"Vasudeva continued, 'O king, afflicted with the arrows of Salwa, when
Pradyumna became senseless the Vrishnis who had come to the fight were
all disheartened and filled with grief! And the combatants of the
Vrishni and Andhaka races burst into exclamations of _Oh!_ and _Alas!_
while great joy was felt by the enemy and beholding him thus deprived of
sense, his trained charioteer, the son of Daruka, soon carried him off
the field by the help of his steeds. The car had not gone far when that
best of warriors regained his senses, and taking up his bow addressed
his charioteer, saying, "O son of the Suta tribe, what hast thou done?
Why dost thou go leaving the field of battle? This is not the custom of
the Vrishni heroes in battle! O son of a Suta, hast thou been bewildered
at the sight of a Salwa in that fierce encounter? Or hast thou been
disheartened, beholding the fight? O! tell me truly thy mind!" The
charioteer answered, "O son of Janardana, I have not been confounded,
nor hath fear taken possession of me. On the other hand, O son of
Kesava, the task, I ween, of vanquishing Salwa is difficult for thee!
Therefore, O hero, I am slowly retiring from the field. This wretch is
stronger than thou art! It behoveth a charioteer to protect the warrior
on the car, however, when he is deprived of his senses! O thou gifted
with length of days, thou shouldst always be protected by me, even as it
behoveth thee to protect me! Thinking that the warrior on the car should
always be protected (by his charioteer), I am carrying thee away!
Further, O thou of mighty arms, thou art alone, while the Danavas are
many. Thinking, O son of Rukmini, that thou art not equal to them in the
encounter, I am going away!"'
"Vasudeva continued, 'When the charioteer had spoken thus, he, O
Kauravya, who hath the _makara_ for his mark replied unto him, saying,
"Turn the car! O son of Daruka, never do so again; never, O Suta, turn
thou from the fight, while I am alive! He is no son of the Vrishni race
who forsaketh the field or slayeth the foe fallen at his feet and crying
_I am thine!_ or killeth a woman, a boy, or an old man, or a warrior in
distress, deprived of his car or with his weapons broken! Thou art born
in the race of charioteers and trained to thy craft! And, O son of
Daruka, thou art acquainted with the customs of the Vrishnis in battle!
Versed as thou art with all the customs of the Vrishnis in battle, do
thou, O Suta, never again fly from the field as thou hast done! What
will the irrepressible Madhava, the elder brother of Gada, say to me
when he heareth that I have left the field of battle in bewilderment or
that I have been struck on the back--a run-away from the combat! What
will the elder brother of Kesava, the mighty-armed Baladeva, clad in
blue and inebriate with wine, say, when he returneth? What also, O Suta,
will that lion among men, the grand-son of Sini (Satyaki), that great
warrior, say on hearing that I have forsaken the fight? And, O
charioteer, what will the ever-victorious Shamva, the irrepressible
Charudeshna, and Gada, and Sarana, and Akrura also of mighty arms, say
unto me! What also will the wives of the Vrishni heroes when they meet
together, say of me who had hitherto been considered as brave and
well-conducted, respectable and possessed of manly pride? They will even
say _This Pradyumna is a coward who cometh here, leaving the battle! Fie
on him!_ They will never say, _Well done!_ Ridicule, with exclamation of
_Fie_, is to me or a person like me, O Suta, more than death! Therefore,
do thou never again leave the field of battle! Reposing the charge on
me, Hari the slayer of Madhu, hath gone to the sacrifice of the Bharata
lion (Yudhishthira)! Therefore, I cannot bear to be quiet now! O Suta,
when the brave Kritavarman was sallying out to encounter Salwa, I
prevented him, saying _I will resist Salwa. Do thou stay!_ For honouring
me the son of Hridika desisted! Having left the field of battle, what
shall I say unto that mighty warrior when I meet him? When that
irrepressible one of mighty arms--the holder of the conch, the discus,
and the mace--returneth, what shall I say unto him of eyes like lotus
leaves? Satyaki, and Valadeva, and others of the Vrishni and Andhaka
races always boast of me! What shall I say unto them? O Suta, having
left the field of battle and with wounds of arrows on my back while
being carried away by thee, I shall, by no means, be able to live!
Therefore, O son of Daruka, turn that car speedily, and never do so
again even in times of greatest danger! I do not, O Suta, think life
worth much, having fled from the field like a coward, and my back
pierced, with the arrows (of the enemy)! Hast thou ever seen me, O son
of Suta, fly in fear from the field of battle like a coward? O son of
Daruka, it behoved thee not to forsake the battle, while my desire of
fight was not yet gratified! Do thou, therefore, go back to the
field."'"