white horses, who is foremost among the Pandavas, the path that he has indicated to me. Thousands of foremost among warriors will be slain by my arrows today. On witnessing this, King Duryodhana will suffer from repentance. I will release supreme arrows today, using the dexterity of my hands. The Kouravas will behold my bow, like a circle of fire. My arrows will make copious quantities of blood flow from their limbs. On witnessing the slaughter of the soldiers, Suyodhana will suffer from repentance. In my angry form, I will slay the best of the best today. Today, Suyodhana will think that the world has two Arjunas. In the battle today, thousands of kings will be killed by me. On witnessing this, King Duryodhana will repent the great battle. Today, I will show my affection and devotion to the great-souled Pandavas. I will kill thousands of kings and show the king.’”
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‘Sanjaya said, “Thus instructed, the charioteer urged Yuyudhana’s supreme horses, which were trained and well skilled. Those horses had the complexion of the moon and he urged them to their greatest speed. They possessed the speed of the wind, or of thought, and seemed to devour the sky as they quickly sped to the spot where the Yavanas were. As he reached that army, without retreating, they exhibited the dexterity of their hands and enveloped Satyaki with many showers of arrows. O king! But before those arrows could reach him, Satyaki used his powerful arrows with drooping tufts to sever those arrows and other weapons. He then used extremely sharp arrows that were gold-tufted, with the feathers of vultures, to sever the heads and arms of the Yavanas. Some of those arrows penetrated the armour made out of steel and brass and passing through the bodies, penetrated the earth in every direction. In the battle, the mlecchas were slaughtered by the brave Satyaki. Hundreds of them lost their lives and fell down on the ground. The bow was drawn back to its full extent and an incessant stream of arrows was shot. He afflicted and oppressed them and killed five, six, seven and
eight Yavana’s with a single arrow. O lord of the earth! Thousands of Kambojas, Shakas, Shabaras, Kiratas and Barbaras fell down and the earth was full of mire made out of flesh and blood. Shini’s descendant caused a great destruction among your forces. The earth was strewn everywhere with the helmets of bandits
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and their severed and shaved heads, which looked like birds without feathers. The field of battle was resplendent, with blood and wounds on the limbs of torsos that were strewn in every direction, like the sky covered with coppery clouds. The arrows had excellent joints and were like the vajra or thunder to the touch. Horses and carts were destroyed and scattered around on the ground. The few that were left were scattered. They sought to protect their lives and were bereft of their senses. O great king! In that battle, those armoured ones were vanquished by Yuyudhana. They used their whips to urge the parshnis and horses to adopt the greatest speed and run away in different directions. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! In that battle, he drove away the invincible Kamboja soldiers, the soldiers of the Yavanas and the great army of Shakas. Thus did Satyaki, the tiger among men for whom truth was his valour, defeat those on your side. He was delighted and urged his charioteer to proceed. O lord of the earth! On seeing that he was advancing as the one who was protecting Arjuna’s rear, the charanas were delighted, and together with those on your side, honoured him.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “Having defeated the Yavanas and the Kambojas, Yuyudhana, supreme among rathas, passed through the midst of your soldiers and headed towards Arjuna. That tiger among men possessed arrows as his teeth. His colourful armour was like a picture. He was like a tiger slaying deer and terrified the soldiers.
As he traversed along the path on his chariot, he fiercely brandished his bow. It was extremely powerful and had a golden back. It was decorated with golden moons. His armlets and helmet were golden and he was covered in golden armour. The brave one possessed a supreme golden standard that was as resplendent as Meru’s summit. In the battle, the circle of his bow had energy like that of the sun with its rays. He was like the sun when it has arisen in the autumn and, among those men, was as resplendent as the sun. The bull among men had the shoulders of a bull. He was brave and had the eyes of a bull. He penetrated the midst of your soldiers, like a bull in the midst of cattle. He was like a maddened elephant, advancing against another maddened elephant. He was like an elephant with shattered temples, stationed in the midst of a herd. Those on your side advanced against him in the battle, as if they wished to be killed by a tiger. He passed through Drona’s army and through the impenetrable army of Bhoja. He passed through the ocean that was Jalasandha and through the army of the Kambojas. He crossed through that ocean of soldiers and escaped from the makara that was Hardikya.

‘“Satyaki was then surrounded by extremely enraged rathas from your side. There were Duryodhana, Chitrasena, Duhshasana, Vivimshati, Shakuni, Duhsaha, the youthful Durmarshana, Kratha and many other brave and invincible ones who were armed. As Satyaki proceeded, they angrily followed him from behind. O venerable one! A great uproar then arose amidst your soldiers. It was like the ocean agitated by the force of the wind during the night of the full moon or the new moon. The bull among the Shini lineage glanced at all those who were advancing against him. He laughed and addressed his charioteer, ‘Advance slowly. This army of Dhritarashtra’s son is advancing against me. It is swiftly headed in my direction, with elephants, horses and infantry. O charioteer! All the directions are resounding with the roar of chariots. The earth, the firmament and the ocean are trembling. O son! In this great battle, I will counter this ocean of soldiers, like the shoreline resisting the abode of the waters, when it swells at the time of the full moon. O charioteer! Behold my valour in this great battle, like that of Indra. I will pierce the soldiers of the enemy with sharp arrows. Behold. In the battle, I
will slay the infantry, horses, rathas and elephants and pierce their bodies with thousands of my arrows that are like the fire.’ While the infinitely energetic Satyaki was speaking in this way, the soldiers quickly approached him, wishing to fight. ‘Kill. Attack. Stay. Watch. See.’ These were the words those brave ones spoke. Satyaki killed three hundred horses and four hundred elephants with his sharp arrows. The encounter that ensued between him and those archers was tumultuous and led to the destruction of men, like the famous battle between the gods and the asuras. O venerable one! Your son’s soldiers were like a mass of clouds. However, Shini’s grandson received them with arrows that were like venomous serpents. O great king! Without any fear, in that battle, the valiant one shrouded them with a net of arrows and killed many on your side. O Indra among kings! The spectacle that I witnessed there was supremely wonderful. Not a single one of Satyaki’s arrows was unsuccessful. That large ocean of soldiers was full of chariots, elephants and horses and also full of foot soldiers and was forced to stand still when it encountered Shini’s descendant as the shoreline. The terrified men, elephants and steeds in your army advanced and were slain in every direction by the arrows. They roamed around there, like cattle afflicted by the winter. We did not see any infantry, chariots, elephants, riders and horses that were not pierced by Yuyudhana’s arrows. O king! Not even Phalguna had caused such carnage amongst the army, as was caused by Satyaki. O king! O bull among the Bharata lineage! Shini’s grandson surpassed Arjuna in the battle.

‘“King Duryodhana pierced Satvata with three arrows, pierced his charioteer and struck his four horses with four arrows. He then pierced Satyaki with three arrows and again struck him with another eight. Duhshasana pierced the bull among the Shini lineage with sixteen arrows, Shakuni with twenty-five, Chitrasena with five and Duhsaha pierced Satyaki in the chest with fifteen arrows. O great king! The tiger among the Vrishni lineage was thus struck by their arrows and pierced each of them back with three arrows. The supremely energetic one severely pierced them. Shini’s descendant was dexterous and brave and roamed around in that battle, like a hawk. He severed Soubala’s bow and his arm-guard. He pierced
Duryodhana between the breasts with three arrows. The bull among the Shini lineage pierced Chitrasena with a hundred arrows, Duhsaha with ten and Duhshasana with twenty. O lord of the earth! Your brother-in-law
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picked up another bow and pierced Satyaki with eight arrows, following this up with another five. O king! Duhshasana pireced Satyaki with ten arrows, Duhsaha with three and Durmukha with twelve. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Duryodhana pierced Madhava with seventy-three arrows and then used three sharp arrows to pierce his charioteer. All those brave maharathas made their efforts and Satyaki pierced them back with five arrows each. O lord! He used a broad-headed arrow to kill your son’s charioteer
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and bring him down on the ground from the chariot. O king! O lord of the earth! When the charioteer was killed, the horses that had the speed of the wind and the soldiers bore the chariot away from the field of battle. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On seeing that the king’s chariot was running away, hundreds of your soldiers fled. Satyaki enveloped them with sharp arrows that were gold-tufted and had been sharpened on stone. In every direction, he drove away all your soldiers. O king! Satyaki then advanced towards the chariot of the one with the white horses. He released arrows and protected himself and his charioteer and those on your side honoured him.”’

‘Dhritarashtra said, “Shini’s descendant proceeded towards Arjuna, crushing that large army. O Sanjaya! What did my shameless sons do? When they confronted death in that battle, how did they hold up their spirits? The conduct of Shini’s descendant is like that of Savyasachi. In the midst of the soldiers, how could the
kshatriyas bear to be defeated? How did the immensely illustrious Satyaki pass through them in that battle? O Sanjaya! As long as my sons were alive there, how could Shini’s descendant progress in that battle? Tell me everything in detail. O son!
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What I have heard from you, about the clash between one and many, with maharathas on the side of the enemy, is extremely wonderful. I think that destiny must be against my sons and they suffer from ill fortune, since they are being slain in the battle by the great-souled Satvata. O Sanjaya! A single one is sufficient to counter my entire army. When Yuyudhana is angry, let all the Pandavas remain standing.
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He has vanquished Drona, who is accomplished and unassailable in fighting, in the battle. Satyaki will kill my sons, like a lion against large numbers of deer. There were many brave warriors, Kritavarma and the others. But in the battle, they were incapable of fighting with that bull among men and he will kill them. Phalguna himself was incapable of fighting in the way that Shini’s immensely illustrious grandson fought.”