“Sanjaya said, ‘After that army had (thus) been routed, and Arjuna and
Bhimasena had all gone after the ruler of the Sindhus, thy son
(Duryodhana) proceeded towards Drona. And Duryodhana went to the
preceptor, on his single car, thinking, by the way, of diverse duties.
That car of thy son, endued with the speed of the wind or thought,
proceeded with great celerity towards Drona. With eyes red in wrath, thy
son addressed the preceptor and said, “O grinder of foes, Arjuna and
Bhimasena, and unvanquished Satyaki, and many mighty car-warriors,
defeating all our troops, have succeeded in approaching the ruler of the
Sindhus. Indeed, those mighty car-warriors, who vanquished all the
troops, themselves unvanquished, are fighting even there. O giver of
honours, how hast thou been transgressed by both Satyaki and Bhima? O
foremost of Brahmanas, this thy defeat at the hands of Satwata, of
Arjuna, and of Bhimasena, is like the drying of the ocean, exceedingly
wonderful in this world. People are loudly asking, ‘How, indeed, could
Drona, that master of the science of arms, be vanquished?’ Even thus all
the warriors are speaking in depreciation of thee. Destruction is certain
for my luckless self in battle, when three car-warriors, O tiger among
men, have in succession transgressed thee. When, however, all this hath
happened, tell us what thou hast to say on the business that awaits us.
What hath happened, is past. O giver of honours, think now of what is
remaining. Say quickly what should next be done for the ruler of the
Sindhus on the present occasion, and let what thou sayest be quickly and
properly carried out.”
“‘Drona said, “Listen, O great king, to what I, having reflected much, say
unto thee about what should now be done. As yet only three great
car-warriors among the Pandavas have transgressed us. We have as much to
fear behind those three as we have to dread before them.[154] There,
however, where Krishna and Dhananjaya are, our fear must be greater. The
Bharata army hath been attacked both on the front and from behind. In
this pass, I think, the protection of the ruler of the Sindhus is our
first duty. Jayadratha, afraid of Dhananjaya, deserves of everything else
to be protected by us. The heroic Yuyudhana and Vrikodara have both gone
against the ruler of the Sindhus. All this that hath come is the fruit of
that match at dice conceived by Sakuni’s intellect. Neither victory nor
defeat took place in the (gaming) assembly. Now that we are engaged in
this sport, there will be victory or defeat. Those innocent things with
which Sakuni had formerly played in the Kuru assembly and which he
regarded as dice, were, in reality, invincible shafts. Truly, there
where, O sire, the Kauravas were congregated, they were not dice but
terrible arrows capable of mangling your bodies. At present, however, O
king, know the combatants for players, these shafts for dice, and the
ruler of the Sindhus, without doubt, O monarch, as the stake, in this
game of battle. Indeed, Jayadratha is the great stake about which we are
playing today with the enemy. Under the circumstances, therefore, O
monarch, all of us becoming reckless of our very lives, should make due
arrangements for the protection of the ruler of the Sindhus in battle.
Engaged as we are in our present sport, it is here that we shall have
victory or defeat, here, that is, where those great bowmen are protecting
the ruler of the Sindhus. Go thither, therefore, with speed, and protect
those protectors (of Jayadratha). As regards myself, I will stay here,
for despatching others (to the presence of Jayadratha) and checking the
Panchalas, the Pandus and the Srinjayas united together.” Thus commanded
by the preceptor, Duryodhana quickly proceeded (to the place indicated)
with his followers, resolutely setting himself to (the accomplishment of)
a fierce task. The two protectors of the wheels of Arjuna’s car, viz.,
the Panchala princes, Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas, were at that time
proceeding towards Savyasachin by the skirts of the Kuru array. Thou
mayest remember, O king, that formerly while Arjuna penetrated thy host
from desire of battle, those two princes, O monarch, had been checked in
their progress by Kritavarman. Now, the Kuru king beheld them proceeding
by the skirts of his host. The mighty Duryodhana of Bharata’s race lost
no time in engaging in a fierce battle with those two brothers thus
rushing furiously. Those two foremost of Kshatriyas, reputed as mighty
car-warriors, then rushed in that battle at Duryodhana, with outstretched
bows. Yudhamanyu pierced Duryodhana with twenty, and his four steeds with
four shafts. Duryodhana, however, with a single shaft, cut off
Yudhamanyu’s standard. And thy son then cut off the former’s bow also
with another shaft. And then with a broad-headed arrow, the Kuru king
felled Yudhamanyu’s charioteer from his niche in the car. And then he
pierced the four steeds of the latter with four shafts. Then Yudhamanyu,
excited with wrath, quickly sped, in that battle, thirty shafts at the
centre of thy son’s chest. Then Uttamaujas also, excited with wrath,
pierced Duryodhana’s charioteer with shafts decked with gold, and
despatched him to Yama’s abode. Duryodhana also, O monarch, then slew the
four steeds as also the two Parshni charioteers of Uttamaujas, the prince
of Panchalas. Then Uttamaujas, in that battle, becoming steedless and
driverless, quickly ascended the car of his brother, Yudhamanyu.
Ascending on the car of his brother, he struck Duryodhana’s steeds with
many shafts. Slain therewith, those steeds fell down on the earth. Upon
the fall of his steeds, the valiant Yudhamanyu then, by a mighty weapon,
quickly cut off Duryodhana’s bow and then (with another shaft), his
leathern fence. That bull among men then, viz., thy son, jumping down
from that steedless and driverless car, took up a mace and proceeded
against the two princes of Panchala. Beholding that subjugator of hostile
town, thus advancing in wrath, both Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas jumped down
from the terrace of their car. Then Duryodhana armed as he was with a
mace, pressed down into the earth with that mace that foremost of cars
furnished with gold, with steeds and driver and standard. Thy son then,
that scorcher of foes, having thus crushed that car, steedless and
driverless as he himself was, quickly ascended the car of the king of the
Madras. Meanwhile, those two mighty car-warriors, viz., those two
foremost Panchala princes, ascending on two other cars, proceeded towards
Arjuna.’”