oes, and tigers, and lions, and
deer, and leopards, and bears, and wolves and vultures, and monkeys, and
various reptiles, and diverse cannibals, and swarms of crows, all hungry,
and excited with rage, ran towards Arjuna. Then Dhananjaya, the son of
Kunti, that hero conversant with celestial weapons, shooting clouds of
arrows, assailed them all. And assailed by that hero with those excellent
and strong shafts, they uttered loud cries and fell down deprived of
life. Then a thick darkness appeared and covered Arjuna's car, and from
within that gloom harsh voices rebuked Arjuna. The latter, however, by
means of the weapons called Jyotishka, dispelled that thick and awful
darkness. When that darkness was dispelled frightful waves of water
appeared. For drying up those waters, Arjuna applied the weapon called
Aditya. And in consequence of that weapon, the waters were almost dried
up. These diverse illusions, repeatedly created by Sauvala, Arjuna
destroyed speedily by means of the force of his weapons, laughing the
while. Upon all his illusions being destroyed, afflicted with Arjuna's
shafts and unmanned by fear, Sakuni fled away, aided by his fleet
steeds, like a vulgar wretch. Then Arjuna, acquainted with all weapons,
showing his enemies the exceeding lightness of his hands, showered upon
the Kaurava host clouds of arrows. That host of thy son, thus slaughtered
by Partha, became divided into two streams like the current of Ganga when
impeded by a mountain. And one of those streams, O bull among men,
proceeded towards Drona, and the other with loud cries, proceeded towards
Duryodhana. Then a thick dust arose and covered all the troops. We could
not then see Arjuna. Only the twang of Gandiva was heard by us from off
the field. Indeed, the twang of Gandiva was heard, rising above the blare
of conchs and the beat of drums and the noise of other instruments. Then
on the southern part of the field took place a fierce battle between many
foremost warriors on the one side and Arjuna on the other. I, however,
followed Drona. The various divisions of Yudhishthira's force smote the
foe on every part of the field. The diverse divisions of thy son, O
Bharata, Arjuna smote, even as the wind in the summer season destroys
masses of clouds in the welkin. Indeed, as Arjuna came, scattering clouds
of arrows, like Vasava pouring thick showers of rain, there was none in
thy army who could resist that great fierce bowman, that tiger among men.
Str