on of Nakula, taking up a car-wheel with his two hands,
violently struck Ashvatthama at the chest. The regenerate Ashvatthama
violently assailed Shatanika after he had hurled that car-wheel.
Exceedingly agitated, Nakula's son fell down upon the Earth, upon which
Drona's son cut off his head. Then Shrutakarma, taking up a spiked
bludgeon, attacked Ashvatthama. Furiously rushing at Drona's son, he
assailed him violently on the left part of his forehead. Ashvatthama
struck Shrutakarma with his excellent sword on the face. Deprived of
senses and his face disfigured, he fell down lifeless on the Earth. At
this noise, the heroic Shrutakirti, that great car-warrior, coming up,
poured showers of arrows on Ashvatthama. Baffling those arrowy showers
with his shield, Ashvatthama cut off from the enemy's trunk the latter's
beautiful head adorned with ear-rings. Then the slayer of Bhishma, the
mighty Shikhandi, with all the Prabhadrakas, assailed the hero from every
side with diverse kinds of weapons. Shikhandi struck Ashvatthama with an
arrow in the midst of his two eyebrows. Filled with rage at this, Drona's
son, possessed of great might, approached Shikhandi and cut him into
twain with his sword. Having slain Shikhandi, Ashvatthama, filled with
rage, rushed furiously against the other Prabhadrakas. He proceeded also
against the remnant of Virata's force.

"'Endued with great strength, Drona's son made a heavy carnage amongst the
sons, the grandsons, and the followers of Drupada, singling them out one
after another. Accomplished in the use of the sword, Ashvatthama then,
rushing against other combatants, cut them down with his excellent sword.
The warriors in the Pandava camp beheld that Death-Night in her embodied
form, a black image, of bloody mouth and bloody eyes, wearing crimson
garlands and smeared with crimson unguents, attired in a single piece of
red cloth, with a noose in hand, and resembling an elderly lady, employed
in chanting a dismal note and standing full before their eyes, and about
to lead away men and steeds and elephants all tied in a stout cord. She
seemed to take away diverse kinds of spirits, with dishevelled hair and
tied together in a cord, as also, O king, many mighty car-warriors
divested of their weapons. On other days, O sire, the foremost warriors
of the Pandava camp used to see in their dreams that figure leading away
the sleeping combatants and Drona's son smiting them behind! The Pandava
soldiers sa