that wrath with patience, that great bowman endued
with high renown then cut off Srutayush’s bow
at the grasp. And then, in the very sight of all
the troops, the king in that battle pierced Srutayush
whose bow had been cut off, with a long arrow in the
centre of the chest. And the mighty Yudhishthira
then, O king, speedily slew with his arrows the steeds
of Srutayush and then, without losing a moment, his
charioteer. Beholding the prowess of the king,
Srutayush leaving that car whose steeds had been slain,
quickly fled away from battle. After that great
bowman had been vanquished in combat by the son of
Dharma, all the troops of Duryodhana, O king, turned
their faces. Having, O monarch, achieved this
feat, Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, began to slay
thy troops like Death himself with wide-open mouth.
“Chekitana of the Vrishni race, in the very
sight of all the troops, covered with his shafts Gautama,
that foremost of car-warriors. Baffling all those
arrows, Kripa the son of Saradwat, pierced Chekitana
in return who was fighting with great care, O king,
with arrows in that battle. Then, O Bharata,
with another broad-headed arrow he cut off Chekitana’s
bow, and endued with great lightness of hand, he also
felled with another broad-headed arrow the former’s
charioteer. Kripa then, O monarch, slew Chekitana’s
steeds, as also both the warriors that protected the
latter’s wings. Then Chekitana of the Satwata
race, quickly jumped down from his car, and took up
a mace. The foremost of all wielders of the mace,
Chekitana, with that hero-slaying mace of his, slew
the steeds of Gautama and then felled his charioteer.
Then Gautama, standing on the ground, shot sixteen
arrows at Chekitana. Those arrows, piercing through
that hero of the Satwata race, entered the earth.
Thereat, Chekitana excited with rage, once more hurled
his mace, desirous of slaying Gautama, like Purandara
desirous of slaying Vritra. Then Gautama with
many thousands of arrows checked that huge mace, endued
with the strength of adamant, that was coursing towards
him. Then Chekitana, O Bharata, drawing his sabre
from the sheath, rushed with great speed towards Gautama.
Thereupon Gautama also, throwing away his bow, and
taking up a polished sabre, rushed with great speed
towards Chekitana. Both of them possessed of
great strength, and both armed with excellent sabres,
began to strike each other with those sharp-edged
weapons of theirs. Then those bulls among men,
struck with the force of each other’s sabres,
fell down on the earth, that (common) element of all
creatures. Exhausted by the efforts they had
made, the limbs of both were motionless in a swoon.
Then Karakarsha impelled by friendship, quickly rushed
to that spot. And that invincible warrior, beholding
Chekitana in that plight, took him up on his car in
the very sight of all troops. And so also the
brave Sakuni, thy brother-in-law, O monarch, speedily
caused Gautama, that foremost of car-warriors, to
mount on his car.