hich was set up
his standard bearing the fierce ape, and whose rattle resembled the deep
roll of the clouds. And thy entire army, beholding the diadem-decked
Dhananjaya, thus coming to battle, uttered, from fear, many loud
exclamations. And beholding Krishna, reins in hand, and looking like the
mid-day sun in splendour, thy troops could not gaze at him. And so also
the Pandavas were incapable of looking at Santanu's son Bhishma of white
steeds and white bow and resembling the planet Sukra risen in the
firmament. And the latter was surrounded on all sides by the high-souled
warriors of the Trigartas headed by their king with his brothers and
sons, and by many other mighty car-warriors.

"Meanwhile, Bharadwaja's son pierced with his winged arrows the king of
the Matsyas in battle. And in that combat he cut off the latter's
standard with one shaft, and his bow also with another. Then Virata, the
commander of a large division, leaving aside that bow thus cut off,
quickly took up another that was strong and capable of bearing a great
strain. And he also took up a number of blazing arrows that resembled
snakes of virulent poison. And he pierced Drona in return with three (of
these) and his (four) steeds with four. And then he pierced Drona's
standard with one arrow, and his charioteer with five. And he also
pierced Drona's bow with one arrow, and (at all this) that bull among
Brahmanas became highly angry. Then Drona slew Virata's steeds with eight
straight shafts, and then his charioteer, O chief of the Bharatas, with
one shaft. His charioteer having been slain, Virata jumped down from his
car whose steeds also had been killed. And then that foremost of
car-warriors speedily mounted upon the car of (his son) Sankha. Then sire
and son, staying on the same car, began with great might to resist the
son of Bharadwaja with a thick shower of arrows. Then the mighty son of
Bharadwaja, excited with wrath, quickly shot at Sankha in that encounter,
an arrow resembling a snake of virulent poison. And that arrow, piercing
through Sankha's breast and drinking his blood, fell upon the earth, wet
and smeared with gore. Struck with that arrow of Bharadwaja's son, Sankha
speedily fell down from his car, his bow and arrows loosened from his
grasp in the very presence of his sire. And beholding his son slain,
Virata fled from fear, avoiding Drona in battle, who resembled Death's
self with gaping mouth. The son of Bharadwaja then, without losing