ith the mightiest of shafts,
checked their progress. At this, the Kulindas, riding upon their
elephants of impetuous speed that looked like mountain summits and that
were of the hue of newly-risen clouds, advanced against those Kaurava
heroes. Well-equipped, and covered with gold, those infuriated elephants,
born in Himalayan regions and ridden by accomplished warriors longing for
battle, looked resplendent like clouds in the welkin, charged with
lightning. The prince of the Kulindas then vigorously assailed Kripa and
his driver and steeds, with ten shafts made wholly of iron. Struck (in
return) with the shafts of Sharadvata's son, the prince fell down with
his elephant on the ground. The younger brother of that prince then,
assailing Kripa's car with a number of lances made wholly of iron and all
bright as the rays of the sun, uttered loud roars. The ruler of the
Gandharas, however, cut off the head of that warrior while still
uttering those roars. Upon the fall of those Kulindas, those mighty
car-warriors of thy army, filled with joy, blew their sea-born conchs,
and, armed with bows, rushed against their enemies. The battle then that
once more took place between the Kurus on the one side and the Pandavas
and the Srinjayas on the other, with arrows and scimitars and darts and
swords and maces and battle-axes, became fierce and awful and exceedingly
destructive of men and steeds and elephants. Car-warriors and steeds and
elephants and foot-soldiers, striking one another, fell down on the
ground, making the field of battle look like the welkin when congregated
masses of clouds charged with lightning and producing incessant peals of
thunder are assailed by fierce winds from all sides. Then the chief of
the Bhojas struck the huge elephants, the car-warriors, the innumerable
foot-soldiers, and the horse under Satanika. Struck with Kritavarma's
shafts, these soon fell down on the ground. About this time, struck with
Ashvatthama's shafts, three huge elephants equipped with all kinds of
weapons, ridden by accomplished warriors, and adorned with lofty
standards, fell down lifeless on the ground like gigantic cliffs riven by
thunder. Then the third brother of the Kulinda chief assailed thy son
Duryodhana with some excellent shafts in the centre of the chest. Thy
son, however, pierced him as also his elephant with many whetted shafts.
That prince of elephants then, with the prince on his back, fell down,
with streams of blood issui