Mb100. The Fourteenth Day Of The Battle Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

MAHABHARATA

"To protect Yudhishthira is one,
To kill Jayadratha, the other one,
Thus two jobs we have today.
Let us plan it in a careful way."

"Bhima will give him full cover.
With Dhristadyumna at the rear.
They'll oppose Drona's pressure,
And resist Yudhishthira's capture."

To Satyaki, Arjuna gave this advice.
To fulfill his vow, he left that place.
Drona, in three pronged array
He arranged his army this way.

First array was the car formation.
Next was the lotus formation.
Third one the needle formation,
He kept the army in this position.

They laid the three-stage-cordon,
To make it difficult to open,
With no free access to Arjuna
To go and attack Jayadratha.

Krishna moved the chariot fast.
It raised a tall screen of dust.
Arjuna's shafts gave full cover,
To the speeding horses all over.

At the first stage, Arjuna
Was stopped by Guru Drona.
But the chariot didn't stop,
It passed through a side gap.

While going on he said,
"Oh Master, you're our head.
I'm more like your son,
How can I fight and win? "

They crossed the next stage,
Causing irreparable damage.
They reached the last stage,
The needle point human cage.

Duryodhana asked Drona,
"Why didn't you fight Arjuna?
The last stage, now he reached.
How the first two, he breached? "

Drona smiled and replied,
"It's not that, what you said,
My eyes are on Yudhishthira,
Why don't you go after Arjuna? "

"You've all the power and will.
Alone you can do this still.
Take this protective armour.
Your body, no weapon can tear."

His point Duryodhana got,
He gave Arjuna a chase hot.
There arose a fierce combat.
But Duryodhana wasn't hurt.

Needle sharp darts Arjuna sent.
Into the armour gaps they went.
That caused him unbearable pain,
From there, he turned and ran.

Krishna's conch sounded shrill.
To Jayadratha's army, it sent a thrill.
They got ready to face Arjuna,
Also the power behind him, Krishna.