him an arrowy shower--like clouds
in the rainy season. Suratha, the king of Trigartas, well-versed in
elephant-charges, approaching the front of Nakula's chariot, caused it to
be dragged by the elephant he rode. But Nakula, little daunted at this,
leaped out of his chariot, and securing a point of vantage, stood shield
and sword in hand, immovable as a hill. Thereupon Suratha, wishing to
slay Nakula at once, urged towards him his huge and infuriate elephant
with trunk upraised. But when the beast came near, Nakula with his sword
severed from his head both trunk and tusks. And that mail-clad elephant,
uttering a frightful roar, fell headlong upon the ground, crushing its
riders by the fall. And having achieved this daring feat, heroic son of
Madri, getting up on Bhimasena's car, obtained a little rest. And Bhima
too, seeing prince Kotikakhya rush to the encounter, cut off the head of
his charioteer with a horse-shoe arrow. That prince did not even perceive
that his driver was killed by his strong-armed adversary, and his horses,
no longer restrained by a driver, ran about on the battle-field in all
directions. And seeing that prince without a driver turn his back, that
foremost of smiters, Bhima the son of Pandu, went up to him and slew him
with a bearded dart. And Dhananjaya also cut off with his sharp
crescent-shaped arrows, the heads, as well as the bows of all the twelve
Sauvira heroes. And the great warrior killed in battle, with the arrow,
the leaders of the Ikshwakus and the hosts of Sivis and Trigartas and
Saindhavas. And a great many elephants with their colours, and chariots
with standards, were seen to fall by the hand of Arjuna. And heads
without trunks, and trunks without heads, lay covering the entire field
of battle. And dogs, and herons and ravens, and crows, and falcons, and
jackals, and vultures, feasted on the flesh and blood of warriors slain
on that field. And when Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu, saw that his
warriors were slain, he became terrified and anxious to run away leaving
Krishna behind. And in that general confusion, the wretch, setting down
Draupadi there, fled for his life, pursuing the same forest path by which
he had come. And king Yudhishthira the just, seeing Draupadi with Dhaumya
walking before, caused her to be taken up on a chariot by the heroic
Sahadeva, the son of Madri. And when Jayadratha had fled away Bhima began
to mow down with his iron-arrows such of his followers as were runn