was for this that they had made arrangements for the double encounter.  The son of Pandu allowed his heart to waver this side and that, but, at last, resolving to slay those foremost of warriors, viz., the Samsaptakas, he baffled the purpose of his enemies.[55] Then mighty Samsaptakas car-warriors, O king, shot at Arjuna thousands of straight arrows.  Covered with those arrows, O monarch, neither Kunti’s son Partha, nor Krishna, otherwise called Janardana, nor the steeds, nor the car, could be seen.  Then Janardana became deprived of his senses and perspired greatly.  Thereupon, Partha shot the Brahma weapon and nearly exterminated them all.  Hundreds upon hundreds of arms with bows and arrows and bowstrings in grasp, cut off from trunks, and hundreds upon hundreds of standards and steeds and charioteers and car-warriors, fell down on the ground.  Huge elephants, well-equipped and resembling foremost hills over-grown with woods or masses of clouds, afflicted with Partha’s shafts and deprived of riders, fell down on the earth.  Many elephants again, with riders on their backs, crushed by means of Arjuna’s shafts, fell down, deprived of life, shorn of the embroidered cloths on their backs, and with their housings torn.  Cut off by Kiritin with his broad-headed arrows, countless arms having swords and lances and rapiers for their nails or having clubs and battle-axes in grasp, fell down on the earth.  Heads also, beautiful, O king, as the morning sun or the lotus or the moon, cut off by Arjuna with his arrows, dropped down on the ground.  While Phalguni in rage was thus engaged in slaying the foe with diverse kinds of well-adorned and fatal shafts, that host seemed to be ablaze.  Beholding Dhanunjaya crushing that host like an elephant crushing lotus-stalks, all creatures applauded him, saying, ’Excellent, Excellent!’ Seeing that feat of Partha resembling that of Vasava himself, Madhava wondered much and, addressing him with joined hands, said, ’Verily, O Partha, I think that this feat which thou hast achieved, could not be performed by Sakra, or Yama, or the Lord of treasures himself.  I see that thou hast today felled in battle hundreds and thousands of mighty Samsaptaka warriors an together.’  Having slain the Samsaptakas then,—­that is, who were engaged in battle,—­Partha addressed Krishna, saying, ‘Go towards Bhagadatta.’”

SECTION XXVI

“Sanjaya said, ’At Partha’s desire, Krishna then urged his white steeds, fleet as the mind and covered in golden armour, towards Drona’s divisions.  While that foremost one of the Kurus was thus proceeding towards his brothers who were exceedingly afflicted by Drona, Susarman with his brothers, followed him behind, desirous of battle.  The ever-victorious Arjuna then addressed Krishna, saying, ’O thou of unfading glory, this Susarman here, with his brothers, challengeth me to battle!  O slayer of foes, our host, again, is broken (by Drona)