arrior of mighty arms, violently pierced Pritha's son with
keen-edged shafts even as the clouds shower upon a mountain. Then taking
up that foremost of bows, the Gandiva, destructive of foes and capable of
withstanding the greatest strain, the impetuous son of Pandu cheerfully
discharged countless shafts of various kinds adorned with gold, and that
powerful warrior also baffled in a moment Drona's arrowy shower by means
of those shafts shot from his own bow. And at this the spectators
wondered greatly. And the handsome Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, ranging
on his car, displayed his weapons on all sides at the same time. And the
entire welkin covered with his arrows, became one wide expanse of shade.
And at this Drona become invisible like the sun enveloped in mist. And
shrouded by those excellent arrows on all sides, Drona looked like a
mountain on fire. And beholding his own car completely enveloped by the
arrows of Pritha's son, Drona that ornament of battle, bent his terrible
and foremost of bows whose noise was as loud as that of the clouds. And
drawing that first of weapons, which was like unto a circle of fire, he
discharged a cloud of keen-edged shafts. And then there were heard on the
field loud sounds like the splitting of bamboos set on fire. And that
warrior of immeasurable soul, shooting from his bow arrows furnished with
golden wings, covered all sides, shrouding the very light of the sun. And
those arrows with knots well-peeled off, and furnished with golden wings,
looked like flocks of birds in the sky. And the arrows discharged by
Drona from his bow, touching one another at the wings, appeared like one
endless line in the sky. And those heroes, thus discharging their arrows
decked with gold, seemed to cover the sky with showers of meteors. And
furnished with feathers of the Kanka bird, those arrows looked like rows
of cranes ranging in the autumnal sky. And the fierce and terrible
encounter that took place between the illustrious Drona and Arjuna
resembled that between Virata and Vasava of old. And discharging arrows
at each other from bows drawn at their fullest stretch, they resembled
two elephants assailing each other with their tusks. And those wrathful
warriors--those ornaments of battle--fighting strictly according to
established usage, displayed in that conflict various celestial weapons
in due order. Then that foremost of victorious men, Arjuna, by means of
his keen shafts resisted the whetted arro