battle, began to slay one
another fiercely. And during that general engagement which was fierce and
terrible, the chargers of both sides (escaping from press of battle) ran
wildly away over the field. Weakened by one another's shafts, brave
warriors, with their horses killed under them, and themselves worn out
with exertion, perished fast sabring one another. Then when those cavalry
divisions were thinned and a remnant only survived, the younger brothers
of Suvala's son, possessed of great wisdom, rode out, O Bharata (from the
Kaurava array) to the van of battle, mounted on excellent chargers that
resembled the tempest itself in both fleetness and the violence of their
dash and that were well-trained and neither old nor young.[440] Those six
brothers endued with great strength, viz., Gaya, Gavaksha, Vrishava,
Charmavat, Arjava, and Suka dashed out of the mighty (Kaurava) array,
supported by Sakuni and by their respective forces of great valour,
themselves clad in mail, skilled in battle, fierce in mien, and possessed
of exceeding might. Breaking through that invincible cavalry division (of
the Pandavas), O thou of mighty arms, those Gandhara warriors who could
with difficulty be vanquished, supported by a large force, desirous of
heaven, longing for victory, and filled with delight, penetrated into it.
Beholding them filled with joy, the valiant Iravat, addressing his own
warriors decked with diverse ornaments and weapons, said unto them,
'Adopt such contrivances in consequence of which these Dhritarashtra
warriors with their weapons and animals may all be destroyed.' Saying
'Yes', all those warriors of Iravat began to slay those mighty and
invincible Dhartarashtra soldiers. Beholding that their own warriors were
thus overthrown by Iravat's division, those sons of Suvala being unable
to bear it coolly, all rushed at Iravat and surrounded him on all sides.
And commanding (all their followers) to attack those of Iravat with
lances, those heroes swept over the field, creating a great confusion.
And Iravat, pierced with lances by those high-souled warriors, and bathed
in blood that trickled down (his wounds), looked like an elephant pierced
with the hook. Wounded deeply on the chest, back, and flanks, singly
encountering the many, he did not yet, O king, swerve from his (natural)
firmness. Indeed, Iravat, excited with rage, deprived all those
adversaries of their senses, piercing them, in that battle, with sharp
shafts. And