“Sanjaya continued, ‘Then Drona, beholding Yudhishthira near him
fearlessly received him with a thick shower of arrows. And there arose a
loud noise among the troops of Yudhishthira’s army like what is made by
the elephants belonging to a herd when their leader is attacked by a
mighty lion. Beholding Drona, the brave Satyajit, of prowess incapable of
being baffled, rushed at the Preceptor who was desirous of seizing
Yudhishthira. The Preceptor and the Panchala prince, both endued with
great might, fought with each other, agitating each other’s troops, like
Indra and Vali. Then Satyajit, of prowess incapable of being baffled,
invoking a mighty weapon, pierced Drona with keen-pointed arrows. And
Satyajit shot at Drona’s charioteer five arrows, fatal as snake-poison
and each looking like Death himself. The charioteer, thus struck, became
deprived of his senses. Then Satyajit quickly pierced Drona’s steeds with
ten shafts; and filled with rage, he next pierced each of his Parshni
drivers with ten shafts. And then he coursed at the head of his troops on
his car in a circular motion. Excited with wrath, he cut off the standard
of Drona, that crusher of foes. Drona then, that chastiser of foes,
beholding these feats of his foe in battle, mentally resolved to despatch
him to the other world.[37] The Preceptor, cutting off Satyajit’s bow
with arrow fixed thereon, quickly pierced him with ten arrows capable of
penetrating into the very vitals. Thereupon, the valiant Satyajit,
quickly taking up another bow, struck Drona, O king, with thirty arrows
winged with the feathers of the Kanka bird. Beholding Drona (thus)
encountered in battle by Satyajit, the Pandavas, O king, shouted in joy
and waved their garments. Then the mighty Vrika, O king, excited with
great wrath, pierced Drona in the centre of the chest with sixty arrows.
That feat seemed highly wonderful. Then that mighty car-warrior, viz.,
Drona, of great impetuosity, covered with the arrowy showers (of his
foes) opened his eyes wide and mustered all his energy. Then cutting off
the bows of both Satyajit and Vrika, Drona, with six shafts slew Vrika
with his charioteer and steeds. Then Satyajit, taking up another bow that
was tougher, pierced Drona with his steeds, his charioteer, and his
standard. Thus afflicted in battle by the prince of the Panchalas, Drona
could not brook that act. For the destruction then of his foe, he quickly
shot his arrows (at him). Drona then covered with incessant showers of
arrows his antagonist’s steeds and standards as also the handle of his
bow, and both his Parshni drivers. But though his bows were (thus)
repeatedly cut off, the prince of the Panchalas conversant with the
highest weapons continued to battle with him of red steeds. Beholding
Satyajit swell with energy in that dreadful combat, Drona cut off that
illustrious warrior’s head with a crescent-shaped arrow.[38] Upon the
slaughter of that foremost of combatants, that mighty car-warrior among
the Panchalas, Yudhishthira, from fear of Drona, fled away, (borne) by
fleet steeds. Then the Panchalas, the Kekayas, the Matsyas, the Chedis,
the Karushas and the Kosalas, seeing Drona, rushed at him, desirous of
rescuing Yudhishthira. The Preceptor, however, that slayer of large
numbers of foes, desirous of seizing Yudhishthira, began to consume those
divisions, like fire consuming heaps of cotton. Then Satanika, the
younger brother of the ruler of the Matsyas, rushed at Drona who was thus
engaged in incessantly destroying those divisions (of the Pandava host).
And Satanika, piercing Drona along with his driver and steeds with six
shafts, bright as the rays of the sun and polished by his hands of their
forger, uttered loud shouts. And engaged in a cruel act, and endeavouring
to accomplish what was difficult of attainment, he covered Bharadwaja’s
son, that mighty car-warrior with showers of arrows.[39] Then Drona, with
an arrow sharp as razor, quickly cut off from his trunk the head, decked
with ear-rings, of Satanika, shouting at him. Thereupon, the Matsya
warriors all fled away. Having vanquished the Matsyas, the son of
Bharadwaja then defeated the Chedis, the Karushas, the Kaikeyas, the
Panchalas, the Srinjayas, and the Pandus repeatedly. Beholding that hero
of the golden car, excited with rage and consuming their divisions, like
a fire consuming a forest, the Srinjayas trembled (with fear). Endued
with great activity and slaughtering the foe ceaselessly, the twang of
the bow-string, as he stretched his bow, was heard in all directions.
Fierce arrows shot by that warrior endued with great lightness of hand,
crushed elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers and car-warriors and
elephant-riders. As a mighty mass of roaring clouds in summer with
violent winds (blowing) poureth a shower of hail-stones, so did Drona
pour his arrowy showers and inspired fear in the hearts of his foes. That
mighty hero, that great bowman, that dispeller of the fears of his
friends, careered in all directions (of the field) agitating the
(hostile) host. The bow, decked with gold, of Drona of immeasurable
energy, was seen in all directions like the flashes of lightning in the
clouds. The beautiful altar on his banner, as he careered in battle, O
Bharata, was seen to resemble a crest of Himavat. The slaughter that
Drona caused among the Pandava troops was very great, resembling that
caused by Vishnu himself, the adored of both the gods and Asuras, among
the Daitya host. Heroic, truthful in speech, endued with great wisdom and
might, and possessed of prowess incapable of being baffled, the
illustrious Drona caused a river to flow there that was fierce and
capable of striking the timid with fear. Coats of mail formed its waves,
and standards its eddies. And it carried away (as it ran) large numbers
of mortal creatures. And elephants and steeds constituted its great
alligators, and swords formed its fishes. And it was incapable of being
easily crossed over. The bones of brave warriors formed its pebbles, and
drums and cymbals its tortoises. And shields and armour formed its boats,
and the hair of warriors its floating moss and weeds. And arrows
constituted its wavelets and bows its current. And the arms of the
combatants formed its snakes.[40] And that river of fierce current,
running over the field of battle, bore away both the Kurus and the
Srinjayas. And the heads of human beings, constituted its stones, and
their thighs its fishes. And maces constituted the rafts (by which many
sought to cross it). And head-gears formed the forth that covered its
surface, and the entrails (of animals) its reptiles. Awful (in mien), it
bore away heroes (to the other world). And blood and flesh constituted
its mire. And elephants formed its crocodiles, and standards, the trees
(on its banks). Thousands of Kshatriyas sank in it. Fierce, clogged with
(dead) bodies, and having horse-soldiers and elephant-warriors for its
sharks, it was extremely difficult to cross it. And that river ran
towards the abode of Yama. And it abounded with Rakshasas and dogs and
jackals. And it was haunted by fierce cannibals all around.
“‘Then many Pandava warriors, headed by Kunti’s son, rushing at Drona,
that mighty car-warrior consuming their divisions like Death himself,
surrounded him on all sides. Indeed, those brave warriors completely
encompassed Drona who was scorching everything around him like the sun
himself scorching the world with his rays. Then the kings and the princes
of thy army, with upraised weapons, all rushed for supporting that hero
and great bowman. Then Sikhandin pierced Drona with five straight arrows.
And Kshatradharman pierced him with twenty arrows, and Vasudeva with
five. And Uttamaujas pierced him with three arrows, and Kshatradeva with
five. And Satyaki pierced him in that battle with a hundred arrows, and
Yudhamanyu with eight. And Yudhishthira pierced Drona with a dozen
shafts, and Dhrishtadyumna pierced him with ten, and Chekitana with
three. Then Drona, of unbaffled aim and resembling an elephant with rent
temples, getting over the car-division (of the Pandavas), overthrew
Dridhasena. Approaching then king Kshema who was battling fearlessly, he
struck him with nine arrows. Thereupon, Kshema, deprived of life, fell
down from his car. Getting then into the midst of the (hostile) troops,
he careered in all directions, protecting others, but himself in no need
of protection. He then pierced Sikhandin with twelve arrows, and
Uttamaujas with twenty. And he despatched Vasudeva with a broad-headed
arrow to the abode of Yama. And he pierced Kshemavarman with eighty
arrows, and Sudakshina with six and twenty. And he felled Kshatradeva
with a broad-headed arrow from his niche in the car. And having pierced
Yudhamanyu with sixty-four arrows and Satyaki with thirty, Drona, of the
golden car, quickly approached Yudhishthira. Then Yudhishthira, that best
of kings, quickly fled away from the preceptor, borne by his fleet
steeds. Then Panchala rushed at Drona. Drona slew the prince, cutting off
his bow, and felling his steeds and charioteer along with him. Deprived
of life, the prince fell down on the earth from his car, like a luminary
loosened from the firmament. Upon the fall of that illustrious prince of
the Panchalas, loud cries were heard thereof, “Slay Drona, Slay Drona!”
The mighty Drona then began to crush and mangle the Panchalas, the
Matsyas, the Kaikeyas, the Srinjayas, and the Pandavas, all excited with
rage. And supported by the Kurus, Drona, then vanquished Satyaki and
Chekitana’s son, and Senavindu, and Suvarchas, all these and numerous
other kings. Thy warriors, O king, having obtained the victory in that
great battle, slew the Pandavas as they flew away in all directions. And
the Panchalas, the Kaikeyas and the Matsyas, thus slaughtered on all
sides like the Danavas by Indra, began to tremble (with fear).’”