force, like fire consuming a flight of insects.  And while that firm bowman was (by means of his celestial weapons) creating thousands upon thousands of arrows, his Gandiva looked highly resplendent in the welkin.  Then those Kshatriyas, O monarch, afflicted with those arrows with their tall standards torn and overthrown, could not even together, approach the ape-bannered (Partha).  Car-warriors fell down with their standards, and horsemen with their horses, and elephant-riders with their elephants, attacked by Kiritin with his shafts.  And the earth was soon covered all on all sides with the retreating troops of those kings, routed in consequence of the shafts shot from Arjuna’s arms.  Partha then, O monarch, having routed the Kaurava army, sped many arrows at Dussasana.  Those arrows with iron heads, piercing thy son Dussasana through, all entered the earth like snakes through ant-hills.  Arjuna then slew Dussasana’s steeds and then felled his charioteer.  And the lord Arjuna, with twenty shafts, deprived Vivingsati of his car, and struck him five straight shafts.  And piercing Kripa and Vikarna and Salya with many arrows made wholly of iron, Kunti’s son owning white steeds deprived all of them of their cars.  Thus deprived of their cars and vanquished in battle by Savyasachin, Kripa and Salya, O sire, and Dussasana, and Vikarna and Vivingsati, all fled away.  Having vanquished those mighty car-warriors, O chief of the Bharatas, in the forenoon, Partha blazed up in that battle like a smokeless conflagration.  Scattering his shafts all around like the Sun shedding rays of light, Partha felled many other kings, O monarch.  Making those mighty car-warriors turn their backs upon the field by means of his arrowy showers, Arjuna caused a large river of bloody current to flow in that battle between the hosts of the Kurus and the Pandavas, O Bharata.  Large numbers of elephants and steeds and car-warriors were slain by car-warriors.  And many were the car-warriors slain by elephants, and many also were the steeds slain by foot-soldiers.  And the bodies of many elephant-riders and horsemen and car-warriors, cut off in the middle, as also their heads, fell down on every part of the field.  And the field of battle, O king, was strewn with (slain) princes,—­mighty car-warriors,—­falling or fallen, decked with ear-rings and bracelets.  And it was also strewn with the bodies of many warriors cut off by car-wheels, or trodden down by elephants.  And foot-soldiers ran away, and horsemen also with their horses.  And many elephants and car-warriors fell down on all sides.  And many cars, with wheels and yokes and standards broken, lay scattered all about on the field.  And the field of battle, dyed with the gore of large numbers of elephants, steeds, and car-warriors, looked beautiful like a red cloud, in the autumnal sky.  Dogs, and crows, and vultures, and wolves, and jackals, and many other frightful beasts and birds, set up loud howls, at the sight of the food that lay before them.  Diverse kinds