him with three other shafts.  Deeply pierced therewith, and feeling great pain, Arjuna sat down on the terrace of his car.  Then all the troops loudly cried out, saying, “Partha is slain.”  At this the blare of conchs, and the peal of drums, and the sound of diverse musical instruments, and loud leonine shouts, arose there.  Recovering his senses, Partha of immeasurable soul, owning white steeds and having Krishna for his driver, speedily invoked the Aindra weapon.  Then thousands of arrows, O sire, issuing from that weapon, were seen on all sides to slay kings and elephants.  And steeds and warriors, in hundreds and thousands, were also seen to be slaughtered in that battle, with these weapons.  Then while the troops were thus being slaughtered, a great fear entered the hearts of all the samsaptakas and Gopalas, O Bharata.  There was no man amongst them that could fight with Arjuna.  There in the very sight of all the heroes, Arjuna began to destroy thy troops.  Beholding that slaughter, all of them remained perfectly inactive, without putting forth their prowess.  Then the son of Pandu having slain full 10,000 combatants in that battle, looked resplendent, O monarch, like a blazing fire without smoke.  And then he slew full 14,000 warriors, and 3,000 warriors, and 3,000 elephants.  Then the samsaptakas once more encompassed Dhananjaya, making death or victory their goal.  The battle then that took place there between thy warriors and that mighty hero, viz., the diadem-decked son of Pandu became awful.’”

54

“Sanjaya said, ’Then Kritavarma, and Kripa, and the son of Drona and the Suta’s son, O sire, and Uluka, and Subala’s son (Shakuni), and the king himself, with his uterine brothers, beholding the (Kuru) army afflicted with the fear of Pandu’s son, unable to stand together, like a vessel wrecked on the ocean, endeavoured to rescue it with great speed.  For a short space of time, O Bharata, the battle that once more took place became exceedingly fierce, enhancing as it did the fears of timid and the joy of the brave.  The dense showers of arrows shot in battle by Kripa, thick, as flights of locusts, covered the Srinjayas.  Then Shikhandi, filled with rage, speedily proceeded against the grandson of Gautama (Kripa) and poured upon that bull amongst Brahmanas his arrowy downpours from all sides.  Acquainted with the highest weapons Kripa then checked that arrowy downpour, and wrathfully pierced Shikhandi with ten arrows in that battle.  Then Shikhandi filled with rage, deeply pierced Kripa, in that encounter, with seven straight arrows equipped with Kanka feathers.  The twice-born Kripa then, that great car-warrior, deeply pierced with those keen arrows, deprived Shikhandi of his steeds, driver and car.  Jumping down from his steedless vehicle, the mighty car-warrior (Shikhandi) rushed impetuously at the Brahmana, having taken up a sword and a shield.  As the Pancala prince advanced, Kripa quickly covered him with many straight arrows in that encounter, which