other with
their claws, or like two mighty elephants with their tusks, those mighty
warriors coursed in circles, encountering each other with those two
foremost of maces, and soon covered with blood, those two illustrious
warriors seemed to resemble a couple of flowering Kinsukas. And the
blows, loud as Indra's thunder, of the maces wielded by those two lions
among men were heard on all sides. Struck by the ruler of Madras with his
mace on both the left and the right side, Bhima moved not in the least,
like a hill riven by the thunder. Similarly, the mighty ruler of Madras,
struck by Bhima with his mace, patiently stood still like a hill struck
with the thunder. Both of them, with upraised maces, endued as they were
with great impetus, fell upon each other, coursing in shorter circles.
Quickly nearing each other, then by eight steps and falling upon each
other like two elephants, they suddenly struck each other with those
maces of theirs made entirely of iron. And each of those heroes, in
consequence of the other's impetuosity and violence being struck with
each other's mace, fell down at the same instant of time like a couple of
Indra's poles. Then the mighty car-warrior Kritavarman quickly approached
Salya who, deprived of his senses, was breathing hard as he lay on the
field. And beholding him, O king, struck violently with the mace, and
writhing like a snake, and deprived of his senses in a swoon, the mighty
car-warrior Kritavarman, taking him upon his car, quickly bore the ruler
of Madras away from the field. Reeling like a drunken man, the heroic
Bhima of mighty arms, rising up within the twinkling of an eye, stood
mace in hand. Thy sons then, beholding the ruler of the Madras turn away
from the fight, began, O sire, to tremble, along with their elephants,
and foot-soldiers, and cavalry, and cars. Ground then by the Pandavas
desirous of victory, those warriors of thy army, struck with fear, fled
away in all directions, like masses of clouds driven away by the wind.
And those mighty car-warriors, viz., the Pandavas, having vanquished the
Dhritarashtras, looked resplendent in that battle, O king, like blazing
fires. And they uttered loud leonine roars, and blew their conchs, elated
with joy. And they beat their drums, large and small, and cymbals and
other instruments.'"

SECTION XVI

"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding that army of thine exceedingly broken, the
valiant Vrishasena, single-handed, began to protect it, O k