Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) (24 page)

‘“Yudhishthira replied, ‘O mighty-armed one! O Madhava! It is exactly as you say. O venerable one! But on account of the one with the white horses, my mind is not at rest. I will take the utmost care in protecting myself. Commanded by me, go to the spot where Dhananjaya is. Using my intelligence, I have reflected on both—protecting myself in this battle and going towards Arjuna. I think you should go. Therefore, prepare yourself to go where Dhananjaya has gone. The immensely strong Bhima will perform the task of protecting me. O son! There is no doubt that Droupadi’s sons will also protect me. There are the five brothers from Kekaya and the rakshasa Ghatotkacha, Virata, Drupada and maharatha Shikhandi. O venerable one! There are the powerful Dhrishtaketu and Kuntibhoja, Nakula, Sahadeva, the Panchalas and the Srinjayas. O son! There is no doubt that all these assembled ones will protect me. Drona with his soldiers, or Kritavarma, will not be capable of oppressing me in this battle. In the battle, Dhrishtadyumna, the scorcher of enemies, will display his valour and hold back the enraged Drona, like the shoreline against the abode of makaras.
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When Parshata, the destroyer of enemy heroes, is stationed in the battle, Drona and his soldiers will never be able to assail us forcibly. He
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has arisen from the fire for Drona’s destruction, sporting armour, arrows, sword, bow and the best of ornaments. O Shini’s descendant! Go without any anxiety. Do not be anxious on my account. In the battle, Dhrishtadyumna will repulse the angry Drona.’”’

‘Sanjaya said, “On hearing these words of Dharmaraja, the bull among the Shini lineage was afraid that Partha
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would
censure him if he abandoned the king. But he especially thought that the worlds would speak of him as being a coward, if he did not go towards Phalguna. Having thought about this in many ways, Satyaki, unassailable in battle and bull among men, spoke these words to Dharmaraja. ‘O lord of the earth! If you think that this will ensure your protection and make sure that you are safe, I will follow Bibhatsu and act in accordance with your words. O king! I tell you truthfully that there is nothing in the three worlds that is dearer to me than Pandava.
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O one who provides honours! As you have instructed, I will follow in his footsteps. There is nothing that I will not do for your sake. O supreme among men! The words of my preceptor are special. But your words are even more special for me. O bull among kings! Know that your brothers, Krishna and Vasudeva, are always engaged in doing what brings you pleasure and base themselves on your welfare. O lord! For Arjuna’s sake, I accept your words on my head. O supreme among men! I will penetrate these impenetrable soldiers. I will angrily pass through Drona’s array, like a fish through the ocean. O king! I will go to the spot where King Jayadratha is. He is stationed in the assembly of soldiers there, frightened of Pandava. He is protected by the best of rathas there—Drona’s son, Karna, Kripa and the others. O lord of the earth! I think that the spot where Partha is, prepared to slay Jayadratha, is three yojanas from here. But though he has advanced three yojanas, I will follow in his footsteps. O king! Firm in my resolution, I will remain there until he has killed Jayadratha. Instructed by his superiors, which man does not fight, not to speak of someone like me? O king! I have been commanded by you. O lord! I know the spot to which I have to go. This ocean of soldiers is full of iron rods, spears, clubs, lances, swords, shields, javelins, arrows and the best of weapons, but I will agitate it. You can see that there is an array of elephants, with one thousand of them. They have been born in the lineage known as Anjana
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and are valorous. They are mounted by many mlecchas, who are armed and find delight in battle. O king! These elephants
have the complexion of clouds and are exuding like clouds.
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If they are urged by the elephant-riders, they never retreat. O king! They cannot be vanquished until they have been killed. O king! You can see the rathas. These maharathas are princes and have the name of Rukmarathas.
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O lord of the earth! They are skilled in fighting on chariots and on elephants. They are supreme in knowledge of fighting and are skilled in fighting with their fists. They are accomplished in fighting with clubs and also skilled in fighting at close quarters.
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They have swords as weapons and can attack with the sword and the shield. These brave ones are skilled in knowledge and seek to rival one another. O king! They always vanquish a large number of men in battle. O king! They were vanquished by Karna and follow Duhshasana. They were applauded by Vasudeva as supreme rathas. They always seek to do that which brings Karna pleasure and follow his instructions. O king! It is on his instructions that they retreated from their pursuit of the one with the white horses. They have no wounds and are not exhausted. They possess strong armour and bows. On the commands of Dhritarashtra’s son, they are certainly waiting for me. O Kourava! For the sake of bringing you pleasure, I will crush them in the battle. I will then follow Savyasachi’s footsteps. O king! There are seven hundred other elephants that you can see. They are armoured and are ridden by
kirata
s.
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To protect his life, the king of the kiratas had earlier ornamented them and presented them to Savyasachi, together with many servants. O king! They have performed many hard deeds for you earlier. Behold the vagaries of time that they are now battling against you. These elephants are ridden by kiratas, who are invincible in battle. All of them are skilled in handling elephants and descended from Agni. Savyasachi defeated all of them in a battle earlier. They follow Duryodhana’s instructions and are carefully waiting for me now. O king! These
kiratas are invincible in battle, but I will shatter them with my arrows. I will follow Pandava, as he is engaged in Saindhava’s death. These other extremely great elephants have been born in Anjana’s lineage. They are both harsh and humble and their temples and mouths are exuding. Their armour is completely made out of gold and they are well ornamented. O king! In a battle, they succeed in accomplishing their objectives and are like Airavata. They hail from the northern mountains, and fierce
dasyu
s
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are astride them. They are harsh and supreme warriors and their armour is made out of black iron. There are also those who have been born from cows and those who have been born from monkeys. There are others who have been born from other species and those who have been born as humans. That army, which seems to have the complexion of smoke from a distance, consists of mlecchas who reside in fortresses in the Himalayas. They are the performers of evil deeds. Duryodhana obtained them and this large number of elephants, together with Kripa, Somadatta’s son, Drona, supreme among rathas, the king of Sindhu and Karna. He disregards the Pandavas. Driven by destiny, he thinks himself to be successful. But those that I have named will be within the reach of my iron arrows. O Kounteya! They will not escape from me, even if they possess the speed of thought. He
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has always drawn sustenance from the valour of others and honours them. But they will be afflicted by arrows, and destruction confronts them. O king! You can see the rathas with golden standards. They are difficult to resist and are famous by the name of Kambojas. They are brave and skilled in knowledge. They are devoted to the science of fighting. They desire each other’s welfare and have assembled firmly. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! These angry ones constitute one akshouhini for Dhritarashtra’s son. They are stationed for my sake and are protected by the brave ones among the Kurus. O great king! They are not distracted and have presented themselves before me. I will destroy them, like a fire against straw. O king! Therefore, let those who prepare chariots make my chariot ready and equip it with all
the implements, as has been decreed by those who prepare chariots. Let all the different weapons used in war be placed. But compared to what the instructors have said, let five times the number be placed on the chariot. I will have to clash against and kill the Kambojas, who are as angry as venomous serpents. They possess many weapons and fight with many different kinds of weapons. I will have to clash against the kiratas, who are skilled in striking and like poison. They have always been nurtured by King Duryodhana and have his welfare in mind. I will have to clash against the Shakas, who are like Shakra in their valour. They are as unassailable as the fire and blaze like fires. There are many other warriors, who are as difficult to resist as time. O king! I will clash against many such invincible ones in the battle. Therefore, let the best of horses again be yoked to my chariot. Let them be without exhaustion. Let them bear auspicious marks. Let them be groomed and watered.’

‘“The king arranged for all the equipment and all the implements to be placed on the chariot. There were many different kinds of weapons. Skilled men unyoked all the well-trained horses. They were given tasty water and fed. After this, they were fanned. When they had drank and bathed, they were adorned with golden garlands. Stakes were plucked out from the four horses. Those handsome and swift-coursing horses were dressed in golden harnesses. They were cheerful and well trained and were yoked to the chariot. The giant standard, with the mark of a lion with golden manes, was erected. Pennants decorated with gold, gems and colourful coral were fastened. There was an ornamented flag, with the complexion of a white cloud. There was an umbrella with a golden staff and there were many weapons. With many golden trappings, the horses were duly yoked to the chariot. Daruka’s
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younger brother was the charioteer and was also his
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beloved friend. Like Matali to Vasava, he came and reported that the chariot had been yoked. Having bathed, Satyaki, supreme among handsome ones, purified himself. He performed the auspicious ceremonies and gave away one thousand nishkas of gold
to
snataka
s.
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They blessed him. He drank
madhuparka
²¹¹
and
kailavata
liquor.
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His eyes were red and his eyes were unsteady because of the intoxication. The brave one touched the brass and his joy increased.
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His energy doubled and he blazed like a fire. The supreme of rathas slung the bow around his hips and picked up the arrows. He was armoured and ornamented and the brahmanas pronounced benedictions on him. Beautiful maidens honoured him by showering parched rice, fragrances and garlands on him. He joined his hands in salutation and touched Yudhishthira’s feet. He
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inhaled the fragrance of his head. He then ascended the giant chariot. The horses were cheerful and well fed and were as fleet as the wind. They were from the Sindhu region and bore him on that victorious chariot. Satyaki’s limbs were full of cheer and he spoke to Bhima. ‘O Bhima! Protect the king. That is your supreme duty. I will pierce through this army, which has been ripened by time. I will proceed and it is your supreme duty to protect the king. O destroyer of enemies! You know my valour and I know yours. O Bhima! Return and let me accomplish my desired objective.’
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Having been thus addressed, he
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replied, ‘O Satyaki! Go and accomplish your objective. O supreme among men! I will perform the task of protecting the king.’ Having been thus addressed, Madhava said to Bhimasena. ‘O Partha! Go! Go swiftly. It is certain that victory will be mine, since you are obedient, affectionate and devoted to me today. O Bhima! That is what these auspicious portents are telling me. There is no doubt that the wicked Saindhava will be slain by the great-souled Pandava and that I will embrace the king who has dharma in his soul.’ Having thus addressed Bhima, the great-minded
one took his leave. He glanced towards your soldiers, like a tiger towards a mass of deer. O lord of men! On seeing his glances, your soldiers were extremely confounded and began to tremble. Thus did Satyaki suddenly descend on your soldiers. O king! On Dharmaraja’s instructions, he wished to see Arjuna.”’

‘Sanjaya said, “O great king! Wishing to fight, Yuyudhana advanced against your soldiers. Dharmaraja, surrounded by his own soldiers, advanced towards Drona’s chariot, wishing to follow Yuyudhana from the rear. The son of the king of Panchala
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was indomitable in battle. In the midst of the army of the Pandavas, he and King Vasudana loudly shouted, ‘Come! Strike! Advance swiftly against the enemy, so that Satyaki, indomitable in battle, can pass through easily. Many maharathas will endeavour to vanquish him.’ Having said this, they descended forcefully on your army. ‘We will defeat those who advance against him.’
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A great sound then arose from the direction of Yuyudhana’s chariot and this made your son’s forces tremble mightily. O great king! They were shattered into a hundred fragments by Satvata. Shini’s maharatha grandson shattered them and crushed seven brave and great archers who were stationed at the forefront of the army. They were terrified, crushed and routed by the long-armed one. On seeing that superhuman one, the brave ones fled from the field of battle. O venerable one! Chariots were shattered and seats on chariots broken. Wheels were shattered and umbrellas and standards brought down. O lord of the earth! There were flags, bumpers and golden helmets. There were arms smeared with sandalwood paste, with armlets. O supreme among men! The thighs of men were strewn around on the ground. They were like the trunks of elephants, or the tapering bodies of serpents. O descendant
of the Bharata lineage! There were handsome faces with earrings and eyes like bulls, with complexions like that of the moon. They fell down and made the earth look beautiful. There were many mangled elephants, lying down like mountains. They were wounded severely and were strewn around on the ground, like elephants. Their harnesses were made of gold and they were garlanded with strings of pearls. The colourful breast plates of the horses were beautiful. They were destroyed by the long-armed one and having lost their lives, fell down on the ground. Satvata slew diverse kinds of your soldiers. Having penetrated your soldiers, he violently drove that army away.