f hands,
Drona shot showers of sharp shafts and rushed towards the king, like a
furious lion towards a deer. Beholding Drona, that slayer of foes, rush
towards him, cries of "Oh" and "Alas" suddenly rose from the Pandava army.
And many cried out, saying, "The king is slain by Bharadwaja's son." Loud
wails of this kind were heard, O Bharata, among the Pandava troops.
Meanwhile, king Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, getting up on the car of
Sahadeva, retreated from the field, borne away by swift steeds.'"

SECTION CVI

"Sanjaya said, 'Kshemadhurti, O monarch, pierced the advancing
Vrihatkshatra of great valour, that prince of the Kaikeyas, with many
arrows in the chest. King Vrihatkshatra then, O monarch, desirous of
piercing through Drona's division, quickly struck his antagonist with
ninety straight shafts. Kshemadhurti, however, filled with rage, cut off,
with a sharp well-tempered, and broad-headed shaft, the bow of that
high-souled prince of the Kaikeyas. Having cut off his bow, Kshemadhurti
then, with a keen and straight shaft, quickly pierced in that encounter
that foremost of all bowmen. Then Vrihatkshatra, taking up another bow
and smiling (at his foe), soon made the mighty car-warrior Kshemadhurti
steedless and driverless and carless. And with another broad-headed shaft
that was well-tempered and sharp, he cut off, from the trunk of his royal
antagonist his head blazing with (a pair of) ear-rings. That head, graced
with only locks and a diadem, suddenly cut off, fell down on the earth
and looked resplendent like a luminary fallen from the firmament. Having
slain his foe, the mighty car-warrior Vrihatkshatra became filled with
joy and fell with great force upon thy troops for the sake of the
Parthas. The great bowman Viradhanwan, O Bharata, endued with great
prowess, resisted Dhrishtaketu who was advancing against Drona.
Encountering each other, those two heroes having arrows for their fangs,
and both endued with great activity, struck each other with many
thousands of arrows. Indeed, those two tigers among men fought with each
other, like two leaders of elephantine herds in the deep woods with fury.
Both endued with great energy, they fought, each desirous of slaying the
other, like two enraged tigers in a mountain-cave. That combat, O
monarch, became exceedingly fierce. Deserving to be witnessed, it became
highly wonderful. The very Siddhas and the Charanas, in large numbers,
witnessed it with wonder-waitin