a
(repeatedly)."

SECTION CXX

Sanjaya said, "Thus all the Pandavas, placing Sikhandin before them
pierced Bhishma in that battle repeatedly surrounding him on all sides.
And all the Srinjayas, uniting together, struck him with dreadful
Sataghnis, and spiked maces, and battle-axes, and mallets, and short
thick clubs, and bearded darts, and other missiles, and arrows furnished
with golden wing, and darts and lances and kampanas; and with long
shafts, and arrows furnished with heads shaped like the calf-tooth, and
rockets. Thus afflicted by many, his coat of mail was pierced everywhere.
But though pierced in every vital part, Bhishma felt no pain. On the
other hand, he then seemed to his enemies to resemble in appearance the
(all-destructive) fire that rises at the end of Yuga. His bow and arrows
constituted the blazing flames (of that fire). The flight of his weapons
constituted its (friendly) breeze. The rattle of his car-wheels
constituted its heat and mighty weapons constituted its splendour. His
beautiful bow formed its fierce tongue, and the bodies of heroic
warriors, its profuse fuel. And Bhishma was seen to roll through the
midst of crowds of cars belonging to those kings, or to come out (of the
press) at times, or course once more through their midst. Then,
disregarding the king of the Panchalas and Dhrishtaketu, he penetrated, O
monarch, into the midst of the Pandava army. He then pierced the six
Pandava warriors, viz., Satyaki, and Bhima, and Dhananjaya the son of
Pandu, and Drupada, and Virata, and Dhrishtadyumna of Prishata's race,
with many excellent arrows of great sharpness and dreadful whizz and
exceeding impetuosity, and capable of piercing through every kind of
armour. Those mighty car-warriors, however, checking those keen shafts,
afflicted Bhishma with great force, each of them striking him with ten
shafts. Those mighty shafts, whetted on stone and furnished with golden
wings, which the great car-warrior Sikhandin shot, quickly penetrated
into Bhishma's body. Then the diadem-decked (Arjuna), excited with wrath,
and placing Sikhandin ahead rushed at Bhishma and cut off the latter's
bow. Thereupon mighty car-warriors, seven in number, viz., Drona and
Kritavarman, and Jayadratha the ruler of the Sindhus, and Bhurisravas,
and Sala, and Salya, and Bhagadatta could not brook that act of Arjuna.
Inflamed with rage, they rushed at him. Indeed, those mighty
car-warriors, invoking into existence celestial