al wreaths and ornaments and cloths, with fallen standards, with
coats of mail and shields and golden chains and diadems and umbrellas and
yak-tails; with Upashkaras and Adhishthanas, and Dandakas, and Vandhuras
with crushed Akshas, broken wheels, and yokes, numbering thousands,[72]
with Anukarashas, and banners, and charioteers, and steeds; as also with
broken cars, and elephants, and steeds. The field of battle, strewn with
slain Kshatriyas endued (while living) with great heroism,--rulers of
diverse realms, inspired with desire of victory,--presented a fearful
sight. When Abhimanyu angrily careered over the field of battle in all
directions, his very form became invisible. Only his coat of mail, decked
with gold, his ornaments, and bow and shafts, could be seen. Indeed,
while he slew the hostile warriors by means of his shafts, staying in
their midst like the sun himself in his blazing effulgence, none could
gaze at him with his eyes.'"

SECTION XLIII

"Sanjaya said, 'Engaged in taking the lives of brave warriors, Arjuna's
son then resembled the Destroyer himself, when the latter takes the lives
of all creatures on the arrival of the Universal Dissolution. Possessed
of prowess resembling that of Sakra himself, the mighty son of Sakra's
son, viz., Abhimanyu, agitating the Kaurava army looked exceedingly
resplendent. Penetrating into the Kaurava host, O king, that destroyer
of foremost Kshatriyas resembling Yama himself, seized Satyasravas, like
an infuriated tiger seizing a deer. Beholding Satyasrayas, seized by him,
many mighty car-warriors, taking up diverse kinds of weapons, rushed upon
him. Indeed, those bulls among Kshatriyas, from a spirit of rivalry,
rushed at the son of Arjuna from desire of slaying him, all exclaiming,
"I shall go first, I shall go first!" As a whale in the sea obtaining a
shoal of small fish seizes them with the greatest ease, even so did
Abhimanyu receive that whole division of the rushing Kshatriyas. Like
rivers that never go back when they approach the sea, none amongst those
unretreating Kshatriyas turned back when they approached Abhimanyu. That
army then reeled like a boat tossed on the ocean when overtaken by a
mighty tempest, (with its crew) afflicted with panic caused by the
violence of the wind. Then the mighty Rukmaratha, son of the ruler of the
Madras, for assuring the frightened troops, fearlessly said, "Ye heroes,
ye need not fear! When I am here, what is Abhimanyu? Without