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leathern fences. And soon Partha cut off Kripa's coat of mail also by
means of arrows capable of penetrating the very vitals, but he did not
wound his person. And divested of his coat of mail, his body resembled
that of a serpent which hath in season cast off its slough. And as soon
as his bow had been cut off by Partha, Gautama took up another and
stringed it in a trice. And strange to say, that bow of him was also cut
off by Kunti's son, by means of straight shafts. And in this way that
slayer of hostile heroes, the son of Pandu, cut off other bows as soon
as they were taken up, one after another, by Saradwat's son. And when
all his bows were thus cut off, that mighty hero hurled, from his car,
at Pandu's son, a javelin like unto the blazing thunderbolt. Thereupon,
as the gold-decked javelin came whizzing through the air with the flash
of a meteor, Arjuna cut it off by means of ten arrows. And beholding his
dart thus cut off by the intelligent Arjuna, Kripa quickly took up
another bow and almost simultaneously shot a number of crescent-shaped
arrows. Partha, however, quickly cut them into fragments by means of ten
keen-edged shafts, and endued with great energy, the son of Pritha then,
inflamed with wrath on the field of battle, discharged three and ten
arrows whetted on stone and resembling flames of fire. And with one of
these he cut off the yoke of his adversary's car, and with four pierced
his four steeds, and with the sixth he severed the head of his
antagonist's car-driver from off his body. And with three that mighty
car-warrior pierced, in that encounter, the triple bamboo-pole of
Kripa's car and with two, its wheels. And with the twelfth arrow he cut
off Kripa's flagstaff. And with the thirteenth Phalguna, who was like
Indra himself as if smiling in derision, pierced Kripa in the breast.
Then with his bow cut off, his car broken, his steeds slain, his
car-driver killed, Kripa leapt down and taking up a mace quickly hurled
it at Arjuna. But that heavy and polished mace hurled by Kripa was sent
back along its course, struck by means of Arjuna's arrows. And then the
warriors (of Kripa's division), desirous of rescuing the wrathful son of
Saradwat encountered Partha from all sides and covered him with their
arrows. Then the son of Virata, turning the steed to the left began to
perform circuitous evolution called _Yamaka_ and thus withstood all
those warriors. And those illustrious bulls among men, taking Kripa w