Vaisampayana continued, “Thus assured by Savyasachin, the son of Virata penetrated into that fierce array of cars protected by Bhishma.  The son of Ganga, however, of fierce deeds, cheerfully withstood the mighty-armed hero advancing from desire of vanquishing the heroes in battle.  Jishnu, then, confronting Bhishma, cut off his standard clean off at the roots by shooting a gold-decked arrow pierced by which it fell to the ground.  And at this, four mighty warriors, Duhsasana and Vikarna and Dussaha and Vivingsati, skilled in weapons and endued with great energy, and all decked with handsome garlands and ornaments, rushed towards that terrible bowman.  And advancing towards Vibhatsu—­that fierce archer, these all encompassed him around.  Then the heroic Duhsasana pierced the son of Virata with a crescent-shaped arrow and he pierced Arjuna with another arrow in the breast.  And Jishnu, confronting Duhsasana, cut off by means of a sharp-edged arrow furnished with vulturine wings his adversary’s bow plaited with gold, and then pierced his person in the breast by means of five arrows.  And afflicted by the arrows of Partha, Duhsasana fled, leaving the combat.  Then Vikarna, the son of Dhritarashtra, pierced Arjuna—­that slayer of hostile heroes, by means of sharp and straight arrows furnished with vulturine wings.  But the son of Kunti within a moment hit him also in the forehead with straight shafts.  And pierced by Arjuna, he fell down from his car.  And at this, Dussaha, supported by Vivingsati, covered Arjuna with a cloud of sharp arrows, impelled by the desire of rescuing his brother.  Dhananjaya, however, without the least anxiety, pierced both of them almost at the same instant by means of couple of keen-edged arrows and then slew the steeds of both.  And there upon, both those sons of Dhritarashtra, deprived of their steeds and their bodies mangled were taken away by the warrior behind them who had rushed forward with other cars.  Then the unvanquished Vibhatsu, the mighty son of Kunti, decked with diadem and sure of aim, simultaneously attacked all sides with his arrows.”

SECTION LXII

Vaisampayana said, “Then, O thou of the Bharata race, all the great car-warriors of the Kurus, united together, began to assail Arjuna to the best of their might from all sides.  But that hero of immeasurable soul completely covered all those mighty car-warriors with clouds of arrows, even as the mist covereth the mountains.  And the roars of huge elephants and conchs, mingling together, produced a loud up roar.  And penetrating through the bodies of elephants and horses as also through steel coats of mail, the arrows shot by Partha fell by thousands.  And shooting shafts with the utmost celerity, the son of Pandu seemed in that contest to resemble the blazing sun of an autumnal midday.  And afflicted with fear, the car-warriors began to leap down from their cars and the horse-soldiers from horse-back, while the foot-soldiers