lons). Drona's son, however, O sinless one, by means of a bearded
arrow, cut off, from his antagonist's trunk, his head graced with a
beautiful nose and decked with excellent ear-rings, and which rested on
elevated shoulders. That hero, then, the brightness of whose face
resembled the splendour of the full moon and whose eyes were like
lotus-petals, whose stature was tall, and complexion like that of the
lotus, thus slain, fell down on the earth. The Pandava host then, filled
with great grief, began to tremble, when the Preceptor's son thus slew
Nila of blazing energy. The great car-warriors of the Pandavas, O sire,
all thought, "Alas, how would Indra's son (Arjuna) be able to rescue us
from the foe, when that mighty warrior is engaged on the southern part of
the field in slaughtering the remnant of the Samsaptakas and the Narayana
force?"'"

SECTION XXX

"Sanjaya said, 'Vrikodara, however, could not brook that slaughter of his
army. He struck Valhika with sixty and Karna with ten arrows. Drona then,
desirous of slaying Bhima, quickly struck the latter, in his very vitals,
many straight and whetted shafts of keen edge. Desirous again of allowing
no time, he once more struck him with six and twenty shafts whose touch
resembled that of fire and which were all like snakes of virulent poison.
Then Karna pierced him with a dozen shafts, and Aswatthaman with seven,
and king Duryodhana also with six. The mighty Bhimasena, in return,
pierced them all. He struck Drona with fifty shafts, and Karna with ten.
And piercing Duryodhana with a dozen shafts, and Drona with eight, he
engaged in that battle uttering a loud shout. In that encounter in which
the warriors fought reckless of their lives and in which death was easy
of attainment, Ajatasatru despatched many warriors, urging them to
rescue Bhima. Those heroes of immeasurable energy, viz., the two sons of
Madri and Pandu, and others headed by Yuyudhana, quickly proceeded to
Bhimasena's side. And those bulls among men, filled with rage and uniting
together, advanced to battle, desirous of breaking the army of Drona that
was protected by many foremost of bowmen. Indeed, those great
car-warriors of mighty energy, viz., Bhima and others, fell furiously
upon Drona's host. Drona, however, that foremost of car-warriors,
received without any anxiety, all those mighty car-warriors, of great
strength,--those heroes accomplished in battle. Disregarding their
kingdoms and casting off al