the celerity of
his movements. With eyes red in wrath, he once more shouted fiercely,
frightening all thy troops, like the clouds that appear at the end of the
Yuga. Hearing those fierce roars of the terrible Rakshasa, Bhishma the
son of Santanu, approaching the preceptor, said these words, 'These
fierce roars that are heard, uttered by Rakshasas, without doubt indicate
that Hidimva's son is battling with king Duryodhana. That Rakshasa is
incapable of being vanquished in battle by any creature. Therefore,
blessed be ye, go thither and protect the king. The blessed Duryodhana
hath been attacked by the high-souled Rakshasa. Therefore, ye chastisers
of foes, even this is our highest duty.[445]' Hearing those words of the
grandsire, those mighty car-warriors without loss of time and with the
utmost speed, proceeded to the spot when the king of the Kurus was. They
met Duryodhana and Somadatta and Valhika and Jayadratha; and Kripa and
Bhurisravas and Salya, and the two princes of Avanti along with
Vrihadvala, and Aswatthaman and Vikarna, and Chitrasena and Vivinsati.
And many thousands of other car-warriors, including all those that
followed them, proceeded, desirous of rescuing thy son Duryodhana who had
been hotly pressed. Beholding that invincible division protected by those
mighty car-warriors, coming towards him with hostile intentions, that
best of Rakshasas, viz., the mighty-armed Ghatotkacha, stood firm like
the Mainaka mountain, with a huge bow in hand, and surrounded by his
kinsmen armed with clubs and mallets and diverse other kinds of weapons.
Then commenced a fierce battle, making the hair stand on end, between
those Rakshasas on the one side and that foremost of Duryodhana's
divisions on the other. And the loud noise of twanging bows in that
battle was heard, O king, on all sides resembling the noise made by
burning bamboos. And the din produced by the weapons falling upon the
coats of mail of the combatants resembled, O king, the noise of splitting
hills. And the lances, O monarch, hurled by heroic arms, while coursing
through the welkin, looked like darting snakes. Then, excited with great
wrath and drawing his gigantic bow, the mighty-armed prince of the
Rakshasas, uttering a loud roar, cut off, with a crescent-shaped arrow,
the preceptor's bow in a rage. And overthrowing, with another
broad-headed arrow, the standard of Somadatta, he uttered a loud yell.
And he pierced Valhika with three shafts in the centre