, whose vessels have wrecked on the fathomless ocean,
desirous of crossing the uncrossable main. After the slaughter of the
Suta's son, O king, the Kauravas, terrified and mangled with shafts,
masterless and desirous of protection, became like a herd of elephants
afflicted by lions. Vanquished by Savyasaci on that afternoon, they fled
away like bulls with broken horns or snakes with broken fangs. Their
foremost of heroes slain, their troops thrown into confusion, themselves
mangled with keen arrows, thy sons, after the fall of Karna, O king, fled
away in fear. Divested of weapons and armour, no longer able to ascertain
which point of the compass was which, and deprived of their senses, they
crushed one another in course of their flight and looked at one another,
afflicted with fear. "It is me that Vibhatsu is pursuing with speed!" "It
is me that Vrikodara is pursuing with speed!"--thought every one among
the Kauravas who became pale with fear and fell down as they fled. Some
on horses, some on cars, some on elephants, and some on foot, mighty
car-warriors, endued with great speed, fled away in fear. Cars were
broken by elephants, horsemen were crushed by great car-warriors, and
bands of foot-soldiers were trodden down by bodies of horsemen, as these
fled in fear. After the fall of the Suta's son, thy warriors became like
people without protectors in a forest teeming with beasts of prey and
robbers. They were then like elephants without riders and men without
arms. Afflicted with fear, they looked upon the world as if it were full
of Partha. Beholding them fly away afflicted with the fear of Bhimasena,
indeed, and seeing his troops thus leave the field in thousands,
Duryodhana, uttering cries of "Oh!" and "Alas!" addressed his driver,
saying, "Partha will never be able to transgress me standing bow in hand.
Urge my steeds slowly behind all the troops. Without doubt, if I fight
standing in the rear of the army, the son of Kunti will never be able to
transgress me even as the vast deep is unable to transgress its
continents. Slaying Arjuna and Govinda and the proud Vrikodara and the
rest of my foes, I will free myself from the debt I owe to Karna."
Hearing these words of the Kuru king that were so worthy of a hero and
honourable man, the charioteer slowly urged his steeds adorned with
trappings of gold. Then 25,000 warriors on foot, belonging to thy army,
without cars and cavalry and elephants among them, prepared for battle.