lved in fight, struggled vigorously in the
combat, solicitous only of fame. Many were the combatants that careered
over the field, performing the diverse evolutions, of swordsmen. With
sabres and darts and lances and spears and axes, with maces and spiked
clubs and other kinds of weapons, and with even bare arms, men who had
entered the arena of battle, filled with rage, slew one another. And
car-warriors fought with car-warriors, and horsemen with horsemen, and
elephants with foremost of elephants, and foot-soldiers with
foot-soldiers. And many infuriated elephants, as if perfectly mad,
uttered loud shrieks and slew one another, after the manner they do in
sporting arenas.

"'During the progress, O king, of that battle in which the combatants
fought without any regard for one another, Dhrishtadyumna caused his own
steeds to be mixed up with those of Drona. Those steeds endued with the
speed of the wind, that were white as pigeons and red as blood, thus
mixed with one another in battle, looked exceedingly beautiful. Indeed,
they looked resplendent like clouds charged with lightning. Then that
slayer of hostile heroes, viz., heroic Dhrishtadyumna, the son of
Prishata, beholding Drona, O Bharata, arrived so near, cast off his bow
and took up his sword and shield, for achieving a difficult feat. Seizing
the shaft of Drona's car, he entered into it. And he stayed sometimes on
the middle of the yoke, and sometimes on its joints and sometimes behind
the steeds. And while he was moving, armed with swords, quickly upon the
backs of those red steeds of Drona, the latter could not detect an
opportunity for striking him.[139] All this seemed wonderful to us.
Indeed, like the sweep of a hawk in the woods from desire of food, seemed
that sally of Dhrishtadyumna from his own car for the destruction of
Drona. Then Drona cut off, with a hundred arrows, the shield, decked with
a hundred moons, of Drupada's son, and then his sword, with ten others.
And mighty Drona then, with four and sixty arrows, slew the steeds of his
antagonist. And with a couple of broad-headed shafts he cut off the
latter's standard and umbrella also, and then slew both his Parshni
charioteers. And then with great speed drawing his bow-string to his ear,
he shot at him a fatal shaft, like the wielder of the thunder hurling the
thunder (at a foe). But soon Satyaki, with four and ten sharp shafts, cut
off that fatal arrow of Drona. And thus the Vrishni hero, O sire, r