in thus slaughtering his foes, his bow, the back of whose staff was ornamented with gold, Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, O sire, cut off into three parts with a pair of broad-headed shafts.  And Yudhishthira pierced Duryodhana himself with ten keen arrows shot with great force.  Piercing through Duryodhana’s vital limbs, those passed out and entered the earth in a continuous line.  The troops that stood around then encompassed Yudhishthira, like the celestials encompassing Purandara for the slaughter of Vritra.  Then king Yudhishthira, O sire, who is incapable of being easily defeated, shot at thy son in that battle a fierce shaft.  Deeply pierced therewith, Duryodhana sat down on his excellent car.  Then a loud noise arose from among the Panchala troops.  Even this, O monarch, was that tremendous uproar, viz., ‘The king is slain!’ The fierce whizz of arrows also was heard there, O Bharata.  Then Drona quickly showed himself there in that battle.  Meanwhile, Duryodhana recovering his senses, had firmly grasped the bow.  He then rushed towards the royal son of Pandu saying, ‘Wait, Wait.’  Then the Panchalas also solicitous of victory, began to advance with speed.  Desirous of rescuing the Kuru prince, Drona received them all.  And the preceptor began to destroy them like the bright-rayed maker of day destroying tempest-tossed clouds.  Then, O king, there occurred a fierce battle, fraught with immense carnage, between thine and theirs encountering one another from desire of fight.’”

SECTION CLIII

“Dhritarashtra said, ’Having said all those words unto my son, Duryodhana, who is ever disobedient to my commands, when that mighty bowman endued with great strength, viz., the preceptor Drona, penetrated in wrath into the Pandava host, and when that hero, stationed on his car, careered over the field, how did the Pandavas check his course?  Who protected the right wheel of the preceptor’s car in that dreadful battle?  Who also protected his left when he fiercely slaughtered the foe?  Who were those brave warriors that followed that fighting hero at his back?  Who were those, then, that stood in front of that car-warrior?  When that unvanquished and great bowman, that foremost of all bearers of weapons, dancing along the track of his car, entered the Pandavas host, I think, his foes felt an excessive and unseasonable cold.  I think, they trembled like kine exposed to wintry blasts.  How did that bull among car-warriors, who consumed all the troops of the Panchalas like a raging conflagration, meet with his death?’