invisible by means of his numberless shafts shot in sets.  Then king Yudhishthira, excited with rage, sped at the high-souled Kaurava a long arrow resembling a snake of virulent poison.  That mighty car-warrior, Bhishma, however, O king, cut off in that combat, with a horse-shoe (headed) arrow, that shaft shot from Yudhishthira’s bow before it could reach him.  Having cut off that long arrow resembling Death himself, Bhishma then slew in that battle the steeds, decked with gold, of that prince of Kuru’s line.  Then Yudhishthira the son of Pandu, abandoning that car whose steeds had been slain, quickly mounted upon the car of the high-souled Nakula.  Then Bhishma that subjugator of hostile cities, excited with rage, and coming upon the twins in that battle, covered them with arrows.  Beholding those two (brothers), O king, thus afflicted, with the arrows of Bhishma, Yudhishthira began to reflect earnestly desirous, O monarch, of (compassing) Bhishma’s destruction.  Then Yudhishthira, O king, urged his friends and the rulers (on his side), saying,—­’Slay Bhishma the son of Santanu, uniting together.’  Then all those rulers, hearing these words of Pritha’s son, surrounded the grandsire with a large number of cars.  Thy sire Devavrata then, thus surrounded on all sides, began to sport, O king, with his bow, felling (all the while) many mighty car-warriors.  Him of Kuru’s race, thus careering over the field of battle, the Pandavas beheld resembling a young lion in the forest amid a herd of deer.  Uttering a loud roar in that battle and striking fear into the hearts of brave warriors by means of his shafts, the Kshatriyas beholding him, O king, were all struck with fear, like inferior animals upon seeing a lion.  Indeed the Kshatriyas beheld the movements of that lion of Bharata’s race in battle to resemble those of a conflagration aided by the wind while consuming a heap of dry grass.  And Bhishma in that battle felled the heads of car-warriors like a skilful man felling (with stones) ripe (palmyra) fruits from trees that bear them.  And the heads of warriors, O king, falling upon the surface of the earth produced a loud noise resembling that of a stony shower.  During the progress of that fierce and dreadful battle a great confusion set in among all the troops.  And in consequence of that confusion the arrays (of both armies) were broken.  And the Kshatriyas summoning one another individually, approached one another for fight.  Then Sikhandin, sighting the grandsire of the Bharatas, rushed at him impetuously, saying,—­Wait, Wait—­Remembering, however, the femininity of Sikhandin, and disregarding him on that account, Bhishma proceeded against the Srinjayas.  Thereupon the Srinjayas, beholding Bhishma in that great battle, were filled with joy.  And they set forth diverse kinds of loud shouts, mingled with the blare of their conches.  Then commenced a fierce battle in course of which cars and elephants got entangled with one another.  And it was that hour of the day, O lord, when the sun was on the other