with ten. Having shown for a short while some
regard for the preceptor’s son in that great
battle, Vibhatsu then, smiling the while, stretched
his bow Gandiva with force. Soon, however, the
mighty car-warrior Savyasaci (Arjuna) made his adversary
steedless and driverless and carless, and without
putting forth much strength pierced him with three
arrows. Staying on that steedless car, Drona’s
son, smiling the while, hurled at the son of Pandu
a heavy mallet that looked like a dreadful mace with
iron-spikes. Beholding that weapon, which was
decked with cloth of gold, coursing towards him, the
heroic Partha, that slayer of foes, cut it off into
seven fragments. Seeing his mallet cut off, Drona’s
son of great wrath took up a terrible mace equipped
with iron spikes and looking like a mountain summit.
Accomplished in battle, the son of Drona hurled it
then at Partha. Beholding that spiked mace coursing
towards him like the Destroyer himself in rage, Pandu’s
son Arjuna quickly cut it off with five excellent
shafts. Cut off with Partha’s shafts in
that great battle, that weapon fell down on the Earth,
riving the hearts, as it were, O Bharata, of the (hostile)
kings. The son of Pandu then pierced Drona’s
son with three other shafts. Though deeply pierced
by the mighty Partha, Drona’s son, however,
of great might, relying upon his own manliness, showed
no sign of fear or agitation. That great car-warrior,
the son of Drona, then, O king, shrouded Suratha (the
Pancala) with showers of shafts before the eyes of
all the Kshatriyas. At this, Suratha, that great
car-warrior among the Pancalas, in that battle, riding
upon his car whose rattle was as deep as the roar
of the clouds rushed against the son of Drona.
Drawing his foremost of bows, firm and capable of bearing
a great strain, the Pancala hero covered Ashvatthama
with arrows that resembled flames of fire or snakes
of virulent poison. Seeing the great car-warrior
Suratha rushing towards him in wrath, the son of Drona
became filled with rage like a snake struck with a
stick. Furrowing his brow into three lines, and
licking the corners of his mouth with his tongue, he
looked at Suratha in rage and then rubbed his bow-string
and sped a keen cloth-yard shaft that resembled the
fatal rod of Death. Endued with great speed,
that shaft pierced the heart of Suratha and passing
out entered the Earth, riving her through, like the
thunderbolt of Shakra hurled from the sky. Struck
with that shaft, Suratha fell down on the Earth like
a mountain summit riven with thunder. After the
fall of that hero, the valiant son of Drona, that
foremost of car-warriors speedily mounted upon the
vehicle of his slain foe. Then, O monarch, that
warrior, invincible in battle, the son of Drona, well-equipped
with armour and weapons, and supported by the Samsaptakas,
fought with Arjuna. That battle, at the hour
of noon, between one and the many, enhancing the population
of Yama’s domains, became exceedingly fierce.
Wonderful was the sight that we then beheld, for,
noticing the prowess of all those combatants, Arjuna,
alone and unsupported, fought with his foes at the
same time. The encounter was exceedingly fierce
that thus took place between Arjuna and his enemies,
resembling that between Indra, in days of yore, and
the vast host of the Asuras.’”


