prowess that are irresistible.’ Hearing
these words of thy son, the valiant Salya proceeded
with a large body of cars to the spot where Yudhishthira
was. Thereupon, the son of Pandu began to resist
in battle that large host of Salya rushing impetuously
towards him with the force of a mighty wave.
And that mighty car-warrior,
viz., king Yudhishthira
the just, in that battle quickly pierced the ruler
of the Madras in the centre of the chest with ten
shafts. And Nakula and Sahadeva struck him with
seven straight shafts. The ruler of the Madras
then struck each of them with three arrows. And
once more he pierced Yudhishthira with sixty sharp-pointed
arrows. And excited with wrath he struck each
of the sons of Madri also with two shafts. Then
that vanquisher of foes, the mighty-armed Bhima, beholding
the king, in that great battle, staying within reach
of Salya’s car as if within the very jaws of
Death, quickly proceeded to Yudhishthira’s side.
Then when the Sun, having passed the meridian, was
sinking, there commenced a fierce and terrible battle
(on that part of the field).
Sanjaya said, “Then thy sire, excited with wrath,
began to strike the Parthas and their troops all round,
with excellent shafts of great sharpness. And
he pierced Bhima with twelve shafts, and Satyaki with
nine. And having pierced Nakula with three shafts,
he pierced Sahadeva with seven. And he pierced
Yudhishthira in the arms and the chest with twelve
shafts. And piercing Dhrishtadyumna also, that
mighty warrior uttered a loud roar. Him Nakula
pierced (in return) with twelve shafts, and Satyaki
with three. And Dhrishtadyumna pierced him with
seventy shafts, and Bhimasena with seven. And
Yudhishthira pierced the grandsire in return with
twelve shafts. Drona (on the other hand), having
pierced Satyaki, pierced Bhimasena next. And
he pierced each of them with five sharp shafts, each
of which resembled the rod of Death. Each of those
two, however, pierced Drona, that bull among Brahmanas,
in return, with three straight shafts. The Sauviras,
the Kitavas, the Easterners, the Westerners, the Northerners,
the Malavas, the Abhishahas, the Surasenas, the Sivis,
and the Vasatis, did not avoid Bhishma in battle although
they were incessantly slaughtered by him with sharp
shafts. And similarly kings coming from diverse
countries and armed with diverse weapons, approached
the Pandavas (without seeking to avoid them in battle).
And the Pandavas, O king, surrounded the grandsire
on all sides. Surrounded on all sides, yet unvanquished
by that large body of cars, Bhishma blazed up like
a fire in the midst of a forest, and consumed his foes.
His car was his fire-chamber; his bow constituted
the (flames of that fire); swords, darts, and maces,
constituted the fuel; his shafts were the sparks (of
that fire); and Bhishma was himself the fire that consumed
the foremost of Kshatriyas. Indeed, with shafts
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