ling with the samsaptakas today, Drona's son who always proceedeth at
the head of the Kuru troops, O king, suddenly came before me, shooting
shafts that resembled snakes of virulent poison. Beholding my car, of
rattle deep as the roar of clouds, all the troops began to encompass it.
Slaying full five hundred of those, I then, O foremost of kings,
proceeded against Drona's son. Approaching me, O king, that hero with
great resolution rushed against me like a prince of elephants against a
lion, and desired to rescue, O monarch, the Kaurava car-warriors that
were being slaughtered by me. Then, in that battle, O Bharata, the
preceptor's son, that foremost of heroes among the Kurus, incapable of
being made to tremble, began to afflict me and Janardana with whetted
shafts resembling poison or fire. While engaged in battle with me, eight
carts, each drawn by eight bullocks, carried his hundreds of arrows. He
shot them all at me, but like a wind destroying the clouds I destroyed
with my shafts that arrowy shower of his. He then shot at me, with skill
and force and resolution, thousands of other arrows, all sped from his
bow-string stretched to his very ear, even like a black cloud in the
season of rains pouring in torrents the water with which it is charged.
So quickly did Drona's son career in that battle that we could not
discern from which side, the left or the right, he shot his arrows, nor
could we notice when he took up his arrows and when he let them off.
Indeed, the bow of Drona's son was seen by us to be incessantly drawn to
a circle. At last, the son of Drona pierced me with five whetted arrows
and Vasudeva also with five whetted arrows. Within the twinkling of an
eye, however, I afflicted him with the force of thunderbolts. Exceedingly
afflicted with those shafts sped by me, he soon assumed the form of a
porcupine. All his limbs became bathed in blood. Beholding his troops,
those foremost of warriors all covered with blood and overwhelmed by me,
he then entered the car-division of the Suta's son. Seeing the troops
overwhelmed by me in battle, and struck with fear, and beholding the
elephants and steeds flying away, that grinder (of hostile hosts), viz.,
Karna approached me quickly with fifty great car-warriors. Slaying them
all and avoiding Karna, I have quickly come hither for seeing thee. All
the Pancalas are afflicted with fear at sight of Karna like kine at the
scent of a lion. The Prabhadrakas also, O king, having a