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78.BRAVE BHAGADATTA
At that moment, Bhima emerged from
below Supratika and ran out safe. And the
Pandava army cheered when they saw
Bhima alive.
Bhagadatta was now attacked on all sides,
but he did not lose heart. Resplendent on
his elephant, he shone like a forest fire on
a hill. Ignoring the enemies around him,
he drove his beast on Satyaki's chariot.
The elephant seized the chariot with its
great trunk and lifting it high dashed it
upside down. Satyaki jumped out of the
chariot in time to save himself.
His charioteer displayed great agility and
skill and saved the vehicle as well as the
horses, and righting the chariot, drove it to
where Satyaki stood.
Bhagadatta's elephant wrought great
havoc in the Pandava army, hurling
warriors about and killing them in great
number, striking terror wherever it went.
Bhagadatta stood on its back, like Indra
on Airavata when he fought the asuras.
With ears spread out rigid in anger and
trunk extended in front, the great beast
trampled upon numerous horses, chariots
and soldiers and wrought destruction all
over the Pandava army. The shafts hurled
at it seemed only to incense it more.
Like a herdsman in the forest driving the
cattle where he would, Bhagadatta drove
the soldiers of the Pandava army before
him. Bhimasena, equipping himself once
again with a chariot, renewed his attack
on Bhagadatta.
The elephant stretched out its trunk and
blew out a violent spray of mucus that
scared the horses of Bhima's chariot and
they bolted in wild flight and the
charioteer could not check them.
A great cloud of dust rose from the field
where this great elephant battle raged.
Arjuna saw this from where he was
fighting the samsaptakas and he also
heard the tumult created by Bhagadatta's
elephant.
He feared things had gone wrong and said
to Krishna: "Madhusudana, this is the cry
of Supratika, Bhagadatta's elephant. This
king of Pragjyotisha is terrible with his
elephant, and has no equal in that kind of
warfare. He is sure to defeat and confound
our men. We must proceed at once and
save the situation. We have punished
these samsaptakas enough. Drive to where
Drona is engaging Yudhishthira." Krishna
drove the chariot accordingly towards the
main battlefront.
Susarma and his brothers came up behind
the chariot and shouted "Stop, stop." At
the same time, they discharged shafts at
Arjuna's chariot.
Arjuna was of two minds.
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