eparation, therefore, for battle be made without
delay.'

"Bhishma said, 'Listen to what I regard as proper, if it pleases thee. I
should always say what is for thy good, O Kaurava. Proceed thou towards
the capital, without loss of time, taking with thee a fourth part of the
army. And let another fourth march, escorting the kine. With half the
troops we will fight the Pandava. Myself and Drona, and Karna and
Aswatthaman and Kripa will resolutely withstand Vibhatsu, or the king of
the Matsyas, or Indra himself, if he approaches. Indeed, we will
withstand any of these like the bank withstanding the surging sea.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "These words spoken by the high-souled Bhishma
were acceptable to them, and the king of the Kauravas acted accordingly
without delay. And having sent away the king and then the kine, Bhishma
began to array the soldiers in order of battle. And addressing the
preceptor, he said, 'O preceptor, stand thou in the centre, and let
Aswatthaman stand on the left, and let the wise Kripa, son of Saradwata,
defend the right wing, and let Karna of the _Suta_ caste, clad in mail,
stand in the van. I will stand in the rear of the whole army, protecting
it from that point.'"

SECTION LIII

Vaisampayana said, "After the Kauravas, O Bharata, had taken their stand
in this order, Arjuna, filling the air with the rattle and din of his
car, advanced quickly towards them. And the Kurus beheld his banner-top
and heard the rattle and din of his car as also the twang of the
_Gandiva_ stretched repeatedly by him. And noting all this, and seeing
that great car-warrior--the wielder of the _Gandiva_--come, Drona spoke
thus, 'That is the banner-top of Partha which shineth at a distance, and
this is the noise of his car, and that is the ape that roareth
frightfully. Indeed, the ape striketh terror in the troops. And there
stationed on that excellent car, the foremost of car-warriors draweth
that best of bows, the _Gandiva_, whose twang is as loud as the thunder.
Behold, these two shafts coming together fall at my feet, and two others
pass off barely touching my ears. Completing the period of exile and
having achieved many wonderful feats, Partha saluteth me and whispereth
in my ears. Endued with wisdom and beloved of his relatives, this
Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu, is, indeed, beheld by us after a long
time, blazing with beauty and grace. Possessed of car and arrows,
furnished with handsome fences and quiver and