Arjuna, O king, of sureness of aim and having Krishna
for his charioteer, advanced on his car. Surrounded
by those elephants huge as hills, he began to destroy
those animals with his keen and polished arrows.
Each slain with a single arrow, we beheld those huge
elephants fallen or falling down, mangled by Savyasaci.
The mighty Bhimasena, himself like an infuriated elephant,
beholding those elephants, took up his formidable mace
and rushed at them, quickly jumping down from his
car, like the Destroyer armed with his club.
Seeing that great car-warrior of the Pandavas with
uplifted mace, thy soldiers became filled with fright
and passed urine and excreta. The whole army
became agitated upon beholding Bhimasena armed with
mace. We then beheld those elephants, huge as
hills, running hither and thither, with their frontal
globes split open by Bhima with his mace and all their
limbs bathed in blood. Struck with Bhima’s
mace, those elephants, running off from him, fell
down with cries of pain, like wingless mountains.
Beholding those elephants, many in number, with their
frontal globes split open, running hither and thither
or falling down, thy soldiers were inspired with fear.
Then Yudhishthira also, filled with wrath, and the
two sons of Madri, began to slay those elephant-warriors
with arrows equipped with vulturine wings. Dhrishtadyumna,
after the defeat of the (Kuru) king in battle, and
after the flight of the latter from that spot on horse-back,
saw that the Pandavas had all been surrounded by the
(Kaurava) elephants. Beholding this, O monarch,
Dhrishtadyumna, the son of the Pancala king, proceeded
towards those elephants, from desire of slaughtering
them. Meanwhile, not seeing Duryodhana in the
midst of the car-force. Ashvatthama and Kripa,
and Kritavarma of the Satwata race, asked all the
Kshatriyas there, saying, ‘Where has Duryodhana
gone?’ Not seeing the king in that carnage, those
great car-warriors all thought thy son to have been
slain. Hence, with sorrowful faces, they enquired
after him. Some persons told them that after
the fall of his driver, he had gone to Subala’s
son. Other Kshatriyas, present there, who had
been exceedingly mangled with wounds, said, “What
need is there with Duryodhana? See if he is yet
alive! Do you all fight unitedly? What will
the king do to you?” Other Kshatriyas, who were
exceedingly mangled, who had lost many of their kinsmen,
and who were still being afflicted with the arrows
of the enemy, said these words in indistinct tones,
“Let us slay these forces by whom we are encompassed!
Behold, the Pandavas are coming hither, after having
slain the elephants!” Hearing these words of
theirs, the mighty Ashvatthama, piercing through that
irresistible force of the Pancala king, proceeded
with Kripa and Kritavarma to the spot where Subala’s
son was. Indeed, those heroes, those firm bowmen,
leaving the car-force, repaired (in search of Duryodhana).
After they had gone away, the Pandavas, headed by
Dhrishtadyumna, advanced, O king, and began to slay


