ee as also on the grandsire Bhishma,
ourselves hope to vanquish without doubt the very gods in battle, let
alone the sons of Pandu that are destitute of energy and prowess. Blessed
be thou, act in such a way that the Pandavas may be slain.' Thus addressed
in battle by thy son, Drona penetrated into the Pandava array in the very
sight of Satyaki. Then O Bharata, Satyaki checked the son of Bharadwaja,
(and thereupon) ensued a battle that was fierce in its incidents and
awful to behold. Then Bharadwaja's son excited with rage and endued with
great prowess, as if smiling the while, pierced the grandson of Sini with
ten shafts at his shoulder-joint. And Bhimasena also, excited with rage,
pierced Bharadwaja's son (with many shafts), desirous of protecting
Satyaki, O king, from Drona that foremost of all warriors. Then Drona and
Bhishma, and Salya also, O sire, excited with rage, covered Bhimasena, in
that battle, with their shafts. Thereupon Abhimanyu excited with wrath,
and the sons of Draupadi, O sire, pierced with their sharp-pointed shafts
all those warriors with upraised weapons. Then in that fierce battle, the
great bowman Sikhandin rushed against those two mighty warriors, viz.,
Bhishma and Drona who, excited with rage, had (thus) fallen upon the
Pandavas. Firmly grasping his bow whose twang resembled the roar of the
clouds, that hero, shrouding the very Sun with his arrows, quickly
covered his antagonists therewith. The grandsire of the Bharatas,
however, getting Sikhandin before him, avoided him, remembering the
femininity of his sex. Then, O king, urged by thy son, Drona rushed to
battle, desirous of protecting Bhishma in that stress. Sikhandin,
however, approaching Drona that foremost of all wielders of weapons,
avoided, from fear, that warrior resembling the blazing fire that appears
at the end of the Yuga. Then, O king, thy son with a large force,
desirous of winning great glory, proceeded to protect Bhishma. And the
Pandavas also proceeded, O king, firmly setting their hearts upon
victory, and the battle then that took place between the combatants of
both armies desirous of victory and fame, was fierce and highly
wonderful, resembling that (in days of yore) between the gods and Danavas."

SECTION LXX

Sanjaya said, "Then Bhishma the son of Santanu fought fiercely,[394]
desirous of protecting thy sons from the fear of Bhimasena. And the
battle that then took place between the kings of the Kaurava and the
Pan