began, with his shafts, to strike and rout the troops of Bharadwaja’s son at the very sight of the latter.  Beholding Yudhishthira thus agitating his troops, Drona, with eyes red in wrath, furiously rushed against him.  The preceptor, then pierced the son of Pritha with seven keen arrows.  Yudhishthira, in return, excited with wrath, pierced the preceptor with five arrows.  Deeply pierced by the son of Pandu, the mighty bowman (Drona), licking the corners of his mouth for a moment, cut off both the standard and the bow of Yudhishthira.  With great speed, at a time when speed was of the utmost consequence, that best of kings, whose bow had been cut off, took up another bow that was sufficiently tough and hard.  The son of Pandu then pierced Drona with his steeds, driver, standard, and car, with a thousand arrows.  All this seemed exceedingly wonderful.  Afflicted with the strokes of those arrows and feeling great pain, Drona, that bull among Brahmanas, sat down for a while on the terrace of his car.  Recovering his senses, sighing like a snake, and filled with great rage, the preceptor invoked into existence the Vayavya weapon.  The valiant son of Pritha, bow in hand, fearlessly baffled that weapon with a similar weapon of his in that encounter.  And the son of Pandu also cut in two fragments the large bow of the Brahmana.  Then Drona, that grinder of Kshatriyas, took up another bow.  That bull of Kuru’s race, Yudhishthira, cut off that bow also, with many keen shafts.  Then Vasudeva, addressing Yudhishthira. the son of Kunti, said, ’Listen, O mighty-armed Yudhishthira, to what I say.  Cease, O best of the Bharatas, to fight with Drona.  Drona always striveth to seize thee in battle.  I do not think it fit that thou shouldst fight with him.  He who hath been created for Drona’s destruction will, without doubt, slay him.  Leaving the preceptor, go where king Suyodhana is.  Kings should fight with kings, they should not desire to fight with such as are not kings.  Surrounded, therefore, by elephants and steeds and cars, repair thou thither, O son of Kunti, where Dhananjaya with myself, aided by a small force, and Bhima also, that tiger among men, are fighting with the Kurus’.  Hearing these words of Vasudeva, king Yudhishthira the just, reflecting for a moment, proceeded to that part of the field where that slayer of foes, viz., Bhima, engaged in fierce battle, was slaughtering thy troops like the Destroyer himself with wide-open mouth.  Making the earth resound with the loud rattle of his car, which resembled the roar of the clouds at the end of summer, king Yudhishthira the just, the (eldest) son of Pandu, took up the flank of Bhima, engaged in the slaughter of the foe.  Drona also on that night, began to consume his foes, the Panchalas’”

SECTION CLXII