by Pandu, and rushed for rescuing thy son.  He was borne by his steeds that were fleet as birds and that were urged by the ruler of the Madras.  After Karna had gone away, Kunti’s son Yudhishthira retreated, borne, O sire, by the fleet steeds of Sahadeva.  With his twin brothers accompanying him, that ruler of men, quickly repairing in shame to the (Pandava) camp, his body exceedingly mangled with shafts, alighted from the car and hastily sat down on an excellent bed.  The, arrows then being extracted from his body, the royal son of Pandu, his heart exceedingly afflicted with sorrow’s dart, addressed his two brothers, viz., those two mighty car-warriors, the sons of Madri, saying, “Repair quickly to the division of Bhimasena.  Roaring like a cloud, Vrikodara is engaged in battle.”  Riding another car, Nakula, that bull among car-warriors, and Sahadeva of great energy,—­those two brothers, those two crushers of foes,—­both endued with great might, then proceeded towards Bhima, borne by steeds of the utmost fleetness.  Indeed, the brothers having together repaired to Bhimasena’s division, took up their places there.’”

64

“Sanjaya said, ’Meanwhile Drona’s son, surrounded by a large car-force, O king, suddenly proceeded to that spot where Partha was.  Like the continent withstanding the surging ocean, the heroic Partha having Saurin (Krishna) for his help-mate withstood the impetuously rushing Ashvatthama.  Then, O monarch, the valiant son of Drona, filled with rage, covered both Arjuna and Vasudeva with his shafts.  Beholding the two Krishnas shrouded with arrows, the great car-warriors (of the Pandava army), as also the Kurus that witnessed it, wondered exceedingly.  Then Arjuna, as if smiling, invoked into existence a celestial weapon.  The brahmana Ashvatthama, however, O Bharata, baffled that weapon in that battle.  Indeed, all those weapons that Arjuna sped from desire of slaying the son of Drona were baffled by the latter, that great bowman, in that encounter.  During the progress of that awful encounter of weapons, O king, we beheld the son of Drona to resemble the Destroyer himself, with gaping mouth.  Having covered all the points of the compass, cardinal and subsidiary, with straight arrows, he pierced Vasudeva with three arrows in the right arm.  Then Arjuna, slaying all the steeds of his high-souled assailant, caused the Earth in that battle to be covered with a river of blood that was exceedingly awful that led towards the other world, and that had diverse kinds of creatures floating on it.  All the spectators beheld a large number of car-warriors along with their cars, belonging to the division of Ashvatthama, slain and destroyed by means of the arrows sped from Partha’s bow.  Ashvatthama also, slaying his enemies, caused a terrible river of blood to flow there that led to Yama’s domains.  During the progress of that fierce and awful battle between Drona’s son and Partha, the combatants fought without showing any regard for