ed that carless youth, fighting single-handed with them, with
showers of arrows. Bowless and carless, with an eye, however, to his duty
(as a warrior), handsome Abhimanyu, taking up a sword and a shield,
jumped into the sky. Displaying great strength and great activity, and
describing the tracks called Kausika and others, the son of Arjuna
fiercely coursed through the sky, like the prince of winged creatures
(viz., Garuda.). "He may fall upon me sword in hand," with such thoughts,
those mighty bowmen, were on the lookout for the laches of Abhimanyu, and
began to pierce him in that battle, with their gaze turned upwards. Then
Drona of mighty energy, that conqueror of foes with a sharp arrow quickly
cut off the hilt, decked with gems, of Abhimanyu's sword. Radha's son
Karna, with sharp shafts, cut off his excellent shield. Deprived of his
sword and shield thus, he came down, with sound limbs, from the welkin
upon the earth. Then taking up a car-wheel, he rushed in wrath against
Drona. His body bright with the dust of car-wheels, and himself holding
the car-wheel in his upraised arms, Abhimanyu looked exceedingly
beautiful, and imitating Vasudeva (with his discus), became awfully
fierce for a while in that battle. His robes dyed with the blood flowing
(from his wounds), his brow formidable with the wrinkles visible thereon,
himself uttering loud leonine roars, lord Abhimanyu of immeasurable
might, staying in the midst of those kings, looked exceedingly
resplendent on the field of battle.'"

SECTION XLVII

"Sanjaya said, 'That joy of Vishnu's sister (viz., Abhimanyu), that
Atiratha, decked with the weapons of Vishnu himself, looked exceedingly
beautiful on the field of battle and looked like a second Janardana. With
the end of his locks waving in the air, with that supreme weapon upraised
in his hands, his body became incapable of being looked at by the very
gods. The kings beholding it and the wheel in his hands, became filled
with anxiety, and cut that off in a hundred fragments. Then that great
car-warrior, the son of Arjuna, took up a mighty mace. Deprived by them
of his bow and car and sword, and divested also of his wheel by his foes,
the mighty-armed Abhimanyu (mace in hand) rushed against Aswatthaman.
Beholding that mace upraised, which looked like the blazing thunderbolt,
Aswatthaman, that tiger among men, rapidly alighted from his car and took
three (long) leaps (for avoiding Abhimanyu). Slaying Aswatthaman's