SECTION CXXII

“Sanjaya said, ‘Meanwhile, O king, Duhsasana rushed against the grandson

of Sini, scattering thousands of shafts like a mighty cloud pouring

torrents of rain. Having pierced Satyaki with sixty arrows and once more

with sixteen, he failed to make that hero tremble, for the latter stood

in battle, immovable as the Mainaka mountain. Accompanied by a large

throng of cars hailing from diverse realms, that foremost one of

Bharata’s race shot numberless arrows, and filled all the points of the

compass with roars deep as those of the clouds. Beholding the Kaurava

coming to battle, Satyaki of mighty arms rushed towards him and shrouded

him with his shafts. They that were at the van of Duhsasana, thus covered

with those arrowy showers, all fled away in fear, in the very sight of

thy son. After they had fled away, O monarch, thy son Duhsasana, O king,

remained fearlessly in battle and began to afflict Satyaki with arrows.

And piercing the four steeds of Satyaki with four arrows, his charioteer

with three, and Satyaki himself with a hundred in that battle, Duhsasana

uttered a loud roar. Then, O monarch, Madhava, inflamed with rage, soon

made Duhsasana’s car and driver and standard and Duhsasana himself

invisible by means of his straight arrows. Indeed, Satyaki entirely

shrouded the brave Duhsasana with arrows. Like a spider entangling a gnat

within reach by means of its threads, that vanquisher of foes quickly

covered Duhsasana with his shafts. Then King Duryodhana, seeing Duhsasana

thus covered with arrows, urged a body of Trigartas towards the car of

Yuyudhana. Those Trigarta car-warriors, of fierce deeds, accomplished in

battle, and numbering three thousand, proceeded towards Yuyudhana. Firmly

resolved upon battle and swearing not to retreat, all of them encompassed

Yuyudhana with a large throng of cars. Soon, however, Yuyudhana struck

down five hundred of their foremost warriors stationed in the van of the

force as it advanced towards him in battle, shooting showers of arrows at

him. Speedily slain by that foremost one amongst the Sinis with his

shafts, these fell down, like tall trees from mountain-tops uprooted by a

tempest. And the field of battle, strewn with mangled elephants, O

monarch, and fallen standards, and bodies of steeds decked in trappings

of gold, and torn and lacerated with the shafts of Sini’s grandson and

weltering in blood, looked beautiful, O king, like a plain overgrown with

flowering Kinsukas. Those soldiers of thine, thus slaughtered by

Yuyudhana, failed to find a protector like elephants sunk in a morass.

Then all of them turned towards the spot where Drona’s car was, like

mighty snakes making towards holes from fear of the prince of birds.

Having slain those five hundred brave warriors by means of his shafts,

resembling snakes of virulent poison, that hero slowly proceeded towards

the place where Dhananjaya was. And as that foremost of men was thus

proceeding thy son Duhsasana quickly pierced him with nine straight

arrows. That mighty bowman then (Yuyudhana), pierced Duhsasana, in

return, with five straight and sharp arrows equipped with golden wings

and vulturine feather. Then Duhsasana, O Bharata, smiling the while,

pierced Satyaki, O monarch, with three arrows, and once more with five.

The grandson of Sini, then, striking thy Son with five arrows and cutting

off his bow proceeded smilingly towards Arjuna. Then Duhsasana, inflamed

with wrath and desirous of slaying the Vrishni hero, hurled at him, as he

proceeded, a dart made wholly of iron. Satyaki, however, O king, cut off,

with his shafts, equipped with Kanka feathers, that fierce dart of thy

son. Then, O ruler of men, thy son, taking up another bow, pierced

Satyaki with some arrows and uttered a loud roar. Then Satyaki excited

with wrath, stupefying thy son in that battle, struck him in the centre

of the chest with some shafts that resembled flames of fire. And once

more, he pierced Duhsasana with eight shafts made wholly of iron and

having very keen points. Duhsasana, however, pierced Satyaki in return

with twenty arrows. Then, the highly-blessed Satyaki, O monarch, pierced

Duhsasana in the centre of the chest with three straight arrows. And the

mighty car-warrior Yuyudhana, with some straight shafts slew the steeds

of Duhsasana; inflamed with wrath he slew, with some straight arrows,

the latter’s charioteer also. With one broad-headed arrow he then

cut off thy son’s bow, and with five arrows he cut the leathern fence

that encased his hand. Acquainted as he was with highest weapons,

Satyaki, then, with a couple of broad-headed shafts, cut off Duhsasana’s

standard and the wooden shafts of his car. And then with a number of keen

arrows he slew both the Parshni charioteers of thy son. The latter, then,

bowless and carless and steedless and driverless, was taken up by the

leader of the Trigarta warriors on his car. The grandson of Sini, then, O

Bharata, pursuing him a moment, restrained himself and slew him not, for

the mighty-armed hero recollected the words of Bhimasena. Indeed,

Bhimasena, O Bharata, vowed in the midst of the assembly the destruction

of all thy sons in battle. Then, O lord, Satyaki, having thus vanquished

Duhsasana, quickly proceeded, O king, along the track by which Dhananjaya

had gone before him.’”

The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 2 Books 4, 5, 6 and 7 · 第 120 / 200 章