a,
almost incessantly. And soon after we saw him (come out of the press).
Indeed, O monarch, we beheld him then scorching his foes like the
meridian sun (scorching everything with his rays). Equal to Vasava
himself in battle, that son of Vasava's son, viz., Abhimanyu, looked
resplendent in the midst of the (hostile) army.'"

SECTION XL

"Dhritarashtra said, 'A mere child in years, brought up in great luxury,
proud of the strength of his arms, accomplished in battle, endued with
great heroism, the perpetuator of his race, and prepared to lay down his
life--when Abhimanyu penetrated into the Kaurava army, borne on his
three-years old steeds of spirited mettle, was there any of great
warriors, in Yudhishthira's army, that followed the son of Arjuna?'

"Sanjaya said, 'Yudhishthira and Bhimasena, and Sikhandin and Satyaki,
and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, and Dhrishtadyumna and Virata, and
Drupada, and Kekaya, and Dhrishtaketu, all filled with wrath, and the
Matsya warrior, rushed to battle. Indeed, Abhimanyu's sires accompanied
by his maternal uncles, those smiters of foes, arrayed in order of battle
rushed along the self-same path that Abhimanyu had created, desirous of
rescuing him. Beholding those heroes rushing, thy troops turned away
from the fight. Seeing then that vast army of thy son turning away from
the fight, the son-in-law of great energy rushed to rally them. Indeed,
king Jayadratha, the son of the ruler of the Sindhus, checked, with all
their followers, the Parthas, desirous of rescuing their son. That fierce
and great bowman, viz. the son of Vriddhakshatra, invoking into existence
celestial weapons resisted the Pandavas, like an elephant sporting in a
low land.'[70]

"Dhritarashtra said, 'I think, Sanjaya, that heavy was the burthen thrown
upon the ruler of the Sindhus, inasmuch as alone he had to resist the
angry Pandavas desirous of rescuing their son. Exceedingly wonderful, I
think, was the might and heroism of the ruler of the Sindhus. Tell me
what the high-souled warrior's prowess was and how he accomplished that
foremost of feats. What gifts did he make, what libations had he poured,
what sacrifices had he performed, what ascetic austerities had he well
undergone, in consequence of which, single-handed, he succeeded in
checking Parthas excited with wrath?'

"Sanjaya said, 'On the occasion of his insult to Draupadi, Jayadratha was
vanquished by Bhimasena. From a keen sense of his humiliation,