From
that weapon flowed thousands of straight shafts. And those shafts struck
Srutayus and Achyutayus, those mighty bowmen. And the arrows shot by the
latter, pierced by those of Partha, coursed through the welkin. And the
son of Pandu quickly baffling those arrows by the force of his own
arrows, began to career over the field, encountering mighty car-warriors.
Meanwhile Srutayus and Achyutayus were, by Arjuna's arrowy showers,
deprived of their arms and heads. And they fell down on the earth, like a
couple of tall trees broken by the wind. And the death of Srutayus and
slaughter of Achyutayus created surprise equal to what men would feel at
the sight of the ocean becoming dry. Then slaying fifty car-warriors
amongst the followers of those two princes, Partha proceeded against the
Bharata army, slaying many foremost of warriors. Beholding both Srutayus
and Achyutayus slain, their sons, those foremost of men, viz., Niyatayus
and Dirghayus, O Bharata, both filled with rage, rushed against the son
of Kunti, scattering shafts of diverse kinds, and much pained by the
calamity that had happened to their sires. Arjuna, excited with rage, in
a moment despatched them both towards Yama's abode, by means of straight
shafts. And those bulls among Kshatriyas (that were in the Kuru army)
were unable to resist Partha who agitated the Dhartarashtra ranks, like
an elephant agitating the waters of a lake filled with lotuses. Then
thousands of trained elephant-riders amongst the Angas, O monarch, filled
with rage, surrounded the son of Pandu with their elephant-force. Urged
by Duryodhana, many kings also of the west and the south, and many others
headed by the ruler of the Kalingas, also surrounded Arjuna, with their
elephants huge as hills. Partha however, with shafts sped from Gandiva,
quickly cut off the heads and arms, decked with ornaments, of those
advancing combatants. The field of battle, strewn with those heads and
arms decked with Angadas, looked like golden stones entwined by snakes.
And the arms of warriors cut off therewith, while falling down, looked
like birds dropping down from trees. And the elephants, pierced with
thousands of arrows and shedding blood (from their wounds), looked like
hills in the season of rains with liquefied red chalk streaming down
their sides. Others, slain by Partha with sharp shafts, lay prostrate on
the field. And many Mlecchas on the backs of elephants, of diverse kinds
of ugly forms, robed in di