of foes, Duryodhana, also became highly enraged with
Partha. Beholding both Duryodhana and Dhananjaya
enraged with each other, all the Kshatriyas, of fierce
forms, began to look at them from all sides.
Seeing Partha and Vasudeva both filled with rage,
thy son, O sire, desirous of battle, smilingly challenged
them, then he of Dasarha’s race became filled
with joy, and Dhananjaya also, the son of Pandu, became
cheerful. Uttering loud roars, they both blew
their foremost of conchs. Seeing them thus cheerful,
all the Kauravas became hopeless of thy son’s
life. Indeed, all the Kauravas, and many even
amongst the enemy, became possessed with grief, and
regarded thy son as a libation already poured into
the mouth of the (sacred) fire. Thy warriors,
seeing Krishna and the Pandava so cheerful I loudly
exclaimed, afflicted with fear, ‘The king is
slain.’ ‘The king is slain.’
Hearing that loud uproar of the warriors, Duryodhana
said, ’Let your fears be dispelled. I will
despatch the two Krishnas unto the region of death.’
Having told all his warriors these words, king Duryodhana.
then, expectant of success, addressed Partha angrily
and said these words: ’If, O Partha, thou
art begotten by Pandu apply upon me, without loss of
time, all the weapons, celestial and earthly, that
Kesava also hath of either, upon me. I wish to
see thy manliness. They speak of many feats achieved
by thee out of our view. Show me those feats that
have won the applause of many endued with great heroism!’”
“Sanjaya said, ’Saying these words, king
Duryodhana pierced Arjuna with three shafts of great
impetuosity and capable of penetrating into the very
vitals. And with four others he pierced the four
steeds of his foe. And he pierced Vasudeva in
the centre of the chest with ten shafts, and cutting
off, with a broad-headed arrow, the whip in the latter’s
hands, he felled it on the ground. Then Partha,
coolly and without losing a moment, shot at him four
and ten shafts whetted on stone and equipped with
beautiful feathers. All those shafts, however,
were repelled by Duryodhana’s armour. Beholding
their fruitlessness, Partha once more sped at him
nine and five arrows of keen points. But these
too were repelled by Duryodhana’s armour.
Seeing eight and twenty arrows of his become abortive,
that slayer of hostile heroes, viz., Krishna said
unto Arjuna, these words: ’I see a sight
never before witnessed by me, like the movements of
the hills. Shafts sped by thee, O Partha, are
becoming abortive. O bull of Bharata’s
race, hath thy Gandiva decayed in power? Have
the might of thy grasp and the power of thy arms become
less than what they were. Is not this to be thy
last meeting with Duryodhana? Tell me, O Partha,
for I ask thee. Great hath been my amazement,
O Partha, upon seeing all these shafts of thine fall
towards Duryodhana’s car, without producing
the slightest effect. Alas, what misfortune is
this that these terrible shafts of thine that are
endued with the might of the thunder and that always
pierce the bodies of foes, fail in producing any effect.’