“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding Satwata, invincible in battle coming (towards
Arjuna), Bhurisravas, in rage, O king, suddenly advanced towards him. He
of Kuru’s race, then, O king, addressing that bull of Sini’s race, said,
“By luck it is thou that hast today come within the range of my vision.
Today in this battle, I obtain the wish I had always cherished. If thou
dost not flee away from battle, thou wilt not escape me with life.
Slaying thee today in fight, thou that art ever proud of thy heroism, I
will, O thou of Dasarha’s race, gladden the Kuru king Suyodhana. Those
heroes, viz., Kesava and Arjuna, will today together behold thee lying on
the field of battle, scorched with my arrows. Hearing that thou hast been
slain by me, the royal son of Dharma, who caused thee to penetrate into
this host, will today be covered with shame. Pritha’s son, Dhananjaya,
will today behold my prowess when he sees thee slain and lying on the
earth, covered with gore. This encounter with thee hath always been
desired by me, like the encounter of Sakra with Vali in the battle
between the gods and the Asuras in days of old. Today I will give thee
dreadful battle, O Satwata! Thou shalt thence truly understand (the
measure of) my energy, might, and manliness. Slain by me in battle, thou
shalt today proceed to the abode of Yama, like Ravana’s son (Indrajit)
slain by Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama. Today, Krishna and
Partha and king Yudhishthira the Just, O thou of Madhu’s race, witnessing
thy slaughter will, without doubt, be overcome with despondency and will
give up battle. Causing thy death today, O Madhava, with keen shafts, I
will gladden the wives of all those that have been slain by thee in
battle. Having come within the scope of my vision, thou shalt not escape,
like a small deer from within the range of a lion’s vision.” Hearing
these words of his, Yuyudhana, O king, answered him with a laugh, saying,
“O thou of Kuru’s race, I am never inspired with fear in battle. Thou
shalt not succeed in terrifying me with thy words only. He will slay me
in battle who will succeed in disarming me. He that will slay me in
battle will slay (foes) for all time to come.[167] What is the use of
such idle and long-winded boast in words? Accomplish in deed what thou
sayest. Thy words seem to be as fruitless as the roar of autumnal clouds.
Hearing, O hero, these roars of thine, I cannot restrain my laughter. Let
that encounter, O thou of Kuru’s race, which has been desired by thee so
long, take place today. My heart, O sire, inspired as it is with the
desire of an encounter with thee, cannot brook any delay. Before slaying
thee, I shall not abstain from the fight, O wretch.” Rebuking each other
in such words, those two bulls among men, both excited with great wrath,
struck each other in battle, each being desirous of taking the other’s
life. Those great bowmen both endued with great might, encountered each
other in battle, each challenging the other, like two wrathful elephants
in rut for the sake of a she-elephant in her season. And those two
chastisers of foes, viz., Bhurisravas and Satyaki, poured upon each other
dense showers of arrows like two masses of clouds. Then Somadatta’s son,
having shrouded the grandson of Sini with swift coursing shafts, once
more pierced the latter, O chief of the Bharatas, with many keen shafts,
from desire of slaying him. Having pierced Satyaki with ten shafts,
Somadatta’s son sped many other keen shafts at that bull amongst the
Sinis, from a desire of compassing his destruction. Satyaki, however, O
lord, cut off, with the power of his weapons, all those keen shafts of
Bhurisravas, O king, in the welkin, before, in fact, any of them could
reach him. Those two heroes, those two warriors that enhanced the fame of
the Kurus and the Vrishnis respectively, both of noble lineage, thus
poured upon each other their arrowy showers. Like two tigers fighting
with their claws or two huge elephants with their tusks they mangled each
other with shafts and darts, such as car-warriors may use. Mangling each
other’s limbs, and with blood issuing out of their wounds, those two
warriors engaged in a gambling match in which their lives were at the
stake, checked and confounded each other. Those heroes of excellent
feats, those enhancers of the fame of the Kurus and the Vrishnis, thus
fought with each other, like two leaders of elephantine herds. Indeed,
those warriors, both coveting the highest region, both cherishing the
desire of very soon attaining the region of Brahman, thus roared at each
other. Indeed, Satyaki and Somadatta’s son continued to cover each other
with their arrowy showers in the sight of the Dhartarashtras filled with
joy. And the people there witnessed that encounter between those two
foremost of warriors who were fighting like two leaders of elephantine
herds for the sake of a she-elephant in her season. Then each slaying the
other’s steeds and cutting off the other’s bow, those car-less combatants
encountered each other with swords in a dreadful fight. Taking up two
beautiful and large and bright shields made of bull’s hide, and two naked
swords, they careered on the field. Stalking in circles and in diverse
other kinds of courses duly, those grinders of foes excited with rage,
frequently struck each other. Armed with swords, clad in bright armour,
decked with cuirass and Angadas, those two famous warriors showed diverse
kinds of motion. They wheeled about on high and made side-thrusts, and
ran about, and rushed forward and rushed upwards. And those chastisers of
foes began to strike each other with their swords. And each of them
looked eagerly for the dereliction of the other. And both of those heroes
leapt beautifully and both showed their skill in that battle, began also
to make skilful passes at each other, and having struck each other, O
king, those heroes took rest for a moment in the sight of all the troops.
Having with their swords cut in pieces each other’s beautiful shield, O
king, decked with a hundred moons, those tigers among men, engaged
themselves in a wrestling encounter. Both having broad chests, both
having long arms, both well-skilled in wrestling, they encountered each
other with their arms of iron that resembled spiked maces. And they
struck each other with their arms, and seized each other’s arms, and each
seized with his arms the other’s neck. And the skill they had acquired by
exercise, contributed to the joy of all the warriors that stood as
spectators of the encounter. And as those heroes fought with each other,
O king, in that battle, loud and terrible were the sounds produced by
them, resembling the fall of the thunder upon the mountain breast. Like
two elephants encountering each other with the end of their tusks, or
like two bulls with their horns, those two illustrious and foremost
warriors of the Kuru and the Satwata races, fought with each other,
sometimes binding each other with their arms, sometimes striking each
other with their heads, sometimes intertwining each other’s legs,
sometimes slapping their armpits, sometimes pinching each other with
their nails, sometimes clasping each other tightly, sometimes twining
their legs round each other’s loins, sometimes rolling on the ground,
sometimes advancing, sometimes receding, sometimes rising up, and
sometimes leaping up. Indeed, those two and thirty kinds of separate
manoeuvres that characterise encounters of that kind.
“‘When Satwata’s weapons were exhausted during his engagement with
Bhurisravas, Vasudeva said unto Arjuna, “Behold that foremost of all
bowmen, viz., Satyaki, engaged in battle, deprived of car. He hath
entered the Bharata host, having pierced through it, following in thy
wake, O son of Pandu! He hath fought with all the Bharata warriors of
great energy. The giver of large sacrificial presents, viz., Bhurisravas,
hath encountered that foremost of warriors while tired with fatigue.
Desirous of battle, Bhurisravas is about to encounter.” Then that warrior
invincible in battle, viz., Bhurisravas, excited with wrath, vigorously
struck Satyaki, O king, like an infuriated elephant striking an
infuriated compeer. Those two foremost of warriors, both upon their cars,
and both excited with wrath, fought on, king, Kesava and Arjuna
witnessing their encounter. Then the mighty-armed Krishna, addressing
Arjuna, said, “Behold, that tiger among the Vrishnis and the Andhakas has
succumbed to Somadatta’s son. Having achieved the most difficult feats,
exhausted with exertion, he hath been deprived of his car. O Arjuna,
protect Satyaki, thy heroic disciple. See that foremost of men may not,
for thy sake, O tiger among men, succumb to Bhurisravas, devoted to
sacrifices. O puissant one, speedily do what is needed.” Dhananjaya, with
a cheerful heart addressing Vasudeva, said, “Behold, that bull amongst
the Kurus and that foremost one among the Vrishnis are sporting with each
other, like a huge elephant mad with rage sporting with a mighty lion in
the forest.” While Dhananjaya the son of Pandu was thus speaking, loud
cries of oh and alas arose among the troops, O bull of Bharata’s race,
since the mighty-armed Bhurisravas, exerting vigorously struck Satyaki
and brought him down upon the ground. And like a lion dragging an
elephant, that foremost one of Kuru’s race, viz., Bhurisravas, that giver
of profuse presents at sacrifices, dragging that foremost one amongst the
Satwatas, looked resplendent in that battle. Then Bhurisravas in that
encounter, drawing his sword from the scabbard, seized Satyaki by the
hair of his head and struck him at the chest with his feet. Bhurisravas
then was about to cut off from Satyaki’s trunk his head decked with
ear-rings. For sometime, the Satwata hero rapidly whirled his head with
the arm of Bhurisravas that held it by the hair, like a potter’s wheel
whirled round with the staff. Beholding Satwata thus dragged in battle by
Bhurisravas. Vasudeva once more, O king, addressed Arjuna and said,
“Behold, that tiger among the Vrishnis and the Andhakas, that disciple of
thine, O mighty-armed one, not inferior to thee in bowmanship, hath
succumbed to Somadatta’s son. O Partha, since Bhurisravas is thus
prevailing over the Vrishni hero, Satyaki, of prowess incapable of being
baffled, the very name of the latter is about to be falsified.”[168] Thus
addressed by Vasudeva the mighty-armed son of Pandu, mentally worshipped
Bhurisravas in that battle, saying, “I am glad that, Bhurisravas, that
enhancer of the fame of the Kurus, is dragging Satyaki in battle, as if
in sport. Without slaying Satyaki that foremost one among the heroes of
the Vrishni race, the Kuru warrior is only dragging him like a mighty
lion in the forest dragging a huge elephant.” Mentally applauding the
Kuru warrior thus, O king, the mighty-armed Arjuna, the son of Pritha,
replied unto Vasudeva, saying, “My eyes having rested upon the
Sindhus, I could not, O Madhava, see Satyaki. I shall, however, for the
sake of that Yadava warrior, achieve a most difficult feat.” Having said
these words, in obedience to Vasudeva, the son of Pandu, fixed on Gandiva
a sharp razor-headed arrow. That arrow, shot by Partha’s hand and
resembling a meteor flashing down from the firmament, cut off the Kuru
warrior’s arm with the sword in the grasp and decked with Angada.’”