and therefore, fit to be used in close fight.
Those arrows of the measure of a span and fit to be
used in close fight, were known to Drona, O king!
And with them he succeeded in weakening Dhrishtadyumna.
The mighty Dhrishtadyumna, struck with a large number
of those arrows, quickly jumped down from Drona’s
car. Then, that hero of great prowess, his impetuosity
baffled, mounted upon his own car and once more took
up his large bow. And the mighty car-warrior
Dhrishtadyumna once more began to pierce Drona in that
battle. And Drona also, O monarch, began to pierce
the son of Prishata with his arrows. There. upon,
the battle that took place between Drona and the prince
of the Panchalas was wonderful in the extreme, like
that between Indra and Prahlada, both desirous of
the sovereignty of the three worlds. Both conversant
with the ways of battle, they careered over the field,
displaying diverse motions of their cars and mangling
each other with their shafts, And Drona and Prishata’s
son, stupefying the mind of the warriors, shot showers
of shafts like two mighty clouds (pouring torrents
of rain) in the rainy season. And those illustrious
warriors shrouded with their shafts the welkin, the
points of the compass, and the earth. And all
creatures,
viz., the Kshatriyas, O king, and all
the other combatants there, highly applauded that
battle between them. And the Panchalas, O king,
loudly exclaimed, ’Without doubt, Drona, having
encountered Dhrishtadyumna in battle, will succumb
to us. Then Drona, in that battle, quickly cut
off the head of Dhristadyumna’s charioteer like
a person plucking a ripe fruit from a tree. Then
the steeds, O king, of the high-souled Dhrishtadyumna
ran away and after those steeds had carried away Dhrishtadyumna
from the field, Drona, endued with great prowess,
began to rout the Panchalas and the Srinjayas in that
battle. Having vanquished the Pandus and the
Panchalas, Bharadwaja’s son of great prowess,
that chastiser of foes, once more took up his station
in the midst of his own array. And the Pandavas,
O lord, ventured not to vanquish him in battle.’
SECTION CXXII
“Sanjaya said, ’Meanwhile, O king, Duhsasana
rushed against the grandson of Sini, scattering thousands
of shafts like a mighty cloud pouring torrents of
rain. Having pierced Satyaki with sixty arrows
and once more with sixteen, he failed to make that
hero tremble, for the latter stood it, battle, immovable
as the Mainaka mountain. Accompanied by a large
throng of cars hailing from diverse realms, that foremost
one of Bharata’s race shot numberless arrows,
and filled all the points of the compass with roars
deep as those of the clouds. Beholding the Kaurava
coming to battle, Satyaki of mighty arms rushed towards
him and shrouded him with his shafts. They that
were at the van of Duhsasana, thus covered with those
arrowy showers, all fled away in fear, in the very
sight of thy son. After they had fled away, O