nce
of the Pancalas shrouded by those elephants like the Sun by the clouds,
the Pandus and the Pancalas proceeded towards him (for his rescue)
uttering loud roars and armed with sharp weapons. Pouring their weapons
upon those elephants, those warriors began to dance the dance of heroes,
aided by the music of their bow-strings and the sound of their palms, and
urged by heroes beating the time. Then Nakula and Sahadeva, and the sons
of Draupadi, and the Prabhadrakas, and Satyaki, and Shikhandi, and
Chekitana endued with great energy,--all those heroes--drenched those
elephants from every side with their weapons, like the clouds drenching
the hills with their showers. Those furious elephants, urged on by
Mleccha warriors dragging down with their trunks men and steeds and cars,
crushed them with their feet. And some they pierced with the points of
their tusks, and some they raised aloft and dashed down on the ground;
others taken aloft on the tusks of those huge beasts, fell down inspiring
spectators with fear. Then Satyaki, piercing the vitals of the elephant
belonging to the king of the Vangas staying before him, with a long shaft
endued with great impetuosity, caused it to fall down on the field of
battle. Then Satyaki pierced with another long shaft the chest of the
rider whom he could not hitherto touch, just as the latter was about to
jump from the back of his beast. Thus struck by Satwata, he fell down on
the Earth.

"'Meanwhile Sahadeva, with three shafts shot with great care, struck the
elephant of Pundra, as it advanced against him like a moving mountain,
depriving it of its standard and driver and armour and life. Having thus
cut off that elephant, Sahadeva proceeded against the chief of the Angas.

"'Nakula, however, causing Sahadeva to desist, himself afflicted the
ruler of the Angas with three long shafts, each resembling the rod of
Yama, and his foe's elephant with a hundred arrows. Then the ruler of the
Angas hurled at Nakula eight hundred lances bright as the rays of the
Sun. Each of these Nakula cut off into three fragments. The son of Pandu
then cut off the head of his antagonist with a crescent-shaped arrow. At
this that Mleccha king, deprived of life, fell down with the animal he
rode. Upon the fall of the prince of the Angas who was well-skilled in
elephant-lore, the elephant-men of the Angas, filled with rage, proceeded
with speed against Nakula, on their elephants decked with banners that
waved in t