ye heroes! It behoveth ye not to be
frightened. Having, in the sight of all the troops, taken those terrible
steps, repairing thither, what shall ye say unto the leaders of
Duryodhana's host? Do we not incur ridicule in the world by such a
(cowardly) act in battle? Therefore, stop ye all, and fight according to
your strength." Thus addressed, O king, those heroes, repeatedly uttering
loud shouts, blew their conchs, gladdening one another. Then those
Samsaptakas once more returned to the field, with the Narayana cow-herds,
resolved to face Death himself.'"

SECTION XIX

"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding those Samsaptakas once more return to the
field, Arjuna addressed the high-souled Vasudeva, saying, "Urge the
steeds, O Hrishikesa, towards the Samsaptakas. They will not give up the
battle alive. This is what I think. Today thou shalt witness the terrible
might of my arms as also of my bow. Today I shall slay all these, like
Rudra slaying creatures (at the end of the Yuga)." Hearing these words,
the invincible Krishna smiled, and gladdening him with auspicious
speeches, conveyed Arjuna to those places whither the latter desired to
go. While borne in battle by those white steeds, that car looked
exceedingly resplendent like a celestial car borne along the firmament.
And like Sakra's car, O king, in the battle between the gods and the
Asuras in days of old, it displayed circular, forward, backward, and
diverse other kinds of motion. Then the Narayanas, excited with wrath and
armed with diverse weapons, surrounded Dhananjaya, covering him with
showers of arrows. And, O bull of Bharata's race, they soon made Kunti's
son, Dhananjaya, together with Krishna, entirely invisible in that
battle. Then Phalguni, excited with wrath, doubled his energy, and
quickly rubbing its string, grasped Gandiva (firmly) in the battle.
Causing wrinkles to form themselves on his brow, sure indications of
wrath, the son of Pandu blew his prodigious conch, called Devadatta, and
then he shot the weapon called Tvashtra that is capable of slaying large
bodies of foes together. Thereupon, thousands of separate forms started
into existence there (of Arjuna himself and of Vasudeva). Confounded by
those diverse images after the form of Arjuna, the troops began to strike
each other, each regarding the other as Arjuna's self. "This is Arjuna!"
"This is Govinda!" "They are Pandu's son and he is of Yadu's race!"
Uttering such exclamations, and deprived of their