vasanas on the head of the troops, fought in that battle with the
mighty car-warrior, the prince of the Kasis, like an elephant battling
with another. The king of the Valhikas, excited with wrath, fighting
against those (five) mighty car-warriors, viz., the sons of Draupadi,
looked resplendent, like the mind contending against the five senses. And
those five princes also, O foremost of embodied beings, fought with that
antagonist of theirs, shooting their arrows from all sides, like the
objects of the senses forever battling with the body. Thy son Duhsasana,
struck Satyaki of Vrishni's race with nine straight shafts of keen
points. Deeply pierced by that strong and great bowman, Satyaki of
prowess incapable of being baffled, was partially deprived of his senses.
Comforted soon, he, of Vrishni's race, then quickly pierced thy son, that
mighty car-warrior, with ten shafts winged with Kanka feathers. Piercing
each other deeply and afflicted with each other's shafts, they looked
splendid, O king, like two Kinsukas decked with flowers. Afflicted with
the arrows of Kuntibhoja, Alamvusha, filled with wrath looked like a
beautiful Kinsuka graced with its flowering burthen. The Rakshasa then
having pierced Kuntibhoja with many arrows, uttered awful shouts at the
head of thy host. And as those heroes fought with each other in that
battle, they seemed to all the troops to resemble Sakra and the Asura
Jambha in days of old. The two sons of Madri, filled with wrath, fiercely
ground with their shafts the Gandhara prince Sakuni who had offended
against them greatly. The carnage, O monarch, that set in was awful.
Originated by thee, nurtured by Karna, and kept up by thy sons, the fire
of wrath (of the Pandavas) hath swollen now, O monarch, and is ready to
consume the whole earth. Forced to turn his back on the field by the two
sons of Pandu with their shafts, Sakuni unable to put forth his valour,
knew not what to do. Beholding him turn back, those mighty car-warriors,
viz., the two sons of Pandu, once more showered their arrows on him like
two masses of clouds pouring torrents of rain on a mighty hill. Struck
with countless straight shafts, the son of Suvala fled towards the
division of Drona, borne by his swift steeds. The brave Ghatotkacha
rushed towards the Rakshasa Alamvusha in that battle, with impetuosity
much short of what he was capable. The battle between those two became
fearful to behold, like that which in days of yore had ta