Karushas and the Kosalas, seeing Drona, rushed at him, desirous of
rescuing Yudhishthira. The Preceptor, however, that slayer of large
numbers of foes, desirous of seizing Yudhishthira, began to consume those
divisions, like fire consuming heaps of cotton. Then Satanika, the
younger brother of the ruler of the Matsyas, rushed at Drona who was thus
engaged in incessantly destroying those divisions (of the Pandava host).
And Satanika, piercing Drona along with his driver and steeds with six
shafts, bright as the rays of the sun and polished by his hands of their
forger, uttered loud shouts. And engaged in a cruel act, and endeavouring
to accomplish what was difficult of attainment, he covered Bharadwaja's
son, that mighty car-warrior with showers of arrows.[39] Then Drona, with
an arrow sharp as razor, quickly cut off from his trunk the head, decked
with ear-rings, of Satanika, shouting at him. Thereupon, the Matsya
warriors all fled away. Having vanquished the Matsyas, the son of
Bharadwaja then defeated the Chedis, the Karushas, the Kaikeyas, the
Panchalas, the Srinjayas, and the Pandus repeatedly. Beholding that hero
of the golden car, excited with rage and consuming their divisions, like
a fire consuming a forest, the Srinjayas trembled (with fear). Endued
with great activity and slaughtering the foe ceaselessly, the twang of
the bow-string, as he stretched his bow, was heard in all directions.
Fierce arrows shot by that warrior endued with great lightness of hand,
crushed elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers and car-warriors and
elephant-riders. As a mighty mass of roaring clouds in summer with
violent winds (blowing) poureth a shower of hail-stones, so did Drona
pour his arrowy showers and inspired fear in the hearts of his foes. That
mighty hero, that great bowman, that dispeller of the fears of his
friends, careered in all directions (of the field) agitating the
(hostile) host. The bow, decked with gold, of Drona of immeasurable
energy, was seen in all directions like the flashes of lightning in the
clouds. The beautiful altar on his banner, as he careered in battle, O
Bharata, was seen to resemble a crest of Himavat. The slaughter that
Drona caused among the Pandava troops was very great, resembling that
caused by Vishnu himself, the adored of both the gods and Asuras, among
the Daitya host. Heroic, truthful in speech, endued with great wisdom and
might, and possessed of prowess incapable of being baffled, the
il