d
terrible, arrows constituted their fangs and bows their mouths. They
became invisible under those clouds of arrows on all sides like the Sun
and the Moon in the firmament shrouded by masses of clouds. And then
those two chastisers of foes soon became visible and blazed forth like
Mars and Mercury freed from cloudy screens. Then at that instant during
the progress of that awful battle, Drona's son placing Vrikodara to his
right, poured hundreds of fierce arrows upon him like the clouds pouring
torrents of rain upon a mountain. Bhima, however, could not brook that
indication of his enemy's triumphs. The son of Pandu, O king, from that
very station on Ashvatthama's right, began to counteract the latter's
feats. Their cars continuing to wheel around in diverse ways and advance
and retreat (according to the exigencies of the situation), the battle
between those two lions among men became exceedingly furious. Careering
in diverse paths, and (executing) circular manoeuvres, they continued to
strike each other with arrows shot from their bows drawn to their fullest
stretch. And each made the greatest endeavours to compass the destruction
of the other. And each of them desired to make the other carless in that
battle. Then that car-warrior, viz., the son of Drona, invoked many
mighty weapons. The son of Pandu, however, in that battle, with his own
weapons, counteracted all those weapons of his foe. Then, O monarch,
there took place an awful encounter of weapons, like to the terrible
encounter of planets at the time of the universal dissolution. Those
shafts, O Bharata, let off by them, coming in collision, illuminated all
the points of the compass and thy troops also all around. Covered with
flights of arrows, the welkin assumed a terrible sight, like to what
happens, O king, at the time of the universal dissolution, when it is
covered with falling meteors. From the clash of shafts, O Bharata, fire
was generated there with sparks and blazing flames. That fire began to
consume both armies. Siddhas, moving there, O monarch, said these words,
"O lord, this battle is the foremost of all battles. Any battle (fought
before) does not come up to even a sixteenth part of this. A battle like
this will never occur again. Both these persons, viz., this Brahmana and
this Kshatriya, are endued with knowledge. Both are possessed of courage,
and both are fierce in prowess. Dreadful is the might of Bhima, and
wonderful is the skill of the other