Keeping the duty of a king before himself, a king striketh a king.  Myself, and Drona, and Kripa, and Drona’s son, and Kritavarman of the Satwata race, and Salya, and Somadatta’s son, and that mighty car-warrior Vikarna, and thy heroic brothers headed by Dussasana, will all, for thy sake, battle against that mighty Rakshasas.  Or if thy grief on account of that fierce prince of the Rakshasas be too great, let this one proceed in battle against that wicked warrior, that is to say, king Bhagadatta who is equal unto Purandara himself in fight’.  Having said this much unto the king, the grandsire skilled in speech then addressed Bhagadatta in the presence of the (Kuru) king, saying, ’Proceed quickly, O great monarch, against that invincible warrior, viz., the son of Hidimva.  Resist in battle, with care, and in view of all the bowmen, that Rakshasa of cruel deeds, like Indra in days of old resisting Taraka.  Thy weapons are celestial.  Thy prowess also is great, O chastiser of foes.  In days of old many have been the encounters that thou hadst with Asura, O tiger among kings, thou art that Rakshasa’s match in great battle.  Strongly supported by thy own troops, slay, O king, that bull among Rakshasas’.  Hearing these words of Bhishma the generalissimo (of the Kaurava army), Bhagadatta specially set out with a leonine roar facing the ranks of the foe.  Beholding him advance towards them like a mass of roaring clouds, many mighty car-warriors of the Pandava army proceeded against him, inflamed with wrath.  They were Bhimasena, and Abhimanyu and the Rakshasa Ghatotkacha; and the sons of Draupadi, and Satyadhriti, and Kshatradeva, O sire, and the rulers of the Chedis, and Vasudana, and the king of the Dasarnas.  Bhagadatta then, on his elephant named Supratika, rushed against them.  Then commenced a fierce and awful battle between the Pandavas and Bhagadatta, that increased the population of Yama’s kingdom.  Shafts of terrible energy and great impetuosity, shot by car-warriors, fell, O king, on elephants and cars.  Huge elephants with rent temples and trained (to the fight) by their guides, approaching fell upon one another fearlessly.  Blind (with fury) in consequence of the temporal juice trickling down their bodies, and excited with rage, attacking one another with their tusks resembling stout bludgeons, they pierced one another with the points of those weapons.[453] Graced with excellent tails, and ridden by warriors armed with lances, steeds, urged by those riders fell fearlessly and with great impetuosity upon one another.  And foot-soldiers, attacked by bodies of foot-soldiers with darts and lances, fell down on the earth by hundreds and thousands.  And car-warriors upon their cars, slaughtering heroic adversaries in that battle by means of barbed arrows and muskets and shafts, uttered leonine shouts.[454] And during the progress of the battle making the hair stand on end, that great bowman, viz., Bhagadatta, rushed towards Bhimasena, on his elephant of rent