“Sanjaya said, ‘When that fierce battle, causing the hair to stand on
end, commenced, the Pandavas rushed against the Kauravas who had been
divided into three bodies. Bhimasena rushed against the mighty-armed
Jalasandha, and Yudhishthira, at the head of his troops rushed, in that
battle, against Kritavarman. And Dhrishtadyumna, O king, scattering the
shafts, like the sun shooting his rays, rushed against Drona. Then
commenced that battle between all the bowmen, eager for the encounter, of
the Kurus and the Pandavas, excited with wrath. And during the progress
of that terrible carnage, when all the warriors were battling with one
another fearlessly the mighty Drona fought with the mighty prince of the
Panchalas. And the clouds of arrows he shot in that encounter filled all
spectators with wonder. And Drona and the prince of the Panchalas,
cutting off the heads of men by thousands, scattered them on the field of
battle, making the latter resemble a forest of lotuses. In every
division, were soon strewn on the ground robes and ornaments and weapons,
and standards and coats of mail. And golden coats of mail, dyed with
blood, looked like clouds charged with lightning. Other mighty
car-warriors, drawing their large bows measuring full six cubits long,
felled with their shafts, elephants and steeds and men. In that dreadful
encounter of arms between brave and high-souled warriors, swords and
shields, bows and heads and coats of mail were seen lying scattered
about. Innumerable headless trunks wore seen to rise up, O king, in the
midst of that fierce battle. And vultures and Kankas and jackals and
swarms of other carnivorous animals, O sire, were seen there, eating the
flesh of fallen men and steeds and elephants, of drinking their blood, or
dragging them by the hair, or licking or pecking, O king, at their
marrow, or dragging their bodies and severed limbs, or rolling their
heads on the ground. Warriors, skilled in battle, accomplished in
weapons, and firmly resolved in fight, struggled vigorously in the
combat, solicitous only of fame. Many were the combatants that careered
over the field, performing the diverse evolutions, of swordsmen. With
sabres and darts and lances and spears and axes, with maces and spiked
clubs and other kinds of weapons, and with even bare arms, men who had
entered the arena of battle, filled with rage, slew one another. And
car-warriors fought with car-warriors, and horsemen with horsemen, and
elephants with foremost of elephants, and foot-soldiers with
foot-soldiers. And many infuriated elephants, as if perfectly mad,
uttered loud shrieks and slew one another, after the manner they do in
sporting arenas.
“‘During the progress, O king, of that battle in which the combatants
fought without any regard for one another, Dhrishtadyumna caused his own
steeds to be mixed up with those of Drona. Those steeds endued with the
speed of the wind, that were white as pigeons and red as blood, thus
mixed with one another in battle, looked exceedingly beautiful. Indeed,
they looked resplendent like clouds charged with lightning. Then that
slayer of hostile heroes, viz., heroic Dhrishtadyumna, the son of
Prishata, beholding Drona, O Bharata, arrived so near, cast off his bow
and took up his sword and shield, for achieving a difficult feat. Seizing
the shaft of Drona’s car, he entered into it. And he stayed sometimes on
the middle of the yoke, and sometimes on its joints and sometimes behind
the steeds. And while he was moving, armed with swords, quickly upon the
backs of those red steeds of Drona, the latter could not detect an
opportunity for striking him.[139] All this seemed wonderful to us.
Indeed, like the sweep of a hawk in the woods from desire of food, seemed
that sally of Dhrishtadyumna from his own car for the destruction of
Drona. Then Drona cut off, with a hundred arrows, the shield, decked with
a hundred moons, of Drupada’s son, and then his sword, with ten others.
And mighty Drona then, with four and sixty arrows, slew the steeds of his
antagonist. And with a couple of broad-headed shafts he cut off the
latter’s standard and umbrella also, and then slew both his Parshni
charioteers. And then with great speed drawing his bow-string to his ear,
he shot at him a fatal shaft, like the wielder of the thunder hurling the
thunder (at a foe). But soon Satyaki, with four and ten sharp shafts, cut
off that fatal arrow of Drona. And thus the Vrishni hero, O sire, rescued
Dhrishtadyumna, who had been seized by that lion among men, the foremost
of preceptors, like a deer seized by the king of the forests. Even thus
did that bull amongst the Sinis, the prince of the Panchalas. Beholding
Satyaki to rescue the prince of the Panchalas in the dreadful battle,
Drona quickly shot at him six and twenty arrows. The grandson of Sini
then, in return, pierced Drona in the centre of the chest with six and
twenty arrows, while the latter was engaged in devouring the Srinjayas.
Then all the Panchala car-warriors, desirous of victory upon the Satwata
hero, proceeding against Drona, quickly withdrew Dhrishtadyumna from the
battle.’”