esembled a couple of bulls that have gored each
other with their horns Carefully exerting themselves to slay each other,
those two mighty car-warriors moved in a 1,000 circles with their
respective cars on that arena. Then Kritavarma, O king, in that
encounter, pierced the son of Prishata with seventy shafts all of which
were equipped with wings of gold and whetted on stone. The ruler of the
Bhojas then, that foremost of smiters, sped with great activity a
terrible and fatal shaft at his foe. Struck therewith, Shikhandi quickly
swooned away. Overcome with stupefaction, he supported himself by seizing
his flag-staff. The driver then of that foremost of car-warriors speedily
bore him away from the fight. Scorched with the shaft of Hridika's son he
drew breath upon breath repeatedly. After the defeat of the heroic son of
Drupada, O lord, the Pandava army, slaughtered on all sides, fled away
from the field.'"

27

"Sanjaya said, 'The white steeded (Arjuna) also, O monarch, routed thy
force even as the winds, approaching a heap of cotton, scatters it on all
sides. Against him rushed the Trigartas, the Sivis, the Kauravas, the
Salwas, the samsaptakas, and that force which consisted of the Narayanas.
And Satyasena and Candradeva, and Mitradeva and Satrunjaya, and Susruta's
son, and Citrasena, and Mitravarman, O Bharata, and the king of the
Trigartas surrounded by his brothers and by his sons that were all mighty
bowmen accomplished in diverse weapons, suddenly advanced, shooting and
scattering showers of shafts in that battle, against Arjuna, like a
fierce current of water towards the ocean. Those warriors in hundreds of
thousands, approaching Arjuna, seemed to melt away like snakes at sight
of Garuda. Though slaughtered in battle, they did not still leave the son
of Pandu like insects, O monarch, never receding from a blazing fire.
Satyasena, in that encounter, pierced that son of Pandu with three
arrows, and Mitradeva pierced him with three and sixty, and Candradeva
with seven. And Mitravarman pierced him with three and seventy arrows,
and Susruta's son with seven. And Satrunjaya pierced him with twenty, and
Susharma with nine. Thus pierced in that encounter by many, Arjuna
pierced all those kings in return. Indeed, piercing the son of Susruta
with seven arrows, he pierced Satyasena with three, Satrunjaya with
twenty and Candradeva with eight, Mitradeva with a hundred, Srutasena
with three, Mitravarman with nine, and Su