roaring and yelling on all sides, the field of battle became terrible like the domains of the king of the dead.  And innumerable headless trunks rose up on all sides.  And terrible creatures, gorging on flesh and drinking fat, and blood, O Bharata, began to dance around.  And crows and vultures and cranes, gratified with fat and marrow and other animals relishing flesh, were seen to move about in glee.  They, however, O king, that were heroes, casting off all fear which is so difficult of being cast off, and observing the vow of warriors, fearlessly did their duty.  Indeed, on that field where countless arrows and darts coursed through the air, and which was crowded with carnivorous creatures of diverse kinds, brave warriors careered fearlessly, displaying their prowess.  Addressing one another, O Bharata, they declared their names and families.  And many amongst them, declaring the names of their sires and families, O lord, began to crush one another, O king, with darts and lances and battle-axes.  During the progress of that fierce and awful battle, the Kaurava army became strengthless and unable to bear up any longer like a foundered vessel on the bosom of the ocean.’”

53

“Sanjaya said, ’During the progress of that battle in which so many Kshatriyas sank down, the loud twang of Gandiva, O sire, was heard above the din on that spot, O king, where the son of Pandu was engaged in slaughtering the samsaptakas, the Kosalas, and the Narayana forces.  Filled with rage and longing for victory, the samsaptakas, in that battle, began to pour showers of arrows on Arjuna’s head.  The puissant Partha, however, quickly checking those arrowy showers, O king, plunged into that battle, and began to slay many foremost of car-warriors.  Plunging into the midst of that division of cars with the aid of his whetted shafts equipped with Kanka feathers, Partha came upon Susharma of excellent weapons.  That foremost of car-warriors poured on Arjuna thick showers of arrows.  Meanwhile the samsaptakas also covered Partha with their shafts.  Then Susharma, piercing Partha with ten shafts, struck Janardana with three in the right arm.  With a broad-headed arrow then, O sire, he pierced the standard of Arjuna.  Thereupon that foremost of apes, of huge dimensions, the handiwork of the celestial artificer himself, began to utter loud sounds and roared very fiercely, affrighting thy troops.  Hearing the roars of the ape, thy army became inspired with fear.  Indeed, under the influence of a great fear, that army became perfectly inactive.  That army then, as it stood inactive, O king, looked beautiful like the Citraratha forest with its flowery burthen of diverse kinds.  Then those warriors, recovering their senses, O chief of the Kurus, began to drench Arjuna with their arrowy downpours like the clouds drenching the mountains.  Then all of them encompassed the great car of the Pandava.  Assailing him, they uttered loud roars although all the while they were