Shalya Parva — The fight between Dhristadyumna and Duryodhana

Sanjaya said With his Gandiva, Dhananjaya baffled the purpose of those unretreating heroes struggling in battle and striking their enemies.

The arrows shot by Arjuna, irresistible and endued with great force and whose touch was like that of the thunder, resembled torrents of rain poured by a cloud.

That army, O chief of the Bharatas' thus struck by Kiritin, fled away before the very eyes of your son.

Some deserted their father and brothers and others their comrades. Some car-warriors lost their animals. Others lost their drivers. Some had their poles or yokes of wheels broken, O king.

The arrows of some were exhausted. Some were assailed with arrows. Some, though unwounded, fled in a body, stricken with fear.

Some tried to rescue their sons, having lost all their kinsmen and animals. Some loudly called their father, some their comrades and followers.

Some fled, leaving behind their kinsmen, O foremost of men and brothers and other relatives.

Many great car-warriors, struck with Partha's arrows and deeply wounded therewith, breathed hard, deprived of their senses.

Others, taking them up on their own cars and soothing them for some time and resting them and satisfying their thirst by offering them drink, once more proceeded to battle.

Leaving behind the wounded, some, incapable of being easily defeated in battle once more advanced to battle desirous of carrying out the commands of your son.

Some, having satisfied their thirst or rested their animals and some wearing (flesh) armours, O chief of the Bharatas and some, having comforted their brothers and sons and father and placed them in camp, once more came to battle.

Some, arranging their cars in order, O king, of superiors and inferiors, proceeded against the Pandavas once more for battle.

On their cars adorned with rows of bells, those heroes shone like Daityas and Danavas desirous of conquering the three worlds.

Some, advancing quickly on their cars decked with gold, fought with Dhrishtadyumna amid the Pandava army.

The Panchala prince Dhrishtadyumna and the great car-warrior Shikhandin and Shatanika the son of Nakula, fought with the car-division of the enemy.

Worked up with rage and supported by a large army, the Panchala prince rushed against your infuriated soldiers from desire of killing them.

Then your son, O king, discharged many arrows, O Bharata, at the Panchala prince thus rushing at hiin.

Then O king, Dhrishtadyumna was quickly cut with many arrows in his arms and chest by your son fighting with his bow.

Deeply cut therewith like an elephant with pointed lances, then great bowman then killed with his arrows the four horses of Duryodhana. With another broad-headed arrow he sundered, from his trunk; the head of his enemy's driver.

Then that grinder of foes, viz., king Duryodhana, having thus lost his car, rode on horseback and retreated to a little distance.

Beholding his own army thus enfeebled, your son, the mighty Duryodhana, O king, proceeded where Subala's son was.

When the Kaurava cars were broken, the thousand huge elephants encompassed those car-warriors, viz., the five Pandavas.

Encompassed by that elephant, O Bharata, the five brothers looked beautiful, O foremost of men, like the planets surrounded by the clouds.

Then the mighty-armed Arjuna, O king, of sure aim, having Krishna for his driver and white horses, advanced on his car.

Surrounded by mountain-like elephants he began to destroy those animals with his keen and polished arrows.

Each killed with a single arrows, we saw those huge elephants fallen or falling down, wounded by Savyasachin.

The powerful Bhimasena, himself like an infuriate elephant, seeing those elephants, took up his formidable mace and rushed at them, quickly jumping down from his car, like the Destroyer armed with his club.

Seeing that great car-warrior of the Pandavas with uplifted mace, your soldiers were possessed by fear and passed urine and excreta.

The whole army were agitated upon seeing Bhimasena armed with mace. We then saw those elephants, huge as hills, running hither and thither, with their frontal globes cut open by Bhima with his mace and all their limbs covered with blood.

Struck with Bhima's mace, those elephants, running off from him, dropped down crying like mountains with their wings cut off.

Beholding those numberless elephants, with their frontal globes cut open, running hither and thither or falling down your soidiers were possessed by fear.

Then Yudhishthira also, worked up with anger and the two sons of Madri, began to kill those elephant-warriors with arrows having wings like those of vultures.

Dhrishtadyumna, after the defeat of the Kuru king in battle and after the fight of the latter from that spot of horse-back, saw that the Pandavas had all been encircled by the Kaurava elephants.

Beholding this, O king, Dhrishtadyumna, the son of the Panchala king proceeded towards those elephants to kill them.

In the meantime not seeing Duryodhana in the midst of the car-force, Ashvathaman and Kripa, the Kritavarman of the Satwata race, asked all the Kshatriyas, saying-"Where had Duryodhana gone.'

Not seeing the king in the midst of that onslaught all those great car-warriors took him for dead and therefore with sorrowful faces, they enquired after him.

Some told them that after the destruction of his driver, he had gone to Subala's son.

Others, who had been greatly wounded said-"What necessity is there with Duryodhana. See, if he is yet alive. Do you all fight in a body, what will the king do to you."

Other Kshatriyas, who were greatly wounded and who had lost many of their relatives and who were still being struck with the arrows of the enemy, said these words indistinctly.

"Let us kill these forces by whom we are encircled. See the Pandavas are coming here after having killed the elephants.

Hearing these words, the powerful Ashvatthaman, cutting through that irresistible force of the Panchala king, went with Kripa and Kritavarman, where Subala's son was. Infect leaving the car-force, those heroes, those firm bowmen, went to find out Duryodhana.

After their departure, the Pandavas, headed by Dhrishtadyumna, advanced, O king and began to kill their enemies.

Beholding those brave, heroic and powerful car-warriors rushing joyously towards them, your soldiers, whose faces grew pale, became despondent of their lives.

Beholding those soldiers of ours almost deprived of weapons and surrounded by the enemy, I myself, O king, having only two kinds of forces and caring for life, joined the five leaders of our army and fought with the forces of the Panchala prince and placed our men where Sharadvata's son was.

We had been cut with the arrows of Arjuna and still a fierce encounter took place between us and the army of Dhrishtadyumna. At last, defeated by the latter, all of us retreated from that battle.

I then beheld the great car-warrior Satyaki rushing against us. With four hundred cars that hero pursued me in battle.

Having escaped with difficulty from Dhrishtadyumna whose horses had been exhausted, I feel among the soldiers of Madhava even as a sinner falleth into hell. There a fierce and terrible encounter took place for a short time.

The mighty-armed Satyaki, having cut off my armour, thought of taking me alive. He caught me while I lay down on the ground insensible.

Then within a short time that elephant force was killed by Bhimasena with his mace and Arjuna with his arrows.

On account of those mighty elephants, huge as hills, falling down on every side with wounded limbs, the Pandava warriors found their way entirely blocked up.

Then the powerful Bhimasena, O king, dragging away those huge elephants, made a way for the Pandavas.

Meanwhile not seeing that chastiser of foes Duryodhana amid the car-division, Ashvatthaman and Kripa and Kritavarman of the Satwata race, tried to find out your royal son.

Leaving the prince of the Panchalas they proceeded where Subala's son was, anxious to see the king during that terrible onslaught.