hat battle, with fifty shafts. The
ruler of the Abhisars (in return), striking Srutakarman, O king, with
nine straight arrows, pierced his driver with five. Srutakarman then,
filled with rage, struck Citrasena at the head of his forces, with a keen
arrow in a vital part. Deeply pierced, O monarch, with that arrow by that
high-souled prince the heroic Citrasena felt great pain and swooned away.
During this interval, Srutakarman of great renown covered that lord of
Earth, (viz., his insensible antagonist), with ninety arrows. The mighty
car-warrior Citrasena then, recovering consciousness, cut off his
antagonist's bow with a broad-headed arrow, and pierced his antagonist
himself with seven arrows. Taking up another bow that was decked with
gold, and capable of striking hard, Srutakarman then, with his waves of
arrows, made Citrasena assume a wonderful appearance. Adorned with those
arrows, the youthful king, wearing beautiful garlands, looked in that
battle like a well-adorned youth in the midst of an assembly. Quickly
piercing Srutakarman with an arrow in the centre of the chest, he said
unto him, "Wait, Wait!" Srutakarman also, pierced with that arrow in the
battle, began to shed blood, like a mountain shedding streams of liquid
red chalk. Bathed in blood and dyed therewith, that hero shone in battle
like a flowering Kinsuka. Srutakarman, then, O king, thus assailed by the
foe, became filled with rage, and cut in twain the foe-resisting bow of
Citrasena. The latter's bow having been cut off, Srutakarman then, O
king, pierced him with three hundred arrows equipped with goodly wings,
covering him completely therewith. With another broad-headed arrow,
sharp-edged and keen pointed, he cut off the head, decked with head-gear
of his high-souled antagonist. That blazing head of Citrasena fell down
on the ground, like the moon loosened from the firmament upon the Earth
at will. Beholding the king slain, the troops of Citrasena, O sire,
rushed impetuously against (his slayer). That great bowman then, filled
with rage, rushed, shooting his shafts, against that army, like Yama
filled with fury, against all creatures at the time of the universal
dissolution. Slaughtered in that battle by thy grandson armed with the
bow, they quickly fled on all sides like elephants scorched by a
forest conflagration. Beholding them flying away, hopeless of vanquishing
the foe, Srutakarman, pursuing them with his keen arrows, looked
exceedingly resple