t, O king, began to be slaughtered in hundreds and thousands
in that battle by thy sons on every side with their arrows. While the two
armies, exceedingly excited, were thus slaughtering each other, they
became much agitated like two streams in the season of rains. During the
progress of that dreadful battle, O monarch, a great fear entered the
hearts of thy warriors as also those of the Pandavas.'"

11

"Sanjaya said, 'When the troops, slaughtered by one another, were thus
agitated, when many of the warriors fled away and the elephants began to
utter loud cries, when the foot-soldiers in that dreadful battle began to
shout and wail aloud, when the steeds, O king, ran in diverse directions,
when the carnage became awful, when a terrible destruction set in of all
embodied creatures, when weapons of various kinds fell or clashed with
one another, when cars and elephants began to be mangled together, when
heroes felt great delight and cowards felt their fears enhanced, when
combatants encountered one another from desire of slaughter, on that
awful occasion of the destruction of life, during the progress of that
dreadful sport, that is, of that awful battle that enhanced the
population of Yama's kingdom, the Pandavas slaughtered thy troops with
keen shafts, and, after the same manner, thy troops slew those of the
Pandavas.

"'During that battle inspiring the timid with terror, indeed, during the
progress of the battle as it was fought on that morning about the hour of
sunrise, the Pandava heroes of good aim, protected by the high-souled
Yudhishthira, fought with thy forces, making death itself their goal. The
Kuru army, O thou of the race of Kuru, encountering the proud Pandavas
endued with great strength, skilled in smiting, and possessed of sureness
of aim, became weakened and agitated like a herd of she-deer frightened
at a forest conflagration.

"'Beholding that army weakened and helpless like a cow sunk in mire,
Shalya, desirous of rescuing it, proceeded against the Pandava army.
Filled with rage, the ruler of the Madras, taking up an excellent bow,
rushed for battle against the Pandava foes. The Pandavas also, O monarch,
in that encounter, inspired with desire of victory, proceeded against the
ruler of the Madras and pierced him with keen shafts. Then the ruler of
the Madras, possessed of great strength, afflicted that host with showers
of keen arrows in the very sight of king Yudhishthira the just.

"'At tha