f arrows
furnished with golden wing, and raining through the sky like a flight of
locusts. And Bhishma again repelled that arrowy shower with hundreds of
whetted shafts shot by him. And then the Kauravas exclaimed.--
'Excellent! Excellent!--Indeed, Bhishma hath performed an exceedingly
difficult feat inasmuch as he hath fought with Arjuna. Dhananjaya is
mighty and youthful, and dexterous and swift of hand. Who else, save
Bhishma, the son of Santanu, or Krishna, the son of Devaki, or the
mighty son of Bharadwaja, the foremost of preceptors, is able to bear
the impetus of Partha in battle?' And repelling weapons with weapons,
those two bulls of the Bharata race, both endued with great might,
fought on playfully and infatuated the eyes of all created beings. And
those illustrious warriors ranged on the field of battle, using the
celestials weapons obtained from _Prajapati_ and _Indra_, and _Agni_ and
the fierce _Rudra_, and _Kuvera_, and _Varuna_, and _Yama_, and _Vayu_.
And all beings were greatly surprised, upon beholding those warriors
engaged in combat. And they all exclaimed,--_Bravo Partha of long arms!
Bravo Bhishma! Indeed, this application of celestial weapons that is
being witnessed in the combat between Bhishma and Partha_ is rare among
human beings."

Vaisampayana continued, "Thus raged that conflict with weapons between
those warriors conversant with all weapons. And when that conflict of
celestial weapons ceased, then commenced a conflict with arrows. And
Jishnu approaching his opponent, cut off with an arrow sharp like a
razor the gold-decked bow of Bhishma. Within the twinkling of the eye,
however, Bhishma, that mighty-armed and great car-warrior, took up
another bow and stringed it. And inflamed with wrath, he showered upon
Dhananjaya a cloud of arrows. And Arjuna, too, endued with great energy,
rained upon Bhishma innumerable sharp-pointed and keen-edged arrows. And
Bhishma also shot clouds of arrows upon Pandu's son. And conversant with
celestial weapons and engaged in shooting and each other, arrows of keen
points, no distinction, O king, could then be perceived between those
illustrious warriors. And that mighty car-warrior, Kunti's son, covered
with a diadem, and the heroic son of Santanu, obscured the ten
directions with their arrows. And the Pandava covered Bhishma, and
Bhishma also covered the Pandava, with clouds of shafts. And, O king,
wonderful was this combat that took place in this world of me