afts. And, O king, many were the warriors who in
that terrible conflict had their coats of mail and bodies cut through by
that mighty weapon called after the name of Indra. And with those
terrible and sharp shafts of his, Kiritin caused an awful river to run on
the field of battle, having for its waters the blood flowing from the
mangled bodies of the combatants and having for its froth their fat. And
its current was broad and ran fiercely. And the bodies of elephants and
steeds despatched to the other world formed its banks. And its mire
consisted of the entrails, the marrow, and the flesh of human beings, and
prodigious Rakshasas formed the (tall) trees (standing on its banks). And
the crowns of human heads in profusion, covered with hair, formed its
(floating) mess, and heaps of human bodies, forming its sandbanks, caused
the current to flow in a thousand directions. And the coats of mail
strewn all over formed its hard pebbles. And its banks were infested by
large number of jackals and wolves and cranes and vultures and crowds of
Rakshasas, and packs of hyenas. And they that were alive beheld that
terrible river of current consisting of fat, marrow, and blood, caused by
the arrowy showers of Arjuna--that embodiment of (man's) cruelty--to look
like the great Vaitarani.[373] And beholding the foremost warriors of
that army of the Kurus thus slain by Phalguni, the Chedis, the Panchalas,
the Kurushas, the Matsyas, and all the combatants of the Pandava side,
those foremost of men, elated with victory, together set up a loud shout
for frightening the Kaurava warriors. And they uttered that cry
indicative of victory, beholding the foremost combatants of the (Kuru)
army, the very troops protected by mighty leaders of divisions, thus
slain by Kiritin, that terror of foes, who frightened them like a lion
frightening herds of smaller animals. And then the bearer of Gandiva
himself, and Janardana both filled with delight, uttered loud roars. And
the Kurus, with Bhishma, and Drona and Duryodhana and Valhika,
exceedingly mangled by the weapons (of Arjuna), beholding the sun
withdraw his rays, and seeing also that awful and irresistible weapon
called after the name of Indra spread out and causing (as it were) the
end of the Yuga to appear, withdraw their forces for the nightly rest.
And that foremost of men, Dhananjaya also, having achieved a great feat
and won great renown by crushing his foes, and beholding the sun assume a
red hu