“Sanjaya said, ‘O king, when Yuyudhana, from desire of battle proceeded
against thy troops, king Yudhishthira, surrounded by his forces, followed
Yuyudhana for reaching the car of Drona. Then the son of the king of the
Panchalas, viz., the invincible warrior Dhrishtadyumna, the king
Vasudana, both loudly exclaimed with the Pandava host, “Come, smite
quickly, and rush against the foe, so that Satyaki, that warrior
invincible in battle, might pass easily (through the Kaurava host). Many
mighty car-warriors will struggle for vanquishing him.” The great
car-warriors (of the Pandava army), saying this, fell impetuously upon
their foes. Indeed, they all rushed, saying, “We will vanquish those that
will endeavour to vanquish Satyaki.” Then a loud uproar was heard about
the car of Satyaki. Thy son’s host, however, covered with Satyaki’s
shafts, fled away. Indeed, O king that host was broken into a hundred
struggling bodies by him of the Satwata race. And while that force was
breaking, that mighty car-warrior, viz., the (grandson) of Sini, crushed
seven heroic and great bowmen in the front rank of the foe. And, O
monarch, with his shafts that resembled blazing flames of fire, he
despatched many other heroes, kings of diverse realms, unto the region of
Yama. He sometimes pierced a hundred warriors with one shaft, and
sometimes one warrior with a hundred shafts. Like the great Rudra
destroying creatures, he slew elephant-riders and car-warriors with
steeds and drivers. None amongst thy troops ventured to advance against
Satyaki who was displaying such lightness of hand and who showered such
clouds of shafts. Struck with panic and crushed grounded thus by that
hero of long arms, those brave warriors all left the field at the sight
of that proud hero. Although alone, they saw him multiplied manifold, and
were stupefied by his energy. And the earth looked exceedingly beautiful
with crushed cars and broken nidas,[150] O sire, and wheels and fallen
umbrellas and standards and anukarshas, and banners, and headgears decked
with gold, and human arms smeared with sandal-paste and adorned with
Angadas, O king, and human thighs, resembling trunks of elephants or the
tapering bodies of snakes, and faces, beautiful as the moon and decked
with ear-rings, of large-eyed warriors lying all about the field. And the
ground there looked exceedingly beautiful with the huge bodies of fallen
elephants, cut off in diverse ways, like a large plain strewn with hills.
Crushed by that hero of long arms, steeds, deprived of life and fallen
down on the ground, looked beautiful in their traces made of burnished
gold and decked with rows of pearls, and in their carcasses of handsome
make and design. Having slain diverse kinds of thy troops, he of the
Satwata race entered into thy host, agitating and routing thy army. Then
Satyaki desired to go by that very track by which Dhananjaya had gone
before him. Then Drona came and resisted him. Encountering the son of
Bharadwaja, Yuyudhana, filled with rage, stopped not like a vast expanse
of water upon encountering on embankment. Drona, however, checking in
that battle the mighty car-warrior Yuyudhana, pierced him with five keen
shafts, capable of penetrating into the very vitals. Satyaki, however, O
king, in that battle pierced Drona with seven shafts whetted on stone,
equipped with golden wings and the feathers of the Kanka and the peacock.
Then Drona afflicted Satyaki, his steeds and the drivers, with six
shafts. The mighty car-warrior Yuyudhana could not brook that feat of
Drona. Uttering a leonine shout, he then pierced Drona with ten shafts,
and then with six, and then with eight others. And once more Yuyudhana
pierced Drona with ten shafts, his charioteer with one and his four
steeds with four. And with another shaft, O sire, Satyaki struck Drona’s
standard. Then, Drona speedily covered Satyaki, his car, steeds, driver,
and standard, with swiftly coursing shafts, countless in number like a
flight of locusts. Similarly, Yuyudhana fearlessly covered Drona with
countless shafts of great speed. Then Drona, addressing Yuyudhana, said,
“Thy preceptor (Arjuna) hath, like a coward, gone away, leaving the
battle, avoiding me who was fighting with him, proceeding by my flank. O
thou of Madhu’s race, if like thy preceptor, thou too dost not quickly
avoid me in this battle, thou shalt not escape me with life today,
engaged as I am in battle with thee.”’
“‘Satyaki, hearing these words, answered, “At the command of king
Yudhishthira the just, I shall follow in the track of Dhananjaya. Blessed
be thou, O Brahmana, I would lose time (if I fight with thee). A disciple
should always tread in the way trod by his preceptor. I shall, therefore
follow in the track that has been trod by my preceptor.”’
“Sanjaya continued, ‘Having said this much, the grandson of Sini avoided
the preceptor and suddenly proceeded onwards, O king! And addressing his
charioteer, he said, “Drona will, by every means, endeavour to check my
progress. Proceed carefully, O Suta, in battle and listen to these grave
words of mine. Yonder is seen the host of great splendour of Avantis.
Next to them, is the mighty host of the Southerners. And next to it, is
the great host of the Valhikas. By the side of the Valhikas, stands
resolved for fight the mighty host commanded by Karna. O charioteer, all
these hosts are different from one another, but relying upon one another,
they protect one another on the field of battle. Arrived at the space
left open between these divisions cheerfully urge thou the steeds. Indeed,
O charioteer, bear me thither, making the steeds adopt a tolerable
speed,--thither, that is, where are seen the Valhikas with diverse
weapons uplifted in their arms, and the countless Southerners headed by
the Suta’s son and whose division is seen to present a serried array of
elephants and steeds and cars and in which stand foot-soldiers from
various realms.” Having said this much unto his driver, avoiding the
Brahmana (Drona), he proceeded, telling his charioteer, “Pass through the
open space between those two divisions towards the fierce and mighty host
of Karna.” Drona, however, excited with wrath, pursued him from behind,
shooting at him countless shafts. Indeed, the preceptor closely followed
highly blessed Yuyudhana who advanced without any desire of turning back.
Smiting the great host of Karna with whetted arrows, Satyaki penetrated
into the vast and limitless army of the Bharatas. When Yuyudhana,
however, entered the army, the troops (opposed to him) fled away. At
this, wrathful Kritavarman came forward to resist Satyaki. The valiant
Satyaki striking the advancing Kritavarman with six shafts, quickly slew
his four steeds with four other shafts. And once again, he pierced
Kritavarman in the centre of the chest with four other shafts. And once
again, he pierced Kritavarman in the centre of the chest with sixteen
straight shafts of great speed. Thus encountered, O monarch, with many
shafts of fierce energy by him of the Satwata race, Kritavarman was
unable to brook it. Aiming then a calf-toothed shaft resembling a snake
of virulent poison and endued with the speed of the wind, and drawing the
bow-string, O monarch, to his ear, he pierced Satyaki in the chest. That
shaft, equipped with beautiful feathers, penetrating through his armour
and body, and dyed in blood, entered the earth. Then, O king,
Kritavarman, that warrior equipped with the highest weapons, shooting
many shafts, cut off the bow of Satyaki with arrows fixed thereon. And
excited with rage, he then, in that battle, O king, pierced Satyaki of
unbaffled prowess in the centre of the chest with ten shafts of great
keenness. Upon his bow being broken, the foremost of mighty men, viz.,
Satyaki, hurled a dart at the right arm of Kritavarman. And taking up and
drawing a tougher bow, Yuyudhana quickly shot at his foe, shafts by
hundreds and thousands and entirely shrouded Kritavarman and his car with
that arrowy downpour. Having thus shrouded the son of Hridika, O monarch,
in that battle, Satyaki cut of, with a broad-headed arrow, the head of
his foe’s charioteer from his trunk. The charioteer of Hridika’s son
then, thus slain, fell down from that great car. At this, the steeds of
Kritavarman, deprived of a driver, ran away with great speed. The ruler
of the Bhojas, then, in great agitation, himself checked those steeds.
That heroic warrior then, bow in hand, stood upon his car (ready for
battle). Beholding this feat, his troops applauded it highly. Resting for
a short space of time, Kritavarman then urged those good steeds of his.
Himself devoid of fear, he inspired his foes with great fear. Satyaki,
however, had by that time, left him behind, while Kritavarman himself now
rushed against Bhimasena without pursuing Satyaki. Thus issuing out of
the division of the Bhojas, Satyaki proceeded with great speed towards
the mighty division of the Kamvojas. Resisted there by many brave and
mighty car-warriors, Yuyudhana, of prowess incapable of being thwarted,
could not then, O monarch, proceed a step. Meanwhile, Drona, having
placed his troops in a proper position and made over the burthen of their
protection to the ruler of the Bhojas, firmly resolved, proceeded with
great speed towards Yuyudhana from desire of battle. Then the foremost
warriors of the Pandava host, beholding Drona thus pursuing Yuyudhana
from behind, cheerfully began to resist him. The Panchalas, however, who
were headed by Bhimasena, having approached the son of Hridika, that
foremost of car-warriors, all became cheerless. The heroic Kritavarman, O
king, displaying his prowess, resisted all those warriors who, although
they had become a little heartless, struggled yet with great vigour.
Fearlessly he weakened, by means of his arrowy showers, the animals of
his foes. The brave warriors, however, (of the Pandava army), though thus
afflicted by the ruler of the Bhojas, stood, like high-born soldiers that
they were, resolved to fight with the division of the Bhojas itself, from
a desire of great renown.’”