st Bhimasena
increased in energy and might, O king, like a conflagration assisted by
the wind. Beholding that weapon of terrible energy thus increasing in
might, a panic entered the hearts of all the combatants of the Pandava
army with the exception of Bhima. Then all of them, throwing down their
weapons on the earth, alighted from their cars and steeds. After they had
thrown their weapons and alighted from their vehicles, that weapon of
exceeding energy fell upon the head of Bhima. All creatures, especially
the Pandavas, uttered cries of Oh and Alas, beholding Bhimasena
overwhelmed by the energy of that weapon.'"

SECTION CCI

"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding Bhimasena overwhelmed by that weapon,
Dhananjaya, for baffling its energy, covered him with the Varuna weapon.
In consequence of the lightness of Arjuna's arms, and owing also to the
fiery force that shrouded Bhima, none could see that the latter had been
covered with the Varuna weapon. Shrouded with the weapon of Drona's son,
Bhima, his steeds, driver, and car became incapable of being gazed at,
like a fire of blazing flame in the midst of another fire. As at the
close of the night, O king, all the luminaries run towards the Asta hill,
even so the fiery shafts (of Aswatthaman) all began to proceed towards
Bhimasena's car. Indeed, Bhima himself, his car, steeds, and driver, O
sire, thus shrouded by Drona's son seemed to be in the midst of a
conflagration. As the (Yuga) fire consuming the entire universe with its
mobile and immobile creatures when the hour of dissolution comes, at last
enters the mouth of the Creator, even so as the weapon of Drona's son
began to enter the body of Bhimasena. As one cannot perceive a fire if it
penetrates into the sun or the sun if it enters into a fire, even so none
could perceive that energy which penetrated into Bhima's body. Beholding
that weapon thus investing Bhima all around, and seeing Drona's son
swelling with energy and might, the latter being then without an
antagonist, and observing also that all the warriors of the Pandava army
had laid down their weapons and that all the mighty car-warriors of that
host headed by Yudhishthira had turned away their faces from the foe,
those two heroes, viz., Arjuna and Vasudeva, both endued with great
splendour, quickly alighting from their car, ran towards Bhima. Those two
mighty men, diving into that energy born of the might of Aswatthaman's
weapon, had resorted to the power of illusion