turban. Upon the fall of that hero, his followers
were terrified. And stricken with panic, they
all fled away to where Duryodhana’s forces were.
Then Vasava’s son, filled with wrath, smote
that mighty host with incessant showers of arrows,
like the sun destroying darkness by means of his incessant
rays. Then when that host broke and melted away
on all sides, and Arjuna was filled with wrath, the
Trigartas were struck with fear. While being
slaughtered by Partha with his straight shafts, they
remained where they stood, deprived of their senses,
like a terrified, herd of deer. Then the king
of the Trigartas, filled with rage, addressed those
mighty car-warrior, saying, ’Do not fly, ye
heroes! It behoveth ye not to be frightened.
Having, in the sight of all the troops, taken those
terrible steps, repairing thither, what shall ye say
unto the leaders of Duryodhana’s host?
Do we not incur ridicule in the world by such a (cowardly)
act in battle? Therefore, stop ye all, and fight
according to your strength.’ Thus addressed,
O king, those heroes, repeatedly uttering loud shouts,
blew their conchs, gladdening one another. Then
those Samsaptakas once more returned to the field,
with the Narayana cow-herds, resolved to fade Death
himself.’”
“Sanjaya said, ’Beholding those Samsaptakas
once more return to the field, Arjuna addressed the
high-souled Vasudeva, saying, ’Urge the steeds,
O Hrishikesa, towards the Samsaptakas. They will
not give up the battle alive. This is what I
think. Today thou shalt witness the terrible
might of my arms as also of my bow. Today I shall
slay all these, like Rudra slaying creatures (at the
end of the Yuga).’ Hearing these words,
the invincible Krishna smiled, and gladdening him with
auspicious speeches, conveyed Arjuna to those places
whither the latter desired to go. While borne
in battle by those white steeds, that car looked exceedingly
resplendent like a celestial car borne along the firmament.
And like Sakra’s car, O king, in the battle between
the gods and the Asuras in days of old, it displayed
circular, forward, backward, and diverse other kinds
of motion. Then the Narayanas, excited with wrath
and armed with diverse weapons, surrounded Dhananjaya,
covering him with showers of arrows. And, O bull
of Bharata’s race, they soon made Kunti’s
son, Dhananjaya, together with Krishna, entirely invisible
in that battle. Then Phalguni, excited with wrath,
doubled his energy, and quickly rubbing its string,
grasped Gandiva, (firmly) in the battle. Causing
wrinkles to form themselves on his brow, sure indications
of wrath, the son of Pandu blew his prodigious conch,
called Devadatta, and then he shot the weapon called
Tvashtra that is capable of slaying large bodies of
foes together. Thereupon, thousands of separate
forms started into existence there (of Arjuna himself
and of Vasudeva). Confounded by those diverse
images after the form of Arjuna, the troops began to
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