of foes, do thou determine which of these tasks should
first demand attention. Should we stay here (to
meet the advancing Pandava), or should we proceed
(towards Satyaki)? As regards Satyaki, he is now
far ahead of us.’ While the charioteer,
O sire, was speaking thus unto Bharadwaja’s
son, the grandson of Sini suddenly appeared to the
view, engaged in slaughtering a large number of car-warriors.
Those troops of thine, while being thus slaughtered
by Yuyudhana, in battle, fled away from Yuyudhana’s
car towards where Drona’s division was.
Those (other) car-warriors also with whom Duhsasana
had proceeded, all struck with panic, similarly rushed
to the spot where Drona’s car was seen.
“Sanjaya said, ’Beholding Duhsasana’s
car staying near his, the son of Bharadwaja, addressing
Duhsasana, said these words, ’Why, O Duhsasana,
are all these cars flying away? Is the king well?
Is the ruler of the Sindhus yet alive? Thou art
a prince. Thou art a brother of the king.
Thou art a mighty car-warrior. Why dost thou fly
away from battle? (Securing the throne to thy
brother), become thou that Prince-Regent. Thou
hadst formerly said unto Draupadi, ’Thou art
our slave, having been won by us at dice. Without
being confined to thy husbands, cast aside thy chastity.
Be thou a bearer of robes to the king, my eldest brother.
Thy husbands are all dead. They are as worthless
as grains of sesamum without kernel.’ Having
said these words then, why, O Duhsasana, dost thou
fly from battle now? Having thyself provoked
such fierce hostilities with the Panchalas and the
Pandavas, why art thou afraid in battle in the presence
of Satyaki alone? Taking up the dice on the occasion
of the gambling match, couldst thou not divine that
those dice then handled by thee would soon transform
themselves into fierce shafts resembling snakes of
virulent poison? It was thou that hadst formerly
applied diverse abusive epithets towards the Pandavas.
The woes of Draupadi have thee for their root.
Where now is that pride, that insolence, that brag
of thine? Why dost thou fly, having angered the
Pandavas, those terrible snakes of virulent poison?
When thou that art a brave brother of Suyodhana, are
intent on flight, without doubt, O hero, thou shouldst
today protect, relying on the energy of thy own arms,
this routed and panic-stricken Kaurava host.
Without doing this, thou, however, forsakest the battle
in fear and enhancest the joy of thy foes. O
slayer of foes, when thou that art the leader of thy
host, fliest away thus, who else will stay in battle?
When thou, its refuge, art frightened, who is there
that will not be frightened? Fighting with a
single warrior of the Satwata race, thy heart is inclined
towards flight from battle. What, however, O Kaurava,
wilt thou do when thou wilt see the wielder of Gandiva
in battle, or Bhimasena, or the twins (Nakula and
Sahadeva)? The shafts of Satyaki, frightened
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