being dried up easily, by means of keen arrows
constituting his rays. Without losing a moment, the son of Pandu once
more pierced Drona's son resembling a huge hill, with shafts of great
impetuosity and the splendour of the Sun, like the wielder of the
thunderbolt piercing a mountain with the thunder. Desirous of battle, the
preceptor's son then, filled with rage, approached Arjuna for piercing
him and his steeds and drivers by means of his swiftly coursing shafts.
Arjuna, however, quickly cut off the shafts shot at him by Ashvatthama.
The son of Pandu then filled with great wrath, proffered unto
Ashvatthama, that desirable guest, quivers upon quivers of arrows, like a
charitable person offering everything in his house unto a guest. Leaving
the samsaptakas then the son of Pandu rushed towards Drona's son like a
donor abandoning unworthy guests, for proceeding towards one that is
worthy.'"

17

"Sanjaya said, 'Then occurred that battle between Arjuna and Ashvatthama
resembling the planets Shukra and Brihaspati in splendour, like the
battle between Shukra and Brihaspati in the firmament for entering the
same constellation. Afflicting each other with blazing shafts that
constituted their rays, those terrifiers of the world stood like two
planets both deviating from their orbits. Then Arjuna deeply pierced
Ashvatthama with a shaft in the midst of his eyebrows. With that shaft
the son of Drona looked resplendent like the Sun with upward rays. The
two Krishnas (Nara and Narayana), also deeply afflicted by Ashvatthama
with hundreds of arrows, looked like two Suns at the end of the Yuga,
resplendent with their own rays. Then when Vasudeva seemed to be
stupefied, Arjuna shot a weapon from which issued torrents of shafts on
all sides. And he struck the son of Drona with innumerable shafts, each
resembling the thunder or fire or the sceptre of Death. Endued with
mighty energy, that achiever of fierce feats, (Ashvatthama) then pierced
both Keshava and Arjuna with well-shot shafts which were inspired with
great impetuosity and struck with which Death himself would feel pain.
Checking the shafts of Drona's son, Arjuna covered him with twice as many
arrows equipped with goodly wings, and shrouding that foremost of heroes
and his steeds and driver and standard, began to strike the samsaptakas.
With his well-shot shafts Partha began to cut off the bows and quivers
and bowstrings and hands and arms and tightly grasped weapons and
u