Bhishma-Vadha Parva — Combat between Bhishma and Satyaki,

Sanjaya said Then that foremost of of men Arjuna, conveyed, with his whetted shafts, the kings that followed Susharma to the abode of the lord of departed spirits.

Thereupon in that battle Susharma pierced Pritha's son with many shafts; he then pierced the son of Vasudeva with seventy shafts and Arjuna again with nine.

Baffling those arrows with his showers of arrows, that mighty car-warrior, the son of Shakra, dispatched the warriors that supported Susharma to the mansion of Death.

Thus slaughtered by Pritha's son, as if by the Destroyer himself at the expiration of a Yuga, those mighty car-warriors, seized with panic, ran from the field of battle.

Some leaving their horses, some their cars, and some their elephants. O sire, fled in all the directions of the compass.

Others, on the other hand, seizing steeds, elephants and chariots in that battle, fled away, O ruler of men, at the top of their speed.

In that fierce fight, foot-soldiers, abandoning their weapons, and without paying any heed to any one, fled, O Bharata, hither and thither.

Through they were repeatedly forbidden by the Trigarta ruler Susharma as also by many other foremost sovereigns they did not tarry on the field any longer.

Seeing that army thus routed, your son Duryodhana, placing Bhishma at the head of all the troops, and himself marching in the van.

Assaulted Dhananjaya putting forth all his energies, desirous of saving, o ruler of men, the life of the king of the Trigaretas.

Susharına alone, accompanied by his brother, was standing against Arjuna in battle, scattering various kinds of shafts, the rest of his men having ran away.

So also, O king, the Pandavas, clad in armour, rushed, with all their energies, to the spot where Bhishma was, desirous of rescuing Partha.

Though perfectly cognisant of the dreadful prowess of the Pandava heroes with loud cries of 'Oh!' and 'Alas!' advanced towards Bhishma from all sides.

Then that hero, owning the standard bearing the device of the palmyra tree, covered the Pandava host in that battle with straightknotted shafts.

When the sun reached the meridian, O mighty sovereign, the Kurus mingling pell-mell with the Pandavas fought on fiercely.

Then the heroic Satyaki piercing Kritavarina with five swift-coursing arrows stood in the field shooting shafts by hundreds and by thousands.

So also king Drupada piercing Drona with sharp shafts again pierced the latter with seventy shafts and his charioteer with five shafts.

Bhimasena, piercing the Balhika king, his great grandsire, uttered his war-cry that resembled the tiger's roar in the woods.

The son of Arjuna being pierced by Chitrasena with many swift-coursing arrows, pierced him in return on the breast with three shafts.

Encountering one another in battle, those two foremost of men, appeared beautiful, O king, like Venus and Saturn shining in the heavens.

Then that slayer of hostile heroes, that son of Subhadra, endued with prowess, slaying Chitrasena's four steeds and charioteer with nine shafts, uttered his fierce war-cry.

Then that mighty car-warrior Chitrasena, jumping down with agility from the car of which the steeds were slain, ascended with quickness, O ruler of men, the chariot of Durmukha.

The highly puissant Drona also penetrating Draupada with straight shafts, pierced with quickness the latter's charioteer.

Thereupon king Drupada thus afflicted before the army, fled, borne away by fleet steeds, remembering his former enmity.

Bhimasena in a moment deprived king Balhika of his horses, car and driver, before the very eyes of the troops.

Thus involved in a perilous situation and seized with panic, O mighty monarch, that foremost of me Balhika, jumping down from his own vehicle,

Ascended, in that fierce battle, that of Lakshmana. Satyaki, having repulsed Kritavarma in battle,

Approached the grandsire Bhishma, shooting various kinds of arrows. Then he, having pierced the grandsire with sixty whetted shafts furnished with feathery wings,

Seemed to dance on the terrace of his car, wielding his massive bow. Thereupon the grandsire hurled at him a mighty lance made entirely of iron,

Decked with gold, charged with great velocity and loO king beautiful like a daughter of a Naga. (Beholding) that irresistible lance swiftly course towards himself like death itself,

That high formed hero of the Vrishni race baffled it with the swiftness (of his movements); and that dreadful lance, even without reaching him of the Vrishni race,

O king! Satyaki also picked up the Sakti having golden radiance and threw it with full might on the chariot of Bhishma. That Sakti so thrown with full might by Satyaki rushed rapidly towards Bhishma in that great war. It appeared as if the Kalaratri (the night of devastation) is forwarding to grip the man.

Flew swiftly, like the last night (of worldly existence) of a doomed man. Then 0 Bharata, Bhishma cut in twin that swift coursing lance,

With two sharp arrows having horse shoeheads; and the lance fell down on the ground. Having severed that lance, the son of Ganga, that grinder of foes, waxing wroth and smiling the while, pierced Satyaki on the breast with nine arrows. Thereupon with all their chariots, elephants and horses, the Pandavas, O elder brother of Pandu,

Surrounded Bhishma on all sides, in order to rescue him of Madhu's race. Then between the Kurus and the Pandavas, both desirous of securing victory, commenced a fierce fight making the hair stand erect.