arms, violently pierced
Pritha's son with keen-edged shafts even as the clouds shower upon a
mountain. Then taking up that foremost of bows, the _Gandiva_,
destructive of foes and capable of withstanding the greatest strain, the
impetuous son of Pandu cheerfully discharged countless shafts of various
kinds adorned with gold, and that powerful warrior also baffled in a
moment Drona's arrowy shower by means of those shafts shot from his own
bow. And at this the spectators wondered greatly. And the handsome
Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, ranging on his car, displayed his weapons
on all sides at the same time. And the entire welkin covered with his
arrows, became one wide expanse of shade. And at this Drona become
invisible like the sun enveloped in mist. And shrouded by those
excellent arrows on all sides, Drona looked like a mountain on fire. And
beholding his own car completely enveloped by the arrows of Pritha's
son, Drona that ornament of battle, bent his terrible and foremost of
bows whose noise was as loud as that of the clouds. And drawing that
first of weapons, which was like unto a circle of fire, he discharged a
cloud of keen-edged shafts. And then there were heard on the field loud
sounds like the splitting of bamboos set on fire. And that warrior of
immeasurable soul, shooting from his bow arrows furnished with golden
wings, covered all sides, shrouding the very light of the sun. And those
arrows with knots well-peeled off, and furnished with golden wings,
looked like flocks of birds in the sky. And the arrows discharged by
Drona from his bow, touching one another at the wings, appeared like one
endless line in the sky. And those heroes, thus discharging their arrows
decked with gold, seemed to cover the sky with showers of meteors. And
furnished with feathers of the _Kanka_ bird, those arrows looked like
rows of cranes ranging in the autumnal sky. And the fierce and terrible
encounter that took place between the illustrious Drona and Arjuna
resembled that between Virata and Vasava of old. And discharging arrows
at each other from bows drawn at their fullest stretch, they resembled
two elephants assailing each other with their tusks. And those wrathful
warriors--those ornaments of battle--fighting strictly according to
established usage, displayed in that conflict various celestial weapons
in due order. Then that foremost of victorious men, Arjuna, by means of
his keen shafts resisted the whetted arrows shot by t