thousand of drums were loudly beaten, and there arose from all the divisions the loud blare of conches and the notes of trumpets and many leonine shouts.  Then (innumerable) bows of loud twang, stretched by heroic warriors with shaft fixed on the bowstrings, and the blare of conches, silenced that uproar of drums and cymbals.  And the entire welkin filled with that blare of conches was diffused with an earthly dust that made it wonderful to behold.  And with that dust the sky looked as if a vast canopy were spread overhead.  And beholding that canopy the brave warriors all rushed impetuously (to battle).  And car-warriors, struck by car-warriors, were overthrown with charioteers, steeds, cars, and standards.  And elephants, struck by elephants, fell down, and foot-soldiers struck by foot-soldiers.  And rushing horsemen, struck down by rushing horsemen with lances and swords, fell down with frightful countenances.  And all this seemed exceedingly wonderful.  And excellent shields decked with golden stars and possessed of solar effulgence, broken by (strokes of) battle-axes, lances and swords dropped on the field.[377] And many car-warriors mangled and bruised by the tusks and the strong trunks of elephants, fell down with their charioteers.  And many bulls among car-warriors struck by bulls among car-warriors with their shafts, fell down on the ground.  And many persons hearing the wails of horsemen and foot-soldiers struck with the tusks and other limbs of elephants or crushed by the impetus of those huge creatures rushing in close ranks, fell down on the field of battle.[378]

“Then when cavalry and foot-soldiers were falling fast, and elephants and steeds and cars were flying away in fear, Bhishma, surrounded by many mighty car-warriors, obtained sight of him who had the prince of apes on his standard.  And the palmyra-bannered warrior, viz. the son of Santanu, having five palmyras on his standard, then rushed against the diadem-decked (Arjuna) whose car, in consequence of the fleetness of the excellent steeds attached to it was endued with wonderful energy and which blazed like the very lightning in consequence of the energy of his mighty weapons.  And so against that son of Indra who was like unto Indra himself, rushed many (other) warriors headed by Drona and Kripa and Salya and Vivinsati and Duryodhana and also Somadatta’s son, O king.  Then the heroic Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, conversant with all weapons and cased in a handsome and golden coat of mail, rushing out of the ranks, quickly proceeded against all those warriors.  And that son of Krishna of feats incapable of being borne, baffling the mighty weapons of all those warriors of great strength, looked resplendent like the adorable Agni himself, on the sacrificial altar, of blazing flames, invoked with high mantras.  Then Bhishma of mighty energy, creating in that battle a very river whose waters were the blood of foes, and quickly avoiding Subhadra’s son, encountered that mighty car-warrior, viz.,