r. No barbed arrows, nor those called nalikas,
nor those that are poisoned, nor those with heads made of horns, nor
those equipped with many pointed heads, nor those made of the bones of
bulls and elephants, nor those having two heads, nor those having rusty
heads, nor those that are not straight going, were used by any of
them.[251] All of them used simple and fair weapons and desired to win
both fame and region of great blessedness by fighting fairly. Between
those four warriors of thy army and those three of the Pandava side, the
battle that took place was exceedingly dreadful but divested of
everything unfair. Then Dhrishtadyumna, exceedingly quick in the use of
weapons, beholding those brave and mighty car warriors of thy army
checked by the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva), proceeded towards Drona.
Checked by those two lions among men, those four heroic warriors
encountered the former like the wind assailing a couple of mountains
(standing on their way). Each of the twins--those great car-warriors--was
engaged with a couple of arrows against Drona. Beholding the invincible
prince of the Panchalas proceeding against Drona, and those four heroes
(of his own army) engaged with the twins, Duryodhana, O monarch, rushed
to that spot, scattering showers of blood-drinking arrows. Seeing this,
Satyaki quickly approached the Kuru king. Those two tigers among men,
viz., the two descendants of Kuru and Madhu, approaching each other,
became desirous of striking each other in battle. Recalling to mind their
behaviour towards each other in childhood and reflecting with pleasure on
the same, they gazed at each other and smiled repeatedly. Then king
Duryodhana (mentally), blaming his own conduct, addressed his ever dear
friend Satyaki, and said, "Fie on wrath, O friend, and fie on
vindictiveness! Fie on Kshatriya usage, and fie on might and prowess,
since thou aimest thy weapons at me, and I too am aiming at thee, O bull
of Sini's race! In those days thou wert dearer to me than life itself,
and I also was such to thee! Alas, all those acts of childhood that I
remember, of both thyself and mine, became quite insignificant in the
field of battle! Alas, moved by wrath and covetousness, we are here
to-day for fighting against each other, O thou of the Satwata race!" Unto
him who said those words, O king, Satyaki, conversant with high weapons,
taking up some keen arrows, smilingly replied, "This is no assembly, O
prince, nor the abode of our