ll sides, defeated the
Kurus (that protected him) and covered him with shower of arrows. Throw
down, Seize, Fight, Cut into pieces,--this was the furious uproar, O
king, heard in the vicinity of Bhishma's car. Having slain in that
battle, O monarch, (his foes) by hundreds and thousands, there was not in
Bhishma's body space of even two fingers' breadth that was not pierced
with arrows. Thus was thy sire mangled with arrows of keen points by
Phalguni in that battle. And then he fell down from his car with his head
to the east, a little before sunset, in the very sight of thy sons. And
while Bhishma fell, loud cries of alas and oh, O Bharata, were heard in
the welkin uttered by the celestials and the kings of the earth. And
beholding the high-souled grandsire falling down (from his car), the
hearts of all of us fell with him. That foremost of all bowmen, that
mighty-armed hero, fell down, like an uprooted standard of Indra, making
the earth tremble the while.[489] Pierced all over with arrows, his body
touched not the ground. At that moment, O bull of Bharata's race, a
divine nature took possession of that great bowman lying on a bed of
arrows. The clouds poured a (cool) shower (over him) and the Earth
trembled. While falling he had marked that the Sun was then in the
southern solstice. That hero, therefore, permitted not his senses to
depart, thinking of that (inauspicious) season (of death). And all around
in the welkin he heard celestial voices saying, 'Why, Oh why, should
Ganga's son, that foremost of all warriors of weapons, yield up his life
during the southern declension?' Hearing these words, the son of Ganga
answered, 'I am alive!' Although fallen upon the earth, the Kuru
grandsire Bhishma, expectant of the northern declension, suffered not his
life to depart. Ascertaining that to be his resolve, Ganga, the daughter
of Himavat, sent unto him the great Rishis in swanlike form. Then those
Rishis in the forms of swans inhabiting the Manasa lake, quickly rose up,
and came together, for obtaining a sight of the Kuru grandsire Bhishma,
to that spot where that foremost of men was lying on his bed of arrows.
Then those Rishis in swanlike forms, coming to Bhishma, beheld that
perpetuator of Kuru's race lying on his bed of arrows. Beholding that
high-souled son of Ganga, that chief of the Bharatas, they walked round
him, and the Sun being then in the southern solstice, they said,
addressing one another, these words, 'Being a