om him, fell down with cries of pain, like
wingless mountains. Beholding those elephants, many in number, with their
frontal globes split open, running hither and thither or falling down,
thy soldiers were inspired with fear. Then Yudhishthira also, filled with
wrath, and the two sons of Madri, began to slay those elephant-warriors
with arrows equipped with vulturine wings. Dhrishtadyumna, after the
defeat of the (Kuru) king in battle, and after the flight of the latter
from that spot on horse-back, saw that the Pandavas had all been
surrounded by the (Kaurava) elephants. Beholding this, O monarch,
Dhrishtadyumna, the son of the Pancala king, proceeded towards those
elephants, from desire of slaughtering them. Meanwhile, not seeing
Duryodhana in the midst of the car-force. Ashvatthama and Kripa, and
Kritavarma of the Satwata race, asked all the Kshatriyas there, saying,
"Where has Duryodhana gone?" Not seeing the king in that carnage, those
great car-warriors all thought thy son to have been slain. Hence, with
sorrowful faces, they enquired after him. Some persons told them that
after the fall of his driver, he had gone to Subala's son. Other
Kshatriyas, present there, who had been exceedingly mangled with wounds,
said, "What need is there with Duryodhana? See if he is yet alive! Do you
all fight unitedly? What will the king do to you?" Other Kshatriyas, who
were exceedingly mangled, who had lost many of their kinsmen, and who
were still being afflicted with the arrows of the enemy, said these words
in indistinct tones, "Let us slay these forces by whom we are
encompassed! Behold, the Pandavas are coming hither, after having slain
the elephants!" Hearing these words of theirs, the mighty Ashvatthama,
piercing through that irresistible force of the Pancala king, proceeded
with Kripa and Kritavarma to the spot where Subala's son was. Indeed,
those heroes, those firm bowmen, leaving the car-force, repaired (in
search of Duryodhana). After they had gone away, the Pandavas, headed by
Dhrishtadyumna, advanced, O king, and began to slay their enemies.
Beholding those valiant and heroic and mighty car-warriors cheerfully
rushing towards them, thy troops, amongst whom the faces of many had
turned pale, became hopeless of their lives. Seeing those soldiers of
ours almost deprived of weapons and surrounded (by the foe), I myself, O
king, having only two kinds of forces, and becoming reckless of life,
joined the five leaders of our a