with a shaft in the centre of his chest. And he pierced
Drona's charioteer with four arrows and his four steeds also with four.
The Preceptor then pierced the right arm of Chekitana with sixteen
arrows, and his standard with sixteen, and his charioteer with seven.
Upon the charioteer being slain, Chekitana's steeds fled away, dragging
the car after them. Beholding the steeds of Chekitana pierced with the
arrows of Bharadwaja's son, and his car also deprived of driver, the
Panchalas and the Pandavas were filled with great fear. Drona then, O
sire, routing on all sides the Panchalas and the Srinjayas united
together in battle looked exceedingly resplendent. The venerable Drona,
full five and eighty years of age, dark in hue and with white locks
descending to his ears, careered in battle like a youth of sixteen.
Indeed, O king, enemies regarded the foe-slaying Drona, as he fearlessly
careered in battle, to be none else than Indra himself armed with the
thunder. Then, O monarch, the mighty-armed Drupada of great intelligence
said, "This one (Drona) is slaying the Kshatriyas like a hungry tiger
slaying smaller animals. The sinful Duryodhana of wicked soul will
assuredly obtain the most miserable regions (in the next world). It is
through his covetousness that many foremost of the Kshatriyas, slain in
battle, lay prostrate on the field, like mangled bulls, weltering in
blood and becoming the food of dogs and jackals." Saying these words, O
monarch, Drupada, that master of an Akshauhini of troops, placing the
Parthas at his head, rushed with speed towards Drona.'"

SECTION CXXV

"Sanjaya said, 'When the army of the Pandavas was thus agitated on all
sides, the Parthas and the Panchalas and the Somakas, retreated to a
great distance. During the progress of that fierce battle, making the
hair stand on end, and that universal carnage like to what happens, O
Bharata, at that end of the Yuga, when, indeed, Drona of great prowess
was repeatedly uttering leonine shouts, and when the Panchalas were being
weakened and the Pandavas slaughtered, king Yudhishthira the Just,
failing in that battle to find any refuge in that distress, began, O
king, to think how the matter would end. Casting his eyes around in
expectation of seeing Savyasachin, Yudhishthira, however, saw neither
that son of Pritha nor Madhava. Not seeing that tiger among men viz., the
ape-bannered Arjuna, and not hearing also the twang of Gandiva, the
monarch became fil