SECTION CXVIII

“Sanjaya said, ’Then that bull of Vrishni’s race, viz., the high-souled Satyaki of great intelligence, having slain Sudarsana, once more addressed his driver, saying, Having forded through the almost unfordable ocean of Drona’s division, teeming with cars and steeds and elephants, whose waves are constituted by arrows and darts, fishes by swords and scimitars and alligators by maces, which roar with the whiz of shafts and the clash of diverse weapons,—­an ocean that is fierce and destructive of life, and resounds with the noise of diverse musical instruments, whose touch is unpleasant and unbearable to warriors of victory, and whose margin is infested with fierce cannibals represented by the force of Jalasandha.—­I think, the portion of the array that remains may easily be forded like a poor stream of shallow water.  Urge thou the steeds, therefore, without fear.  I think, I am very near to Savyasachin.  Having vanquished in battle the invincible Drona with his followers, and that foremost of warriors, viz., the son of Hridika, I think, I cannot be distant from Dhananjaya.  Fear never comes to my heart even if I behold countless foes before me.  These to me are like a heap of straw and grass to a blazing conflagration in the woods.  Behold, the track by which the diadem-decked (Arjuna), that foremost one among the Pandavas, hath gone, is rendered uneven with large bodies of foot-soldiers and steeds and car-warriors and elephants lying slain on the ground.  Behold, routed by that high-souled warrior, the Kaurava army is flying away.  Behold, O charioteer, a dark brown dust is raised by those retreating cars and elephants and steeds.  I think, I am very near to Arjuna of white steeds having Krishna for his charioteer.  Hark, the well-known twang of Gandiva of immeasurable energy is being heard.  From the character of the omens that appear to my view, I am sure that Arjuna will slay the ruler of the Sindhus before the sun sets.  Without causing their strength to be spent, urge the steeds slowly to where those hostile ranks are staying, that is, to where yonder warriors headed by Duryodhana, their hands cased in leathern fences, and yonder Kamvojas of fierce deeds, clad in mail and difficult of being defeated in battle, and those Yavanas armed with bow and arrows and skilled in smiting, and under Sakas and Daradas and Barbaras and Tamraliptakas, and other countless Mlecchas, armed with diverse weapons, are,—­to the spot (I repeat) where, indeed, yonder warriors headed by Duryodhana, their hands cased in leathern fences,—­are waiting with their faces turned towards me and inspired with the resolution of battling with me.  Regard me to have already passed through this fierce fastness, O Suta, having slain in battle all these combatants with cars and elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers that are amongst them.’