The slaughter of Shrutayusha and Sudakshina

Sanjaya said Then that mighty car-warrior viz., Pritha's son, endued with great mighty and prowess, was opposed in the front by those warriors and quickly pursued from behind by Drona himself.

Then scattering his sharp shafts like the lustrous orb of the day scattering his rays, he afflicted that host of the Kurus like maladies afflicting the body.

On that occasion, horses were pierced, cars broken, elephants felled with their riders, umbrellas torn and chariots deprived of their wheels.

Afflicted with arrows, troops began to fly in all directions. Thus raged that terrible encounter between Arjuna on the one hand and the Kurus on the other. Nothing could then be distinguished.

Thus when they fought on, piercing one another in battle with straight coursing arrows, Arjuna, O king, made the hostile army tremble before him.

Ever firmly devoted to truth, Arjuna of white steeds, desirous of accomplishing his arrows vow rushed furiously against that best of carwarriors viz. Drona owning crimson steeds.

The preceptor Drona then pierced his disciple, that great bowman Arjuna, with twenty-five straight-flying that penetrated to the very vitals of the latter.

Thereat that foremost of all wielders of weapons viz., Vibhatsu quickly rushed against Drona shooting at the sametime arrows capable of checking the career of those shot by the latter.

Then Arjuna of generous soul discharging the Brahma weapons and with his Bhallas of close knots, repulsed the Valas so quickly shot at him by Drona.

Then we behold the wonderful skill of the preceptor Drona in the art of fighting, in as much as Arjuna, though youthful in years and exerting his best, could not pierce him in return..

Then like a mighty mass of clouds pouring down incessant showers of rain, the Dronacloud covered the Arjuna-mountain with his shower of arrows.

Invoking into existence of the Brahma weapon, the puissant Arjuna, O sire, received that shower of arrows, cutting of the arrows shot by his adversary with those of his own.

Then Drona afflicted him of the white steeds with five and twenty shafts; and with seventy swift-coursing. shafts he pierced Vasudeva's son on the arms and on the chest.

The highly intelligent son of Pritha then smiling the while, checked the preceptor in battle who incessantly shooting sharp arrows, was looking like a sea having shafts or its waves.

Thus afflicted by Drona, those two foremost of car-warriors (Krishna and Arjuna) shunned him who then resembled the irresistibly raging conflagration that appears at the end of every Yuga.

Then avoiding the aim of the whetted shafts shot from Drona's bow, the diadem-decked son of Kunti fell to slaughter the division of the Bhojas.

Shunning Drona who stood immovable like the Mainaka mountain, Arjuna then took his stand between Kritavarman and Sudakshina, the ruler of the Kambojas.

Then that foremost of men, the undaunted ruler of the Bhojas quickly pierced the invincible hero, the foremost of the descendants of Kuru (Arjuna), with ten arrows winged with Kanka feathers.

O king, Arjuna pierced him in battle with sharp shafts again with another three arrows he confounded the descendant of the Satvata race (Kritavarman).

Thereupon the king of the Bhojas smilingly pierced Pritha's son and Vasudeva of Madhus race, each with a group of twenty-five arrows.

Bursting open his bow, Arjuna pierced him with twenty-one arrows resembling tongues of blazing fire or infuriate snakes of virulent poison.

Thereat, O Bharata, the mighty car-warrior Kritavarman taking up another bow quickly pierced Arjuna on the chest with five arrows.

Then again with another five whetted arrows he pierced Pritha's son deeply. Then Partha also with nine arrows struck him between the breasts.

Beholding the son of Kunti engaged with the mighty-warrior Kritavarman, the descendant of the Vrishni race (Krishna) thought that there was no time to waste.

Thereafter Krishna addressing Pritha's son said-"Do not show any mercy to your kinsmen; setting at naught your relationship with him, do you slay and crush him down."

Thereat Arjuna stupefying Kritavarman with his arrows, plunged into the ranks of the Kamboja division, being borne by fleet steeds.

was Beholding Arjuna owning white steeds enter into the Kamboja division, the son of Hridika inflamed with rage. Then stretching his bow with arrows fixed on the string, he came up on the two Panchala princes.

Then with his arrows, Kritavarman opposed the two Panchala princes who were following in the wake of Arjuna, for protecting the wheels of his car.

The ruler of the Bhojas Kritavarman then pierced them both with sharp arrows, striking Yudhamanyu with three and Uttamaujas with four.

They both in return pierced him each with ten shafts. Then again Yudhamanyu with three and Uttamaujas with another three arrows.

Cut off Kritavarman's bow and standard. Thereat furious with rage and taking up another bow, the son of Hridika. Deprived both those warriors of the use of their bow and shrouded them in a net-work of arrows. They both in a moment having strung another pair of bows, began to strike the king of the Bhojas.

Meanwhile Arjuna had gone into the array of the hostile troops. But his two wheelprotectors held in check by Kritavarman, obtained no admission.

Into the divisions of the Dhritarashtra army though those two foremost of men exerted to the best of their abilities. Meanwhile that one of white steeds began to afflict in that battle the army opposed to him, with great agility.

That slayer of foes then did not slay Kritavarman though he had an opportunity for doing so. Then beholding him thus advance, the valorous king Shrutayusha.

Burning with rage and twanging his great bow, rushed furiously on him. He then pierced Partha with three and Janardana with seventy shafts.

And again with a sharp razor-headed arrow, he struck the standard of Pritha's son. Then with a group of ninety shafts of depressed knots Arjuna.

Inflamed with rage, pierced him like a Mahavata piercing a huge elephant with the hook. But, o king, he (Shrutayudha), did not tolerate that display of prowess by the son of Pandu.

And with a group of seven and seventy Narachas he struck his adversary. Thereat cutting of Shutrayusha's bow and shafts Arjuna inflamed with rage, struck him on the breast with seven arrows of depressed knots. Thereupon that king overwhelmed with rage and taking up another bow pierced the son of Vasava on the arms and the breast with nine long arrows. Then O Bharata, that subdue of foes viz., Arjuna afflicted Shrutayusha with many thousand, of arrows, smiling all the while; and that mighty car-warrior soon killed the latter's horses and charioteer.

And that highly puissant hero also pierced him with seventy Narachas. Thereupon leaving his chariot of which the steeds were slain, king Shrutayusha endued with great energy rushed againsi Pritha's son, heaving his huge mace over his head. The heroic king Shrutayusha and the son of Varuna having for his mother the mighty river of cool waters called Parnasa. O king, her mother, for the benefit of her son, had

“Let this son of mine be unslayable in battle by his enemies on earth.” Then Varuna gratified with her, had said-"I accord him the boon that will be highly beneficial to him.

I give to your son a celestial weapon by virtue of which he will be unslayable. Men could never obtain immortality on earth.

O foremost of rivers, every one who has taken his birth on the face of the earth must inevitable fall a prey to death. This son of yours, however, will ever be invincible by his foes in battle.

By virtue of this weapon; so let the fever corroding your heart he dismissed.” Having thus spoken, Varuna gave him a mace with all necessary aphorisms.

Obtaining which Shrutayusha became invincible in all the worlds. The illustrious lord of waters however again addressed him saying

This mace, O son, should not be directed against one who is not fighting, in which case it will fall back upon yourself; on such occasion, coursing in an opposite direction it will kill him who has hurled it.'

But when the time for using it came, Shrutayusha did not pay any heed to that injunction of Varuna and with that mace capable of crushing heroes, be began to strike Janardana.

The highly puissant Krishna received those strokes on his broad and well-developed shoulders; and that mace could not cause Shauri to tremble even as a tempest cannot shake a mountain.

Like some ill-accomplished feat of conjuration injuring the conjurer the mace turning to Shrutayusha, smote that heroic and enraged monarch stationed in his car.

And slaying that brave warrior it fell down on the ground. Shrutayusha being slain.

The troops began to utter loud wails of woe, for indeed they had seen that subduer of foes Shrutayusha slain by his own weapon.

As Shrutayusha O ruler of men had hurled the mace at Krishna who was not engaged in the battle, it slew him who had hurled it.

So Shrutayusha fell on the field even in the manner indicated by the words of Varuna and he fell down deprived of life before the eyes of all the bowmen present.

When falling, that dear-loved son of Parnasa appeared beautiful like a mighty tree of many branches uprooted by the tempest.

Then beholding that subduer of foes slain all the troops and their leading warriors began to fly away in all directions.

Thereafter the heroic Sudakshina the son of the Kamboja king rushed against that slayer of foes viz., Phalguna, being borne by fleet steeds.

At him, O Bharata, Pritha's son shot seven arrows, which penetrating through that hero, entered the surface of the earth.

Pierced deep by those sharp arrows shot from the Gandiva bow, he in return pierced Arjuna in battle with ten shafts furnished with the feathers of the Kanka bird.

He once more pierced Vasudeva's son with three and Partha with five arrows, then O Sire, Pritha's son bursting open his bow, cut down his standard;

And the son of Pandu pierced him with a couple of bhallas of exceeding sharpness. He also having pressed Pritha's son with three such arrows uttered a fierce yell.

Thereafter the brave Sudakshina inflamed with rage hurled at the wielder of the Gandiva bow, a lance, dreadful, tied with bells and made wholly of iron.

Having reached that mighty car-warriors Arjuna, that lance blazing like a mighty meteor and emitting scintillations of fore, penetrated through him and then fell down on the ground.

Pierced deep with that lance, Arjuna was overwhelmed with a swoon. Then in an instant, that highly puissant hero recovering soon enough began to lick the corners of his mouth.

Then Partha of inconceivable prowess pierced Sudakshina and his steeds standards, bow and charioteer with ten narachas furnished with the feathers of the Kanka bird.

And with innumerable other arrows he rendered the latter's chariot useless and cut it to pieces. The son of Pandu then with an arrow of exceeding sharpness pierced on the chest Sudakshina the Kamboja ruler whose purpose and prowess had both even baffled. Then with his armour shattered, trembling in all his limbs, with his crown and Angadas falling off.

That hero fell with head down wards like a flagstaff loosened from the socket. Like a charming Karnikara tree in the spring growing gracefully on the top of a hill, with beautiful branches, lying on the groved when uprooted by the tempest, the prince of the Kambojas lying on the bare ground deprived of life, through accustomed to sleep on the most precious bed.

Adorned with precious ornaments, graceful, possessing eyes of coppery hue, wearing round the head a tiara of gold radiant like the flames of fire, the mighty armed Sudakshina, the prince of the Kambojas, felled by Partha with his arrows, and lying dead on the ground, appeared beautiful like a charming hill with a flat summit.

Then beholding Shrutayusha and the prince of the Kambojas slain in battle, all the soldiers of your son's army began to fly in all directions.