d
shaft the bow of Sikhandin. Sikhandin then, seeing his bow cut off,
quickly took up a sword and a bright shield decked with a hundred moons.
Whirling his large shield, decked with gold, Sikhandin sent that sword
towards the car of Kritavarman. That large sword, cutting off, O king,
Kritavarman's bow with arrow fixed thereon, fell down on the earth, like,
O monarch, a bright luminary loosened from the firmament. Meanwhile,
those mighty car-warriors quickly and deeply pierced Kritavarman with
their shafts in that battle. Then that slayer of hostile heroes, viz.,
the son of Hridika, casting off that broken bow, and taking up another,
pierced each of the Pandavas with three straight shafts. And he pierced
Sikhandin at first with three, and then with five shafts. Then the
illustrious Sikhandin, taking up another bow, checked the son of Hridika
with many swift-flying shafts, furnished with heads like tortoise nails.
Then, O king, the son of Hridika, inflamed with rage in that battle,
rushed impetuously at that mighty car-warrior, viz., the son of
Yajnasena, that warrior, O monarch, who was the cause of the illustrious
Bhishma's fall in battle. Indeed, the heroic Kritavarman rushed at
Sikhandin, displaying his might, like a tiger at an elephant. Then those
two chastisers of foes, who resembled a couple of huge elephants or two
blazing fires, encountered each other with clouds of shafts. And they
took their best of bows and aimed their arrows, and shot them in hundreds
like a couple of suns shedding their rays. And those two mighty
car-warriors scorched each other with their keen shafts, and shone
resplendent like two Suns appearing at the end of the Yuga. And
Kritavarman in that battle pierced that mighty car-warrior viz.,
Yajnasena's son, with three and seventy shafts and once more with seven.
Deeply pierced therewith, Sikhandin sat down in pain on the terrace of
his car, throwing aside his bow and arrows, and was overtaken by a swoon.
Beholding that hero in a swoon, thy troops, O bull among men, worshipped
the son of Hridika, and waved their garments in the air. Seeing Sikhandin
thus afflicted with the shafts of Hridika's son his charioteer quickly
bore that mighty car-warrior away from the battle. The Parthas, beholding
Sikhandin lying senseless on the terrace of his car, soon encompassed
Kritavarman in that battle with crowds of cars. The mighty car-warrior,
Kritavarman, then achieved a most wonderful feat there, inasmuch