ir riders, and became one bloody expanse like
to what is seen when Indra showers a heavy down-pour covering uplands and
lowlands alike. And that bull among Kshatriyas despatched six thousand
horsemen and again a thousand foremost of Kshatriyas in that battle into
the jaws of death. Thousands of well-equipped elephants, pierced with
arrows, lay prostrate on the field, like hills struck down by thunder.
And Arjuna careered over the field, slaying steeds and car-warriors and
elephants, like an elephant of rent temples crushing a forest a reeds. As
a conflagration, urged by the wind, consumes a dense forest of trees and
creepers and plants and dry wood and grass, even so did that fire, viz.,
Pandu's son Dhananjaya, having shafts for its flames and urged on by the
Krishna-wind, angrily consume the forest of thy warriors. Making the
terraces of cars empty, and causing the earth to be strewn, with human
bodies, Dhananjaya seemed to dance bow in hand, in the midst of those
vast masses of men. Deluging the earth with blood by means of his shafts,
endued with the strength of the thunder, Dhananjaya, excited with wrath,
penetrated into the Bharata host. While thus proceeding, Srutayus, the
ruler of the Amvashthas, resisted him. Arjuna then, O sire, speedily
felled with keen shafts equipped with Kanka feathers, the steeds of
Srutayus struggling in battle. And cutting off with other shafts, the bow
also of his antagonist, Partha careered over the field. The ruler of the
Amvashthas, then with eyes troubled in wrath, took up a mace and
approached the mighty car-warrior Partha and Kesava also in that battle.
Then that hero, uplifting his mace, stopped the (progress of Arjuna's)
car by its strokes, and struck Kesava also therewith. Then that slayer of
hostile heroes, viz., Arjuna, beholding Kesava struck with that mace,
became filled with wrath. And, then, O Bharata, that hero, with his
shafts, equipped with wings of gold, covered the ruler of the Amvashthas,
that foremost or car-warriors, armed with mace, like clouds covering the
risen sun. With other shafts, Partha then cut off the mace of that
high-souled warrior in fragments, reducing it almost to dust. And all
this seemed highly wonderful. Beholding that mace of his cut off in
fragments, the ruler of the Amvashthas took up another huge mace, and
repeatedly struck both Arjuna and Kesava therewith. Then, Arjuna with a
couple of sharp broad-faced arrows, cut off the uplifted arms of Srut