and rich drapery, graced with banners and resembling the Sun
in splendour, being suddenly shaken by the wind, gave a loud jingling
noise like that of a forest of palmyra trees (when moved by the wind). It
was thus that those tigers among men, the sons of Pandu, ever taking
delight in battle, stood having disposed their troops in counter-array
against the army of thy son, and sucking as it were, the marrow, O bull
of Bharata's race, of our warriors, and casting their eyes on Bhimasena
stationed at their head, mace in hand."

SECTION XX

Dhritarashtra said,--"When the Sun rose, O Sanjaya, of my army led by
Bhishma and the Pandava army led by Bhima, which first cheerfully
approached the other, desirous of fight? To which side were the Sun, the
Moon and the wind hostile, and against whom did the beasts of prey utter
inauspicious sounds? Who were those young men, the complexions of whose
faces were cheerful? Tell me all these truly and duly."

Sanjaya said,--"Both armies, when arrayed, were equally joyful, O king.
Both armies looked equally beautiful, assuming the aspect of blossoming
woods, and both armies were full of elephants, cars and horses. Both
armies were vast and terrible in aspect; and so also, O Bharata, none of
them could bear the other. Both of them were arrayed for conquering the
very heavens, and both of them consisted of excellent persons. The
Kauravas belonging to the Dhritarashtra party stood facing the west,
while the Parthas stood facing the east, addrest for fight. The troops of
the Kauravas looked like the army of the chief of the Danavas, while that
of the Pandavas looked like the army of the celestials. The wind began to
blow from behind the Pandavas (against the face of the Dhartarashtras),
and the beasts of prey began to yell against the Dhartarashtras. The
elephants belonging to thy sons could not bear the strong odour of the
temporal juice emitted by the huge elephants (of the Pandavas). And
Duryodhana rode on an elephant of the complexion of the lotus, with rent
temples, graced with a golden Kaksha (on its back), and cased in an
armour of steel net-work. And he was in the very centre of the Kurus and
was adored by eulogists and bards. And a white umbrella of lunar
effulgence was held over his head graced with a golden chain. Him Sakuni,
the ruler of the Gandharas, followed with mountaineers of Gandhara placed
all around. And the venerable Bhishma was at the head of all the troops,
with a