except the aim, even as the eye never dwelleth on anything that is not beautiful.  And as the track of a herd of elephants marching through the forest is made of itself, so was the track was made of itself for the car of Kiritin.  And struck and mangled by Partha, the hostile warriors thought that,—­Verily, Indra himself, desirous of Partha’s victory, accompanied by all the immortals is slaying us!  And they also regarded Vijaya, who was making a terrible slaughter around, to be none else than Death himself who having assumed the form of Arjuna, was slaying all creatures.  And the troops of the Kurus, struck by Partha, were so mangled and shattered that the scene looked like the achievement of Partha himself and could be compared with nothing else save what was observable in Partha’s combats.  And he severed the heads of foes, even as reapers cut off the tops of deciduous herbs.  And the Kurus all lost their energy owing to the terror begot of Arjuna.  And tossed and mangled by the Arjuna-gale, the forest of Arjuna’s foes reddened the earth with purple secretions.  And the dust mixed with blood, uplifted by the wind, made the very rays of the sun redder still.  And soon the sun-decked sky became so red that it looked very much like the evening.  Indeed, the sun ceaseth to shed his rays as soon as he sets, but the son of Pandu ceased not to shoot his shafts.  And that hero of inconceivable energy overwhelmed, by means of all celestial weapons, all the great bowmen of the enemy, although they were possessed of great prowess.  And Arjuna then shot three and seventy arrows of sharp points at Drona, and ten at Dussaha and eight at Drona’s son, and twelve at Dussasana, and three at Kripa, the son of Saradwat.  And that slayer of foes pierced Bhishma, the son of Santanu, with arrows, and king Duryodhana with a hundred.  And, lastly, he pierced Karna in the ear with a bearded shaft.  And when that great bowmen Karna, skilled in all weapons, was thus pierced, and his horses and car and car-driver were all destroyed, the troops that supported him began to break.  And beholding those soldiers break and give way the son of Virata desirous of knowing Partha’s purpose, addressed him on the field of battle, and said, ’O Partha, standing on this beautiful car, with myself as charioteer, towards which division shall I go?  For, commanded by thee, I would soon take thee thither.’

“Arjuna replied, ’O Uttara, yonder auspicious warrior whom thou seest cased in coat of tiger-skin and stationed on his car furnished with a blue-flag and drawn by red steeds, is Kripa.  There is to be seen the van of Kripa’s division.  Take me thither.  I shall show that great bowman my swift-handedness in archery.  And that warrior whose flag beareth the device of an elegant water-pot worked in gold, is the preceptor Drona—­that foremost of all wielders of weapons.  He is always an object of regard with me, as also with all bearers of arms.  Do thou, therefore, circumambulate that