History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v2.c26.56

v2.c26.56

From his high position at the back of the Centre, Dara had been watching every phase of the battle. He had been steadily sending up supports to his hard pressed third division by the path in its rear. He had also ordered Shah Nawaz Khan, who was with him at the time of the attack, to hasten back to his redoubt and guide the defence. Up to sunset Dara had striven hard to maintain the fight; he had constantly put heart into his men and urged them to make a firm stand. But the capture of Shah Nawaz Khan's redoubt and the turning of the Gokla hill shattered all his hopes. It became clear to his men that further resistance was vain. Dara's comrades in these circumstances refused to throw away their lives and prepared for flight. Pleading with them was useless. Safety lay only in a hurried escape, for which the darkness of the night and the dispersion and disorder of the victors presented a golden opportunity.[*]