Bhima in that battle, shooting showers of whetted arrows at him.  Vrikodara, however, with his keen arrows, whose touch resembled that of Indra’s thunder, covered that force around him.  Within a very short time, Bhima slew them all, O bull of Bharata’s race!  Whilst they were being thus exterminated, many Kaurava leaders of great might, O Bharata, approached Bhima and began to fight with him.  The son of Pandu, O king, covered all of them with his arrows.  Similarly, thy warriors, O monarch, covered the great car-warriors of the Pandavas with dense showers of arrows from every side.  All the warriors then, of both sides, thus engaged in battle with one another, became exceedingly agitated.  Struck by one another, the combatants of both armies, O king, began to fall down, wailing aloud for their (deceased) kinsmen.’”

28

“Sanjaya said, ’During the progress of that battle which was so destructive of men and steeds and elephants, Subala’s son, Shakuni, O king, rushed against Sahadeva.  The valiant Sahadeva, as Shakuni rushed quickly towards him, sped showers of swift arrows at that warrior as numerous as a flight of insects.  At that time, Uluka also encountered Bhima and pierced him with ten arrows, Shakuni, meanwhile, O monarch, having pierced Bhima with three arrows, covered Sahadeva with ninety.  Indeed, those heroes, O king, encountering one another in that battle, pierced one another with many keen arrows equipped with Kanka and peacock feathers, winged with gold, whetted on stone, and sped from bow-strings drawn to their ears.  Those showers of arrows sped from their bows and arms, O monarch, shrouded all the points of the compass like a thick shower of rain poured from the clouds.  Then Bhima, filled with rage, and Sahadeva of great valour, both endued with great might, careered in that battle, making an immense carnage.  That army, O Bharata, was covered with hundreds of arrows by those two warriors.  In consequence thereof, the welkin on many parts of the field became shrouded with darkness.  In consequence, O monarch, of steeds, covered with arrows, dragging after them, as they ran, a large number of slain combatants, the tracks on many parts of the field became entirely blocked up.  Covered with steeds slain with their riders, with broken shields and lances, O monarch, and with swords and darts and spears all around, the Earth looked variegated as if strewn with flowers.  The combatants, O king, encountering one another, careered in battle, filled with wrath and taking one another’s life.  Soon the field became strewn with heads, beautiful as the filaments of the lotus, adorned with earrings and graced with faces set with eyes upturned in wrath and lips bit in rage.  Covered also, O monarch, with the severed arms of warriors that resembled the trunks of huge elephants, that were adorned with Angadas and cased in leathern fences, and that still held swords and lances and battle-axes, and with headless bodies risen on their feet and bleeding and dancing