e battle exactly as it has happened.[435] At midday the
battle became exceedingly awful and fraught with great carnage. Listen to
me, O king, as I describe it. Then all the troops (of the Pandava army),
excited with rage, rushed, at the command of Dharma's son, against
Bhishma alone from desire of slaying him. Dhrishtadyumna and Sikhandin,
and the mighty car-warrior Satyaki, accompanied, O king, by their forces,
proceeded against Bhishma alone. And those mighty car-warriors, viz.,
Virata and Drupada, with all the Somakas, rushed in battle against
Bhishma alone. And the Kaikeyas, and Dhrishtaketu, and Kuntibhoja,
equipped in mail and supported by their forces, rushed, O king, against
Bhishma alone. And Arjuna, and the sons of Draupadi, and Chekitana of
great prowess, proceeded against all the kings under the command of
Duryodhana. And the heroic Abhimanyu, and that mighty car-warrior, viz.,
the son of Hidimva, and Bhimasena excited with wrath, rushed against the
(other) Kauravas. (Thus) the Pandavas, divided into three bodies began to
slaughter the Kauravas. And similarly the Kauravas also, O king, began to
slaughter their foes.[436] That foremost of car-warriors, viz., Drona
excited with wrath, rushed against the Somakas and the Srinjayas,
desirous of sending them to the abode of Yama. Thereupon loud cries of
woe arose among the brave Srinjayas while they were being slaughtered, O
king, by Bharadwaja's son bow in hand. Large numbers of Kshatriyas,
struck down by Drona, were seen to all convulsing like persons writhing
in the agony of disease. All over the field were continuously heard moans
and shrieks and groans resembling those of persons afflicted with hunger.
And so the mighty Bhimasena, excited with wrath, and like unto a second
Yama, caused a terrible carnage amongst the Kaurava troops. There in that
dreadful battle, in consequence of the warriors slaying one another, a
terrible river began to flow whose billowy current consisted of
blood.[437] And that battle, O king, between the Kurus and the Pandavas,
becoming fierce and awful, began to swell the population of Yama's
kingdom. Then in that battle Bhima excited with wrath, fell with great
impetuosity upon the elephant division (of the Kauravas) and began to
send many to the regions of Death. Then, O Bharata, struck with Bhima's
shafts, some of those beasts fell down, some were paralysed, some
shrieked (in pain), and some ran away in all directions. Huge elephants,