its talons).  Drona’s son, however, O sinless one, by means of a bearded arrow, cut off, from his antagonist’s trunk, his head graced with a beautiful nose and decked with excellent ear-rings, and which rested on elevated shoulders.  That hero, then, the brightness of whose face resembled the splendour of the full moon and whose eyes were like lotus-petals, whose stature was tall, and complexion like that of the lotus, thus slain, fell down on the earth.  The Pandava host then, filled with great grief, began to tremble, when the Preceptor’s son thus slew Nila of blazing energy.  The great car-warriors of the Pandavas, O sire, all thought, ’Alas, how would Indra’s son (Arjuna) be able to rescue us from the foe, when that mighty warrior is engaged on the southern part of the field in slaughtering the remnant of the Samsaptakas and the Narayana force?’”

SECTION XXX

“Sanjaya said, ’Vrikodara, however, could not brook that slaughter of his army.  He struck Valhika with sixty and Karna with ten arrows.  Drona then, desirous of slaying Bhima, quickly struck the latter, in his very vitals, many straight and whetted shafts of keen edge.  Desirous again of allowing no time, he once more struck him with, six and twenty shafts whose touch resembled that of fire and which were all like snakes of virulent poison.  Then Karna pierced him with a dozen shafts, and Aswatthaman with seven, and king Duryodhana also with six.  The mighty Bhimasena, in return, pierced them all.  He struck Drona with fifty shafts, and Karna with ten.  And piercing Duryodhana with a dozen shafts, and Drona with eight, he engaged in that battle uttering a loud shout.  In that encounter in which the warriors fought reckless of their lives and in which death was easy of attainment, Ajatasattru despatched many warriors, urging them to rescue Bhima.  Those heroes of immeasurable energy, viz., the two son of Madri and Pandu, and others headed by Yuyudhana, quickly proceeded to Bhimasena’s side.  And those bulls among men, filled with rage and uniting together, advanced to battle, desirous of breaking the army of Drona that was protected by many foremost of bowmen.  Indeed, those great car-warriors of mighty energy, viz., Bhima and others, fell furiously upon Drona’s host.  Drona, however, that foremost of car-warriors, received without any anxiety, all those mighty car-warriors, of great strength,—­those heroes accomplished in battle.  Disregarding their kingdoms and casting off all fear of death, the warriors of thy army proceeded against the Pandavas.  Horsemen encountered horsemen, and car-warriors encountered car-warriors.  The battle proceeded, darts against darts, swords against swords, axes against axes.  A fierce encounter with swords took place, producing a terrible carnage.  And in consequence of the collision of elephants against elephants the battle became furious.  Some fell down from the backs of elephants, and some from the