hat elephant division risen (on the
horizon) like a cloud, the Rakshasas, inflamed with rage, rushed towards
it, weapons in hand, and uttering diverse roars like clouds charged with
lightning. With arrows and darts and swords and long shafts, as also with
spears and mallets and battle-axes and short arrows, they began to smite
down that elephant host. And they slew huge elephants with
mountain-summits and large trees. While the Rakshasas slew those
elephants, O king, we saw that some of them had their frontal globes
smashed, some were bathed in blood, and some had their limbs broken or
cut through. At last when that elephant host was broken and thinned,
Duryodhana, O king, rushed upon the Rakshasas, under the influence of
rage and becoming reckless of his very life. And that mighty warrior sped
clouds of sharp shafts at the Rakshasas. And that great bowman slew many
of their foremost warriors. Inflamed with rage, O chief of the Bharatas,
that mighty car-warrior, viz., thy son Duryodhana, then slew with four
shafts four of the principal Rakshasas, viz., Vegavat, Maharudra,
Vidyujihva, and Pramathin. And once again, O chief of the Bharatas, that
warrior of immeasurable soul, sped at the Rakshasa host showers of arrows
that could with difficulty be resisted. Beholding that great feat of thy
son, O sire, the mighty son of Bhimasena blazed up with wrath. Drawing
his large bow effulgent as the lightning, he rushed impetuously at the
wrathful Duryodhana. Beholding him (thus) rushing like Death himself
commissioned by the Destroyer, thy son Duryodhana, O king, shook not at
all. With eyes red in anger, and excited with rage, Ghatotkacha, then,
addressing thy son, said, 'I shall today be freed from the debt I owe to
my sires, as also to my mother, they that had so long been exiled by thy
cruel self. The sons of Pandu, O king, were vanquished by thee in that
match at dice. Drupada's daughter Krishna also, while ill and, therefore,
clad in a single raiment, was brought into the assembly and great trouble
was given by thee in diverse ways, O thou most wicked, unto her. While
dwelling also in her sylvan retreat, thy well-wisher, that wicked wight,
viz., the ruler of the Sindhus, persecuted her further, disregarding my
sires. For these and other wrongs, O wretch of thy race, I shall today
take vengeance if thou dost not quit the field.' Having said these words,
Hidimva's son, drawing his gigantic bow, biting his (nether) lip with his
te