, 'Let
the victory that Arjuna treading like a bull had achieved of old on the
occasion of burning the forest of Khandava, be thine, O Vrihannala, when
thou encounterest the Kurus today with prince Uttara.'"

SECTION XXXVIII

Vaisampayana said, "Having issued forth from the city, the dauntless son
of Virata addressed his charioteer, saying, 'Proceed whither the Kurus
are. Defeating the assembled Kurus who have come hither from desire of
victory, and quickly rescuing my kine from them, I will return to the
capital.' At these words of the prince, the son of Pandu urged those
excellent steeds. And endued with the speed of the wind and decked with
necklaces of gold, those steeds, urged by that lion among men, seemed to
fly through the air. And they had not proceeded far when those smiters
of foes, Dhananjaya and the son of Matsya, sighted the army of the
powerful Kurus. And proceeding towards the cemetery, they came upon the
Kurus and beheld their army arrayed in order of battle.[40] And that
large army of theirs looked like the vast sea or a forest of innumerable
trees moving through the sky. And then was seen, O best among the Kurus,
the dust raised by that moving army which reached the sky and obstructed
the sight of all creatures. And beholding that mighty host abounding in
elephants, horses and chariots, and protected by Karna and Duryodhana
and Kripa and Santanu's son, and that intelligent and great bowman
Drona, with his son (Aswatthaman), the son of Virata, agitated with fear
and the bristles on his body standing on their ends, thus spake unto
Partha, 'I dare not fight with the Kurus. See, the bristles on my body
have stood on their ends. I am incapable of battling with this countless
host of the Kurus, abounding in the heroic warriors, that are extremely
fierce and difficult of being vanquished even by the celestials. I do
not venture to penetrate into the army of the Bharatas consisting of
terrible bowmen and abounding in horses and elephants and cars and
footsoldiers and banners. My mind is too much perturbed by the very
sight of the foe on the field of battle on which stand Drona and
Bhishma, and Kripa, and Karna, and Vivingsati, and Aswatthaman and
Vikarna, and Saumadatti, and Vahlika, and the heroic king Duryodhana
also--that foremost of car-warriors, and many other splendid bowmen, all
skilled in battle. My hairs have stood on their ends, and I am fainting
with fear at the very sight of these smiters, the