the flight of their troops and accompanied by a large
car-force attacked the vast force of Drona. Vibhatsu
attacking the right and Vrikodara the left, they both
poured on Bharadwaja’s son two dense showers
of arrows. The mighty car-warriors among the Srinjayas
and the Panchalas, with the Matsyas and the Somakas,
O king, followed the two brothers thus engaged (in
that encounter with Drona). Similarly, many foremost
of car-warriors, skilled in smiting, belonging to thy
son, accompanied by a large force, proceeded towards
Drona’s car (for supporting the latter).
Then the Bharata host, slaughtered by the diadem-decked
(Arjuna) and overcome with and afflicted by the darkness,
began to break. Thy son himself, and Drona, both
endevoured to rally them. Thy troops, however,
O king, could not be checked in their flight.
Indeed, that vast host, slaughtered by the shafts of
Pandu’s son, began to fly away in all directions
in that hour when the world was enveloped with gloom.
Many kings, abandoning the animals and vehicles they
rode, fled away on all sides, O monarch, overwhelmed
with fear’.”
“Sanjaya said ’Beholding Somadatta shaking
his large bow, Satyaki, addressing his driver, said,
’Bear me towards Somadatta. I tell thee
truely, O Suta, that I shall not return from battle
today without having slain that foe, viz., that
worst of the Kurus, the son of Valhika’.
Thus addressed, the charioteer then urged to battle
those fleet steeds of the Sindhu breed, white as conch
and capable of bearing every weapon. Those steeds
endued with the speed of the wind or the mind, bore
Yuyudhana to battle like the steeds of Indra, O king,
bearing the latter in days of yore when he proceeded
to quell the Danavas. Beholding the Satwata hero
thus advancing quickly in battle Somadatta, O king,
fearlessly turned towards him. Scattering showers
of shafts like the clouds pouring torrents of rain,
he covered the grandson of Sini like the clouds covering
the sun. Satyaki also, O bull of Bharata’s
race, in that encounter fearlessly covered that bull
amongst the Kurus with showers of shafts. Then
Somadatta pierced that hero of Madhu’s race with
sixty shafts in the chest. Satyaki, in turn,
O king, pierced Somadatta with many whetted arrows.
Mangled by each other with each-other’s shafts,
those two warriors looked resplendent like a couple
of flowering Kinsukas in the season of spring.
Dyed all over with blood, those illustrious warriors
of the Kuru and the Vrishni races looked at each other
with their glances. Riding on their cars that
coursed in circles, those grinders of foes, of terrible
countenances, resembled two clouds pouring torrents
of rain. Their bodies mangled and pierced all
over with arrows, they looked, O king, like two porcupines.
Pierced with countless shafts, equipped with wings
of gold, the two warriors looked resplendent, O monarch,
like a couple of tall trees covered with fire-flies.
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