of arrows, and Uluka also pierced him with sharp arrows furnished with excellent wing.  And the combat that took place between them, O king, was fierce in the extreme, for unable to vanquish each other, they mangled each other terribly.  And thus in that general engagement thousands of single combats took place between men on car, warriors on elephants and horsemen, and foot-soldiers, of their side and thine.  For a short while only that engagement offered a beautiful sight.  Soon, however, O king, it became furious and nothing could be discovered.  In the battle (that ensued) elephants rushed against elephants, car-warriors against car-warriors, steed against steed and foot-soldier against foot-soldier.  The conflict then became confused and fierce in the extreme, of heroes rushing against each other in the melee.  And the celestial Rishi, and Siddhas and Charanas, that were present there, beheld that terrific battle to resemble the combat of the gods and the Asuras.  And elephants in thousands, and cars also in thousands, and vast bodies of infantry, O sire, seemed to alter their character.[327] And, O tiger among men, it was seen that cars and elephants and steeds and infantry fought with each other repeatedly on the same places.[328]

SECTION XLVI

Sanjaya said,—­“O king, I will now describe to thee the combats of hundreds and thousands of foot-soldiers.  O Bharata, in utter forgetfulness of all consideration due to others.  There the son recognised not the sire, the sire (recognised not) the son of his loins, the brother (recognised not) the brother, the sister’s son (recognised not) the maternal uncle.  The maternal uncle (recognised not) the sister’s son, the friend not the friend.  The Pandavas and the Kurus fought as if they were possessed by demons.  Some tigers among men, fell with cars into pieces.  And the shafts of cars broke clashing against shafts, and the spikes of car-yokes against spikes of car-yokes.  And some (warriors) united together encountered others that were united together, all desirous of taking one another’s life-And some cars, obstructed by cars, were unable to move.  And huge-bodied elephants with rent temples, falling upon huge elephants, angrily tore one another in many places with their tusks.  Others, O king, encountering impetuous and huge ones of their species with arched edifices and standards (on their backs) and trained to the fight struck with their tusks, shrieked in great agony.[329] Disciplined by training and urged on by pikes and hooks, elephants not in rut rushed straight against those that were in rut.[330] And some huge elephants, encountering compeers in rut, ran, uttering cries like those of cranes, in all directions.  And many huge elephants, well-trained, and with juice trickling down from rent temples and mouth, mangle with swords, lances, and arrows, and pierced in their vital parts, shrieked aloud and falling down expired.  And some, uttering frightful cries,