worshipped with incense and
garlands. That shaft, sped from Gandiva, coursing swiftly, snatched
Jayadratha's head away, like a hawk snatching away a smaller bird from
the top of a tree. Dhananjaya, then, with his shafts, sent that head
along in the welkin (without allowing it to fall down). For grieving his
foes and gladdening his friends, the son of Pandu, by shooting his shafts
repeatedly at it, sent that head outside the limits of Samantapanchaka.
Meanwhile, king Vriddhakshatra, the father of thy son-in-law, endued with
great energy, was, O sire, engaged in his evening prayers. Decked with
black locks and adorned with ear-rings, that head of Jayadratha was
thrown upon Vriddhakshatra's lap, as the latter was saying his prayers in
a sitting posture. Thus thrown on his lap, that head decked with
car-rings, O chastiser of foes, was not seen by king Vriddhakshatra. As
the latter, however, stood up after finishing his prayers it suddenly
fell down on the earth. And as the head of Jayadratha fell down on the
earth, the head of Vriddhakshatra, O chastiser of foes, cracked into a
hundred pieces. At the sight of this, all creatures were filled with
wonder. And all of them applauded Vasudeva and the mighty Vibhatsu.

"'After, O king, the ruler of the Sindhus had been slain by the
diadem-decked Arjuna, that darkness, O bull of Bharata's race, was
withdrawn by Vasudeva. Thy sons with their followers, O king, thus came
to know subsequently that the darkness, they had seen, had all been an
illusion produced by Vasudeva. Even thus, O king, was thy son-in-law, the
ruler of the Sindhus, having caused eight Akshauhinis to be slaughtered,
himself slain by Partha of inconceivable energy. Beholding Jayadratha,
the ruler of the Sindhus slain, tears of sorrow fell from the eyes of thy
sons. After Jayadratha, O king, had been slain by Partha, Kesava blew his
conch and that scorcher of foes, viz., the mighty-armed Arjuna also blew
his; Bhimasena also, in that battle, as if for sending a message to
Yudhishthira, filled the welkin with a tremendous leonine shout.
Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, hearing that tremendous shout understood
that the ruler of the Sindhus had been slain by the high-souled Phalguna.
With sounds of drums and other instruments he gladdened the warriors of
his own army, and proceeded against the son of Bharadwaja from desire of
battle. Then commenced, O king, after the sun had set, a fierce battle
between Drona and the Som