-souled Drona aided by his son. And Kripa and Kritavarman both rushed
against Dhrishtadyumna. And thus, all over the field, rushing bodies of
horses, of elephants and cars, engaged with one another in battle. And
although there were no clouds in the sky, yet flashes of lightning were
seen. And all the points of the compass were covered with dust. And, O
king, fierce meteors were seen falling with thundering noise. And violent
winds blew and a shower of dust fell from above. And the sun, covered by
the dust raised by the troops, disappeared in the firmament. And all the
warriors, covered by that dust and battling with weapons, were deprived
of their senses. And the sound made by weapons, all capable of
penetrating through every armour and hurled from heroic arms, became a
tremendous uproar. And, O bull of Bharata's race, weapons hurled from
excellent arms and possessed of stellar brightness, illumined the whole
welkin. And variegated shields made of bull's hides and embossed with
gold were strewn, O bull of Bharata's race, all over the field. And heads
and limbs were seen falling on all sides, cut off with swords and
scimitars possessed of solar effulgence. And great car-warriors, the
wheels, axles, and boxes of whose cars were broken, fell down on the
ground, their steeds slain and their tall standards tumbling down.[398]
And many car-warriors having been slain, their steeds, mangled with
weapons, fell down as they ran dragging the cars (to which they were
yoked). And, in many places over the field, excellent steeds, afflicted
with arrows, with limbs mangled, and with their traces on, ran, dragging
the car-yokes after them. And many car-warriors, with their charioteers
and steeds, were seen, O king, to be crushed by single elephants endued
with great strength.[399] And in that battle, in the midst of large
forces, many elephants, scenting the odour of the temporal juice of their
compeers, began to snuff the breeze repeatedly. And the whole field was
strewn with slain elephants, deprived of life by means of broad-headed
shafts and falling down with the wooden edifices and the guides on their
backs. And many elephants, in the midst of large forces crushed, with
the standards and warriors on their backs, by huge compeers urged by
their guides, fell down on the field. And many car-shafts, O king, were
seen to be broken in that battle by huge elephants using their trunks,
each of which resembled the trunk of the prince of eleph