borne by those excellent steeds of his that were white
as the moon or a conch. Indeed, O Bharata, none
amongst those that fought on thy side could resist
Yuyudhana of irresistible prowess, of might incapable
of impairment, of valour equal to that Of him of a
thousand eyes, and looking like the autumnal sun in
the firmament. Then that foremost of kings, viz.,
Sudarsana, conversant with all modes of warfare, clad
in golden coat of mail, armed with bow and arrows
and filled with rage, advanced against the rushing
Satyaki and endeavoured to check his course. Then
the encounter that took place between them was fierce
in the extreme. And both thy warriors and the
Somakas, O king highly applauded the encounter as
between Vritra and Vasava. Sudarsana endeavoured
to pierce that foremost one of the Satwata’s
in that battle with hundreds of keen shafts before
they could reach him. Similarly, Sudarsana, stationed
on his foremost of cars, cut off, by means of his
own excellent shafts in two or three fragments all
the shafts that Satyaki, resembling Indra himself,
sped at him. Beholding his shafts baffled by the
force of Satyaki’s shafts, Sudarsana of fierce
energy, as if to consume (his foe), wrathfully shot
beautiful arrows winged with gold. And once more
he pierced his enemy with three beautiful arrows resembling
fire itself and equipped with wings of gold, shot
from his bow-string drawn to the ear. Those piercing
through Satyaki’s armour, penetrated into the
latter’s body. Similarly, that (prince,
viz., Sudarsana), aiming four other blazing arrows,
smote therewith the four steeds of Satyaki that were
white as silver in hue. Thus afflicted by him
the grandson of Sini, endued with great activity and
possessed of prowess equal to that of Indra himself
speedily slew with his keen shafts the steeds of Sudarsana
and uttered a loud roar. Then cutting off with
a broad-headed arrow endued with the force of Sakra’s
thunder, the head of Sudarsana’s driver, the
foremost one amongst the Sinis. with a razor-faced
arrow resembling the Yuga-fire, cut off from Sudarsana’s
trunk his head graced with ear-rings, resembling the
moon at full, and decked with an exceedingly radiant
face, like the wielder of the thunder, O king, in days
of old, forcibly cutting off the head of the mighty
Vala in battle. That high-souled bull among the
Yadus then, endued with great activity thus slaying
that grandson of a prince, became filled with delight
and shone resplendent, O monarch, like the chief of
the celestials himself. Yuyudhana, then, that
hero among men, proceeded along the track by which
Arjuna had passed before him, checking (as he went)
by means of clouds of shafts, all thy troops, and
riding on that same car of his, O king, unto which
were yoked those excellent steeds and filling everybody
with amazement. All the foremost of warriors
there, assembled together, applauded that foremost
of amazing feats achieved by him, for he consumed
all foes that came within reach of his arrows, like
a conflagration consuming everything in its way.’”