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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 men.  And the heroic warriors that protected Bhishma’s car, slain by the son of Pandu, fell prostrate, O monarch, beside the car of Kunti’s son.  And the feathery arrows of Swetavahana, shot from the Gandiva, fell in all directions as if with the object of making a wholesale slaughter of the foe.  And issuing forth from his car those blazing arrows furnished with golden wings looked like rows of swans in the sky.  And all the celestials with Indra, stationed in the firmament, gazed with wonder upon another celestial weapon hurled with great force by that wonderful archer Arjuna.  And beholding that wonderful weapon of great beauty, the mighty Gandiva, Chitrasena, highly pleased, addressed the lord of celestials, saying, ’Behold these arrows shot by Partha coursing through the sky in one continuous line.  Wonderful is the dexterity of Jishnu in evolving this celestial weapon!  Human beings are incapable of shooting such a weapon,