**Panchami Draupadi - Pooja Sharma's AT**#10 - Page 6

Dhrishtadyumna's Explanation
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Arjun clenched his teeth and said nothing. Dhrishtadyumna stood nearby, unrepentant. Arjun glanced at him with reddened eyes and the Panchal prince addressed him in conciliatory tones.

"O Bhibatsu, I do not feel I have committed any sin. Although a Brahmin, Drona transgressed the duties of his order and thus became punishable by all virtuous kings. By using his Brahma power, he slew countless ordinary soldiers with celestial weapons. In this way, he acted deceitfully and as a result has himself been slain by deceit. No other course was possible. You should not censure me for killing him; it was for that purpose that I took my birth from fire. I have slain the ruthless warrior by whatever means I could. Otherwise, he would have destroyed us all."

Bheem made sounds of approval as Dhrishtadyumna continued. "By killing Drona I am freed from my debt to my father and my kinsmen. It would have been sinful of me to have spared him. O Parth, you felled your aged grandsire. If that was not sinful, then why is my act condemned? Drona was a sinful wretch, given to serving sinful men. You should not censure me, Arjun, but since you do, I forgive you from the love I bear for you and because you are Draupadi's husband. Be peaceful. Yudhishthir acted rightly and so did I. Between us we have slain one whose business was injuring his own disciples. Now fight and victory will soon be yours."

Arjun fumed as Dhrishtadyumna insulted his teacher, but seeing both Yudhishthir and Krishna remaining silent, he controlled himself. He only glanced at Dhrishtadyumna, muttering, "Fie! Fie!" under his breath.

Satyaki insults Dhrishtadyumna
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Satyaki, who had been seated on his chariot near Arjun, suddenly leapt to his feet. Unable to tolerate Dhrishtadyumna's words he exclaimed, "Is there no one who will dispatch this sinful, low, and cursed wretch? O mean-minded one, how do you dare utter such words? It is a wonder that your head did not shatter into fragments when you were on the point of slaying your preceptor. You deserve the condemnation of all pious men. Having obtained you--the disgrace of their race--seven generations before and seven after you have sunk into hell, deprived of their glory. You accuse Arjun of killing Bhishma, but was it not your own wicked brother Shikhandi who caused his death? Surely there are no men more sinful than the Panchals."

Satyaki raised his mace as he continued to censure Dhrishtadyumna. "If you again speak such words, I will knock off your head with my mace. Simply by looking at you, O killer of a Brahmin, one has to look at the sun to purify himself. If you have any prowess, then stand before me with your weapons raised. I cannot stand to hear you abuse both my teacher and my teacher's teacher."

Dhrishtadyumna laughed. "O son of Madhu's race, I forgive you for these words, although you are the most sinful of men. Really, no one should show forgiveness toward someone as wicked as you because forgiveness only leads people like you to think I have no power. Have you forgotten how you, O one who loves justice, slew Bhurisrava, even after he had defeated you and desisted from the fight? Hold your tongue. You should not say anything more to me. If you insist on uttering such words, I will dispatch you to Death's abode."

Dhrishtadyumna also reminded Satyaki of all the deceitful acts committed by the Kauravas. Even on the battlefield it had been Drona who had arranged for Abhimanyu to be slain by unfair means. In war it is inevitable that the rules are sometimes broken. Still, righteousness ultimately decides the victory. "Therefore, fight on against the Kauravas, O Vrishni hero. There is no doubt that they should be vanquished and slain by any means at our disposal."

Satyaki attempts to attack Dhrishtadyumna
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Satyaki trembled with fury. His eyes bloodshot, he seized his mace and leapt down from his chariot. He rushed at Dhrishtadyumna. "I will waste no more words on you. You will now be crushed by my mace."

At a signal from Krishna, Bheem jumped from his chariot and stood between the two maddened warriors. He grabbed hold of Satyaki, who dragged him a few steps, roaring in fury. Sahadev also sprang from his chariot and said, "O foremost of men, we have no better friends than you two. Your races are as dear to us as our own. You are dear friends to each other. Remember the duties of friends toward friends and exercise forgiveness. This is no time to quarrel among ourselves."

Dhrishtadyumna laughed. "Bheem, release Sini's grandson. Let him encounter me like the wind encounters the mountains. I will soon quell his desire for battle. Then I will destroy the remaining Kauravas. Or Arjun can perform this feat. Let me cut off this one's head with my arrows. He takes me to be Bhurisrava with his arm lopped off. Leave him. Either I will slay him or he will slay me."

Satyaki swelled in Bheem's arms and bellowed. He struggled to break free, but Bheem held him fast. Like the moon spreading its cooling rays at night, Krishna then spoke consoling words to the two antagonists. Yudhishthir also pacified them, and he and Krishna managed at last to allay their anger. As they both calmed down and remounted their chariots, the Pandavas suddenly heard the sound of joyous roaring from the Kauravas. They looked at each other in surprise. How were their enemies so enthused? After Drona's death their entire army had broken and fled.

Hearing the approaching sound, Arjun smiled and said, "Doubtlessly, Ashwatthama has rallied our foes. He who upon his birth neighed like the celestial horse Ucchaishravas, and who has arms like elephant trunks and a face like a tiger, will soon come upon us in a rage. He will not tolerate his father's heinous killing. Dhrishtadyumna now faces great danger. Let us prepare ourselves for the fight."

The Pandavas saw the billowing clouds of dust rising as the Kauravas charged them once again. Forgetting their own disagreements, the warriors quickly moved into position, ready to receive the attack. They could see Ashwatthama's golden standard with its lion's-tail emblem waving at the head of the advancing Kaurava forces. Bheem and the twins deployed a large contingent of chariot fighters to surround and attack him before he reached Dhrishtadyumna.