And Bhurisravas, and Sala, and Suvala’s son, O monarch, began to check the twin sons of Madri with showers of bright and sharp arrows.  Bhishma, however, in that battle, supported by the sons of Dhritarashtra with their troops, approaching Yudhishthira, surrounded him on all sides.  Beholding that elephant division coming towards him, Pirtha’s son Vrikodara, possessed of great courage, began to lick the corners of his mouth like a lion in the forest.  Then Bhima, that foremost of car-warriors, taking up his mace in that great battle, quickly jumped down from his car and struck terror into the hearts of thy warriors.  Beholding him mace in hand, those elephant-warriors in that battle carefully surrounded Bhimasena on all sides.  Stationed in the midst of those elephants, the son of Pandu looked resplendent like the Sun in the midst of a mighty mass of clouds.  Then that bull among the sons of Pandu began with his mace to consume that elephant-division like the wind dispelling a huge mass of clouds covering the welkin.  Those tuskers, while being slaughtered by the mighty Bhimasena, uttered loud cries of woe like roaring masses of clouds.  With diverse scratches (on his person) inflicted by those huge animals with their tusks, the son of Pritha looked beautiful on the field of battle like a flowering Kinsuka.  Seizing some of the elephants by their tusks, he deprived them of those weapons.  Wrenching out the tusks of others, with those very tusks he struck them on their frontal globes and felled them in battle like the Destroyer himself armed with his rod.  Wielding his mace bathed in gore, and himself bespattered with fat and marrow and smeared with blood, he looked like Rudra himself.  Thus slaughtered by him, the few gigantic elephants that remained, ran away on all sides, O king, crushing even friendly ranks.  And in consequence of those huge elephants fleeing away on all sides, Duryodhana’s troops once more, O bull of Bharata’s race, fled away from the field.”

SECTION CIV

Sanjaya said, “At mid-day, O king, happened a fierce battle, fraught with great carnage, between Bhishma and the Somakas.  That foremost of car-warriors, viz., Ganga’s son began to consume the ranks of the Pandavas with keen shafts by hundreds and thousands.  Thy sire Devavrata began to grind those troops like a herd of bulls grinding (with their tread) a heap of paddy sheaves.  Then Dhrishtadyumna and Sikhandin and Virata and Drupada, falling upon Bhishma in that battle, struck that mighty car-warrior with numerous arrows.  Bhishma then, having pierced Dhrishtadyumna and Virata each with three arrows, sped a long shaft, O Bharata, at Drupada.  Thus pierced in battle by Bhishma, that grinder of foes, those great bowmen became filled with wrath O king, like snakes trod upon (by human feet).  Then Sikhandin pierced the grandsire of the Bharatas (with many shafts).  Of unfading glory, Bhishma, however, regarding his