d
with the limbs of Kshatriya warriors, cut off by means of arrows and
lying like trunks of _Sala_ trees. And scattered over with heads decked
in ear-rings, and sandal-besmeared arms looking like the bodies of
snakes, the field of battle became exceedingly beautiful. And as cars
encountered cars, and horsemen encountered horsemen, and foot-soldiers
fought with foot-soldiers, and elephants met with elephants, the
frightful dust soon became drenched with torrents of blood. And some
amongst the combatants began to swoon away, and the warriors began to
fight reckless of consideration of humanity, friendship and
relationship. And both their course and sight obstructed by the arrowy
shower, vultures began to alight on the ground. But although those
strong-armed combatants furiously fought with one another, yet the
heroes of neither party succeeded in routing their antagonists. And
Satanika having slain a full hundred of the enemy and Visalaksha full
four hundred, both those mighty warriors penetrated into the heart of
the great Trigarta host. And having entered into the thick of the
Trigarta host, those famous and mighty heroes began to deprive their
antagonists of their senses by causing a closer conflict to set in--a
conflict, in which the combatants seized one another by the hair and
tore one another with their nails.[29] And eyeing the point where the
cars of the Trigartas had been mustered in strong numbers, those heroes
at last directed their attack towards it. And that foremost of
car-warriors, king Virata also, with Suryadatta in his van and
Madiraksha in his rear, having destroyed in that conflict five hundred
cars, eight hundred horses, and five warriors on great cars, displayed
various skilful manoeuvres on his car on that field of battle. And at
last the king came upon the ruler of the Trigartas mounted on a golden
chariot. And those high-souled and powerful warriors, desirous of
fighting, rushed roaring against each like two bulls in a cow-pen. Then
that bull among men, irrepressible in battle, Susarman, the king of the
Trigartas, challenged Matsya to a single combat on car. Then those
warriors excited to fury rushed against each other on their cars and
began to shower their arrows upon each other like clouds pouring
torrents of rain.[30] And enraged with each other, those fierce
warriors, both skilled in weapons, both wielding swords and darts and
maces, then moved about (on the field of battle) assailing each ot