those relatives of thine by marriage,
viz., Vrishaka
and Achala, struck Partha very severely, like Vritra
or Vala striking Indra of old. Of unfailing aim,
these two princes of Gandhara, themselves unhurt, began
once more to strike the son of Pandu, like the two
months of summer afflicting the world with sweat-producing
rays.[57] Then Arjuna slew those princes and tigers
among men,
viz., Vrishaka and Achala, staying
on one car side by side, with, O monarch, a single
arrow. Then those mighty-armed heroes, with red
eyes and looking like lions, those uterine brothers
having similar features, together fell down from that
car. And their bodies, dear to friends, falling
down upon the earth, lay there, spreading sacred fame
all around.
“Beholding their brave and unretreating maternal
uncles thus slain by Arjuna, thy sons, O monarch,
rained many weapons upon him. Sakuni also, conversant
with a hundred different kinds of illusions, seeing
his brothers slain, created illusions for confounding
the two Krishnas. Then clubs, and iron balls,
and rocks and Sataghnis and darts, and maces, and
spiked bludgeons, and scimitars, and lances, mallets,
axes, and Kampanas, and swords, and nails, and short
clubs, and battle-axes, and razors, and arrows with
sharp broad heads, and Nalikas, and calf-tooth headed
shafts, and arrows having bony heads and discs and
snake-headed shafts, and spears, and diverse other
kinds of weapons, fell upon Arjuna from all sides.
And asses, and camels, and buffaloes, and tigers, and
lions, and deer, and leopards, and bears, and wolves
and vultures, and monkeys, and various reptiles, and
diverse cannibals, and swarms of crows, all hungry,
and excited with rage, ran towards Arjuna. Then
Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, that hero conversant
with celestial weapons, shooting clouds of arrows,
assailed them all. And assailed by that hero with
those excellent and strong shafts, they uttered loud
cries and fell down deprived of life. Then a
thick darkness appeared and covered Arjuna’s
car, and from within that gloom harsh voices rebuked
Arjuna. The latter, however, by means of the
weapons called Jyotishka, dispelled that thick and
awful darkness. When that darkness was dispelled
frightful waves of water appeared. For drying
up those waters, Arjuna applied the weapon called
Aditya. And in consequence of that weapon, the
waters were almost dried up. These diverse illusions,
repeatedly created by Sauvala, Arjuna destroyed speedily
by means of the force of his weapons, laughing the
while. Upon all his illusions being destroyed,
afflicted with Arjuna’s shafts and unmanned
by fear, Sakuni fled away, aided by his fleet, steeds,
like a vulgar wretch. Then Arjuna, acquainted
with all weapons, showing his enemies the exceeding
lightness of his hands, showered upon the Kaurava
host clouds of arrows. That host of thy son, thus
slaughtered by Partha, became divided into two streams
like the current of Ganga when impeded by a mountain.