nt of the Pandava force in the
battle. These, O bull of Bharata's race, encountered each other for
battle. Having distributed their forces in this way, O monarch,
ourselves, excited with wrath and inspired with desire of victory,
proceeded against the Pandavas, having placed ourselves under the command
of the ruler of the Madras. Similarly, the brave Pandavas, those tigers
among men, desirous of victory, and the Pancalas possessed of great fame,
came to battle. Even thus, O monarch, all those tigers among men,
desirous of slaughtering their foes, encountered one another at dawn of
day, O lord. Then commenced a fierce and terrible battle between thy
troops and the enemy, the combatants being all engaged in striking and
slaughtering one another.'"

9

"Sanjaya said, 'Then commenced the battle between the Kurus and the
Srinjayas, O monarch, that was as fierce and awful as the battle between
the gods and the Asuras. Men and crowds of cars and elephants, and
elephant-warriors and horsemen by thousands, and steeds, all possessed of
great prowess, encountered one another. The loud noise of rushing
elephants of fearful forms was then heard there resembling the roars of
the clouds in the welkin, in the season of rains. Some car-warriors,
struck by elephants, were deprived of their cars. Routed by those
infuriate animals other brave combatants ran on the field. Well-trained
car-warriors, O Bharata, with their shafts, despatched large bodies of
cavalry and the footmen that urged and protected the elephants, to the
other world. Well-trained horsemen, O king, surrounding great
car-warriors, careered on the field, striking and slaying the latter with
spears and darts and swords. Some combatants armed with bows,
encompassing great car-warriors, despatched them to Yama's abode, the
many unitedly battling against individual ones. Other great car-warriors,
encompassing elephants and foremost warriors of their own class, slew
some mighty one amongst that fought on the field, careering all around.
Similarly, O king, elephants, encompassing individual car-warriors
excited with wrath and scattering showers of shafts, despatched them to
the other world. Elephant-warrior rushing against elephant-warrior and
car-warrior against car-warrior in that battle slew each other with darts
and lances and cloth-yard shafts, O Bharata. Cars and elephants and
horses, crushing foot-soldiers in the midst of battle, were seen to make
confusion worse con