others, once more set up shouts of joy. And beholding the nobility of
the sons of Pandu who had paid due honour to those that were deserving of
honour, all the kings there present applauded them highly. And the
monarchs, talked with one another about the friendship, the compassion,
and the kindness to kinsmen, displayed at the proper season by those
high-souled personages. Excellent,--Excellent,--were the delightful words
everywhere bruited about, coupled with eulogistic hymns about those
famous men. And in consequence of this the minds and hearts of every one
there were attracted towards them. And the Mlecchas and the Aryas there
who witnessed or heard of that behaviour of the sons of Pandu, all wept
with choked voices. And those warriors then, endued with great energy,
caused large drums and Pushkaras by hundreds upon hundreds to be sounded
and also blew their conches all white as the milk of cows."

SECTION XLIV

Dhritarashtra said, "When the divisions of both my side and the foe were
thus arrayed, who struck first, the Kurus or the Pandavas?"

Sanjaya said, "Hearing those words of his (elder) brother, thy son
Dussasana advanced with his troops, with Bhishma at their head, and the
Pandavas also advanced with cheerful hearts, desiring battle with
Bhishma, having Bhimasena at their head. Then leonine shouts, and
clamorous uproars and the noise of Krakachas, the blare of cow-horns, and
the sound of drums and cymbals and tabors, arose in both armies. And the
warriors of the foe rushed against us, and we also (rushed) against them
with loud shouts. And the uproar (caused by this rush) was
deafening.[317] The vast hosts of the Pandavas and the Dhartarashtras, in
that awfully murderous encounter shook in consequence of that uproar of
conches and cymbals, like forests shaken by the wind.[318] And the din
made by those hosts teeming with kings, elephants, and steeds, rushing
against one another in that evil hour, was as loud as that of oceans
agitated by the tempest. And when that din, loud and causing the hair to
stand on end, arose, the mighty-armed Bhimasena began to roar like a
bull. And those roars of Bhimasena rose above the clamour of conches and
drums, the grunts of elephants, and the leonine shouts of the combatants.
Indeed, the shouts of Bhimasena transcended the noise made by the
thousands of chargers neighing in (both) the armies. And hearing those
shouts of Bhimasena who was roaring like the clouds, shouts t