is regarded as
the foremost one among the Kurus. Thou knowest also the vow made by him
in the presence of all, O lord! The son of Bharadwaja is always eager to
seize the king. He is competent also in afflicting king Yudhishthira in
battle. Charging thee with the protection of that best of men, viz., king
Yudhishthira the just, I will proceed today for the destruction of the
ruler of the Sindhus. Slaying Jayadratha, I shall soon come back, O
Madhava! See that Drona may not succeed in forcibly seizing king
Yudhishthira the just in battle. If Yudhishthira be seized by
Bharadwaja's son, O Madhava, I shall not succeed in slaying Jayadratha,
and great will be my grief. If that best of men, the truthful son of
Pandu, be seized, it is evident that we shall have again to go into
woods. My success, therefore, over Jayadratha, it is plain, will be
productive of no benefit, if Drona, inflamed with rage, succeeds in
seizing Yudhishthira in battle. O mighty-armed one, for doing what is
agreeable to me, therefore, O Madhava, as also for the sake of my success
and fame, protect the king in battle.' Thou seest, therefore, O king,
thou hast been made over to me as a trust by Savyasachin, O lord, in
consequence of his constant fear of Bharadwaja's son. O mighty-armed one,
I myself daily see, O lord, that there is none, save Rukmini's son
(Pradyumna), who can be a match for Drona in battle. I also am regarded
to be a match for the intelligent son of Bharadwaja in battle. It is
plain, therefore, I cannot dare falsify that reputation which I have, or
disregard the commands of my preceptor (Arjuna), or leave thee, O king!
The preceptor (Drona), cased as he is in impenetrable mail, in
consequence of his lightness of arms, obtaining thee in battle, will
sport with thee as a child with a little bird. If Krishna's son, bearing
the Makara on his banner, were here, I could then have made over to him,
for he would have protected thee as Arjuna himself. Thou shouldst protect
thyself. When I am gone, who will protect thee, who that is, that will
advance against Drona while I proceed towards Arjuna? O king, let no fear
be thine today on Arjuna's account. He never becomes cheerless under any
burden howsoever heavy. Those warriors that are opposed to him, viz., the
Sauvirakas, the Sindhava-Pauravas, they from the north, they from the
south, and they, O king, headed by Karna, that are regarded as foremost
of car-warriors, do not together come up to a sixte