oteer, with speed, borne by these steeds. I will despatch
all these Dhartarashtras to the presence of Yama." Thus urged by
Bhimasena, the charioteer proceeded, quickly and with great impetuosity,
against thy son's host to that spot whence Bhima desired to slaughter it.
Then a large number of Kaurava troops, with elephants and cars and horse
and foot, advanced against him from all sides. They then, from every
side, began to strike that foremost of vehicles belonging to Bhima, with
numerous arrows. The high-souled Bhima, however, with his own shafts of
golden wings, cut off all those advancing arrows of his enemies. Thus cut
off into two or three fragments with Bhima's arrows, those shafts,
equipped with golden wings, of his enemies, fell down on the earth. Then,
O king, amongst those foremost of Kshatriyas, struck with Bhima's shafts,
the elephants and cars and horse and foot, set up a loud wail, O monarch,
that resembled the din made by mountains when riven with thunder. Thus
struck by Bhima, those foremost of Kshatriyas, their limbs pierced with
Bhima's powerful shafts, rushed against Bhima in that battle from every
side, like new-fledged birds towards a tree. When thy troops thus rushed
against him, Bhima of furious impetuosity displayed all his vim like
Destroyer himself armed with a mace when he burns and exterminates all
creatures at the end of the Yuga. Thy soldiers were unable to resist in
that battle that fierce forcible energy of Bhima endued with fierce
impetuosity, like that of the Destroyer himself of wide open mouth when
he rusheth at the end of the Yuga for exterminating all creatures. Then,
O Bharata, like masses of clouds scattered by the tempest the Bharata
host, thus mangled and burnt in that battle by the high-souled Bhima,
broke and fled in fear in all directions. Then the mighty Bhimasena of
great intelligence once more cheerfully said unto his charioteer,
"Ascertain, O Suta, whether those assembled cars and standards that are
advancing towards me, are ours or the enemy's. Absorbed in battle, I am
unable to distinguish them. Let me not shroud our own troops with my
shafts. O Visoka, beholding hostile warriors and cars and the tops of
their standards on all sides, I am greatly afflicted. The king is in
pain. The diadem-decked Arjuna also has not yet come. These things, O
Suta, fill my heart with sorrow. Even this is my grief, O charioteer,
that king Yudhishthira the just should have gone away, leaving m