The battle between Drona and Satyaki

Dhritarashtra said After that arrows shot by Drona had been severed and Dhristadyumna rescued by Yuyudhana that foremost of the Vrishnis, o Sanjaya.

What did the fierce bowman Drona, that foremost of all wielders of weapons, inflamed with wrath, do to the grandson of Sini that foremost of men?

Sanjaya said Then Drona, like a huge snake having wrath for his poison, the stretched bow for his wide open mouth, sharp Narachas for his teeth, whetted arrows for his fangs, with woves coppery in rage and breathing like a furnacethat undaunted warrior, borne by his fleet steeds of crimson hue that appeared to soar high into the heavens or get at the summit of the highest of mountains, advanced against Yuyudhana, scattering right and left his arrows furnished with golden wings.

Beholding the irresistible Drona-cloud having showers of arrows for its watery downpour, the rattle of Chariot-wheels for its rumbling noise, the stretched bow for its volume, numerous Narachas for its flashes of lightning, darts and scimitars for its thunder, wrath for the violent wind going before it and steeds for the hurricane driving it forward.

Make towards himself, that subjugator of hostile towns, the invincible and heroic grandson of Sini, smilingly addressing his charioteer said

Against this heroic Brahmana fallen off from all his duties, who is the refuge of the Dhritarashtras and the despeller of the sorrow and anxiety of their king,

Who is also he preceptor of all the princes and is ever boastful of his prowess, do rush cheerfully and quickly, being borne by steeds urged to the top of their speed?

Thereupon those best of steeds of argentine hue and of the fleetness of the wind, belonging that descendant of Madhus race, flew in all haste, towards Drona in that battle.

Then those two afflicters of foes Drona and Yuyudhana began to fight with each other, striking each other with many a thousand shafts.

Those two foremost of men enshrouded the Welkin in a net-work of arrows and those two heroes filled the ten points of the compass with their arrowy discharges.

Like two clouds at the expiration of summer pouring their contents on the Earth, they poured their showers of arrows on each other; the sun did not shine then, nor did the wind bow.

In consequence of these showers of arrows filling the firmament, in impenetrable and deep gloom created there that became unbearable to the other warriors.

was

When the arrows of those two foremost of those accomplished in the use of weapons, viz., Drona and Shini's grandson, had covered the world with that gloom. None could find any interval in the shooting of arrows by those two best of warriors.

The sound produced by the clashing of the showers of arrows shot by them, was heard there to resemble the rumble of the thunderbolt hurled by Indra himself,

The appearances of heroic warriors pierced with Narachas looked, O Bharata, like those of snakes of virulent poison, bit by other snakes.

The sound produced by the palm-strokes and twanging bows of those two accomplished warriors, was heard there. To resemble the sound that is produced by the incessant striking of the bolt of heaven on mountain summits.

The chariots of both those heroes, O king and their horses and charioteers being pierced with shafts of golden wings, became beautiful to look at.

O ruler of men, of effulgent and straightgoing Narachas, the down-pour was terrible and it resembled a shower of snakes of virulent poison, that have just cast off their slough.

The umbrellas of both those warriors were felled and their standards were also cut down. Both of them were bespattered with blood and both were desirous of obtaining victory.

With bodies steeped in blood and looking like two elephants in rut. They began to pierce each other with arrows capable of destroying life.

The din of battle caused by war-cries, shouts, roars and the sound of drums and the blare of conchs ceased, O mighty monarch, for none then uttered anything.

The troops became silent and warriors withdrew from the fight, filled with curiosity, men began to behold that single combat between those two heroes.

Car-warriors, elephant-drivers, horsemen and foot-soldiers surrounding those two foremost of men, began to witness that combat with fixed eyes.

The elephant-division as also the horse division stood still, so also the car-divisions stood still, arranging themselves in battle array.

Adorned with diverse kinds of pearls and corals, decked with jewels and gold adorned with standards and ornaments, with armour made of gold, with flags and pennons, with the precious caparisons of elephants, with fine blankets with effulgent and whetted weapons, with Chamaras decked with gold and silver, with warriors on the backs and necks of horse and elephants with garlands round the frontal globes of elephants and with circlets round their tusks, ( Bharata, the Kuru and the Pandava troops then looked like masses of clouds at the close of the summer seasons, decked with rows of cranes and numerous fireflies underneath them and beautified with rainbows and flashes of lightning.

O king, Our troops, as also those belonging to Yudhishthira, beheld that combat between Yuyudhana and the illustrious Drona.

Coming there on their sky-ranging cars, the gods headed by Brahma and Soma and hosts of Siddhas and Charanas and Vidyadharas and mighty reptiles, all saw that combat.

The backward and forward movements and the modes of fighting, o king, of those two foremost of heroes, filled all of them with wonder.

Displaying great lightness of hands, those two mighty heroes, namely Drona and Satyaki, pierced each other with each other's arrows.

Thereafter in that battle he of the Dasharha race cut-off the arrows shot by Drona with his strong and winged shafts; as also the bow of that highly effulgent warrior.

But in a wink's time, the son of Bharadvaja fixed the string on another bow; but that also Satyaki cut-off quickly. But again Drona stood ready with a bow in hand. As often however Drona strung his bow so often did Satyaki cut it off and this he did for full sixty-three times.

Satyaki with his formidable bow cut-off one hundred bows of Acharya. However, it was strange to guess the difference between two functions i.e. when Acharya shoot the arrow and when Satyaki cut-off it.

Thereupon in that battle, Drona beholding that superhuman feat thought in his mind thus.

Achieved by Yuyudhana, O king-'This force of weapon that I see in this foremost of the Satvata race is possible only in Rama, in Kartavirya, in Dhananjaya and in Bhishma'. So, Drona praised the prowess of that hero in his mind.

Then that foremost of the regenerate ones, that best of all wielders of weapons, namely Drona, as also the celestials with Indra himself at their head, were highly gratified at seeing the lightness of hands displayed by Satyaki, which resembled that of Vasava himself.

O ruler of men neither the gods nor the Gandharvas ever before beheld the like of that lightress of hands now displayed by the swiftly-moving Yuyudhana. Although they, the Siddhas and the Charanas, were cognisant of the feats of which Drona was capable.

Then taking up another bow, Drona that crusher of Kshatriyas that foremost of those acquainted with the use of weapons, O Bharata, placed some weapons on its string.

But repulsing Drona's weapons with the illusion of his own weapons, Satyaki pierced Drona with exceedingly sharp arrows; that indeed appeared marvellous.

Beholding that superhuman feat achieved by him in battle-feat which was incapable of being achieved by others and which displayed great tact, those amongst your warriors who were judges of skill, highly praised it.

Whatsoever weapon Drona discharged, Satyaki also discharged the same. Beholding this, scorcher of foes namely the preceptor fought with Satyaki diffidently.

Thereupon, O mighty monarch, that one who had reached the end of all military sciences, being inflamed with wrath invoked into existence a celestial weapon slaughtering Yuyudhana.

Beholding that dreadful and fiery dart capable of slaying the foe and of celestial make, that fierce bowman Satyaki invoked into existence the Varuna weapon.

Beholding them both using celestial weapons, the troops uttered loud cries of Alas weapon for and Oh; then the denizens of the air ceased to range through the sky.

When the Varuna and Agneva weapons were placed on their bow strings just at that moment, the lustrous orb of day went below the horizon.

Thereupon, king Yudhishthira and Bhimasena and the son of Pandu, (Arjuna) and Nakula and Sahadeva, rushed to the rescue of Satyaki.

Other warriors headed by Dhristadyumna and accompanied by Virata and his divisions so also the Matsyas and Shalvas quickly advanced upon Drona.

Thousands of princes, on the other hand, headed by Dushasana proceeded to help Drona who had been thoroughly encompassed by the foe.

Thereat, O king, the fight between your warriors and those of the Pandava, commenced anew. Then the earth became enveloped in a cloud of dust and in a net-work of arrows.

Everything being covered, nothing could any longer be distinguished. Thus when the troops were overwhelmed with dust, the battle raged in utter disregard of all rules of combat.