ing Arjuna,
speedily proceeded against him. Those mighty car-warriors then, obeying
the behest of Karna, began to strike Dhananjaya with innumerable arrows
in that battle. Like the great ocean containing a vast quantity of water
receiving all rivers with their tributaries Arjuna received all those
warriors in battle. His foes could not notice when he fixed his excellent
arrows on the bow-string and when he let them off. All that could be seen
was that men and steeds and elephants, pierced with the arrows sped by
Dhananjaya, continually fell down, deprived of life. Like men with
diseased eyes that are unable to gaze at the sun, the Kauravas on that
occasion could not gaze at Jaya who seemed to be possessed of the energy
of the all-destroying Sun that rises at the end of the Yuga, having
arrows for his rays, and Gandiva for his beautiful circular disc. Smiling
the while, Partha with his own showers of arrows cut off the excellent
arrows sped at him by those mighty car-warriors. In return, he struck
them with innumerable arrows, drawing his bow Gandiva to a complete
circle. As the sun of fierce rays between the months of Jyaishtha and
Ashadha easily drieth up the waters (of the earth), even so Arjuna,
baffling the arrows of his foes, consumed thy troops, O king of kings!
Then Kripa, and the chief of the Bhojas, and thy son himself shooting
showers of shafts, rushed towards him. Drona's son also, that mighty
car-warrior, rushed towards him, shooting his shafts. Indeed, all of them
rained their arrows on him, like the clouds pouring torrents of rain on a
mountain. The son of Pandu, however, with great activity and speed, cut
off with his own shafts those excellent arrows sped at him with great
care in that dreadful battle by those accomplished warriors desirous of
slaying him, and pierced the chest of each of his adversaries with three
shafts. Having arrows for his fierce rays, the Arjuna sun, with Gandiva
drawn to its fullest stretch constituting his corona, looked resplendent,
as he scorched his foes, like the Sun himself between the months of
Jyeshtha and Ashadha, within his bright corona. Then Drona's son pierced
Dhananjaya with ten foremost of shafts, and Keshava with three, and the
four steeds of Dhananjaya with four, and showered many shafts on the Ape
on Arjuna's banner. For all that, Dhananjaya cut off the full drawn bow
in his adversary's hand with three shafts, the head of his driver with a
razor-faced arrow, and hi