mounted, O king, without delay, the car of Durmukha.  The valiant Drona, pierced the latter’s charioteer also, Then, O king, Drupada, thus afflicted at the head of his troops, retreated by the aid of his fleet steeds, recollecting the hostility that existed from days of old (between himself and Drona).  Bhimasena, within a moment, deprived king Valhika of his steeds, car and charioteer, in the very sight of all the troops.  Fallen into a situation of great danger and with fear in his heart, O king, Valhika, that best of men, jumping down from that vehicle, quickly mounted upon the car of Lakshmana in that battle.  Satyaki, having checked Kritavarman in that dreadful battle, fell upon the grandsire and rained on him shafts of diverse kinds.[470] Piercing the grandsire with sixty whetted shafts winged with feathers, he seemed to dance on his car, shaking his large bow.  The grandsire then hurled at him a mighty dart made of iron, decked with gold, endued with great velocity, and beautiful as a daughter of the Nagas.  Beholding that irresistible dart, resembling Death himself, coursing towards him, that illustrious warrior of the Vrishni race baffled it by the celerity of movements.  Thereupon that fierce dart, unable to reach him of the Vrishni race, fell down on the earth like a large meteor of blazing splendour.  Then he of Vrishni’s race, O king, taking up with a firm hand his own dart of golden effulgence, hurled it at the car of the grandsire.  That dart, hurled in that dreadful battle with the strength of Satyaki’s arms, coursed impetuously like the fatal night, coursing speedily towards a (doomed) man.  As it coursed, however, towards him with great force, Bhishma cut it in twain, O Bharata, with a couple of horse-shoe-headed arrows of keen edge, and thereupon it fell down on the earth.  Having cut that dart, that grinder of foes, viz., Ganga’s son, excited with wrath and smiling the while struck Satyaki in the chest with nine arrows.  Then the Pandava warriors, O elder brother of Pandu, with their cars, elephants, and steeds,[471] surrounded Bhishma in that battle, for the sake of rescuing him of Madhu’s race.  Then commenced again a fierce battle, making the hair to stand on end, between the Pandavas and the Kurus both of whom were desirous of victory.”

SECTION CVI

“Sanjaya said, ’Beholding Bhishma excited with wrath in battle, surrounded on all sides by the Pandavas like the Sun in the firmament.  O king, by the clouds at the end of summer, Duryodhana, O monarch, addressed Dussasana, saying, ’This heroic and great bowman Bhishma, this slayer of heroes, hath, O bull of Bharata’s race, been surrounded on all sides by the brave Pandavas.  It is thy duty, O hero, to protect that illustrious one.  Protected by us in battle, our grandsire Bhishma will slay all the Panchalas along with the Pandavas.  The protection of Bhishma. therefore, I think, is our highest duty, for this great bowman of his vows, viz., Bhishma,