nine arrows in that dreadful encounter.  Those two great car-warriors, the ruler of the Madras and Yudhishthira, began to cover each other with arrows, washed in oil and shot from their bowstrings stretched to their ears.  Those two best of kings, both endued with great strength, both incapable of being defeated by foes, and both foremost of car-warriors, watchful of each other’s lapses, quickly and deeply pierced each other with each other’s shafts.  The loud noise of their bows, bowstrings, and palms resembled that of Indra’s thunder as those high-souled warriors, the brave ruler of the Madras and the heroic Pandava, showered upon each other their numberless arrows.  They careered on the field of battle like two young tigers in the deep forest fighting for a piece of meat.  Swelling with pride of prowess, they mangled each other like a couple of infuriate elephants equipped with powerful tusks.  Then the illustrious ruler of the Madras, endued with fierce impetuosity, putting forth his vigour, pierced the heroic Yudhishthira of terrible might in the chest with shaft possessed of the splendour of fire or the sun.  Deeply pierced, O king, that bull of Kuru’s race, the illustrious Yudhishthira, then struck the ruler of the Madras with a well-shot shaft and became filled with joy.  Recovering his senses within a trice, that foremost of kings (Shalya), possessed of prowess equal to that of him of a 1,000 eyes, with eyes red in wrath, quickly struck the son of Pritha with a hundred arrows.  At this, the illustrious son of Dharma filled with rage, quickly pierced Shalya’s chest and then, without losing a moment, struck his golden mail with six shafts.  Filled with joy, the ruler of the Madras then, drawing his bow and having shot many arrows, at last cut off, with a pair of razor-faced shafts, the bow of his royal foe, that bull of Kuru’s race.  The illustrious Yudhishthira then, taking a new and more formidable bow in that battle, pierced Shalya with many arrows of keen points from every side like Indra piercing the Asura Namuchi.  The illustrious Shalya then, cutting off the golden coats of mail of both Bhima and king Yudhishthira with nine arrows, pierced the arms of both of them.  With another razor-faced arrow endued with the splendour of fire or the sun, he then cut off the bow of Yudhishthira.  At this time Kripa, with six arrows, slew the king’s driver who thereupon fell down in front of the car.  The ruler of the Madras then slew with four shafts the four steeds of Yudhishthira.  Having slain the steeds of the king, the high-souled Shalya then began to slay the troops of the royal son of Dharma.  When the (Pandava) king had been brought to that plight, the illustrious Bhimasena, quickly cutting off the bow of the Madra king with an arrow of great impetuosity, deeply pierced the king himself with a couple of arrows.  With another arrow he severed the head of Shalya’s driver from his trunk, the middle of which was encased in mail.  Exceedingly excited with rage, Bhimasena