a foe in fight.  And that winged shaft shot by my son, piercing Salwa’s mail, entered his heart—­whereupon he fell down, in a swoon.  And beholding the heroic king Salwa fallen down deprived of sense, the foremost of the Danavas fled away rending the ground beneath their feet.  And, O lord of the earth, the army of Salwa sent up exclamations of Oh! and Alas! seeing their king, the lord of Saubha, drop down bereft of sense!  And O son of the Kuru race, regaining his senses, the mighty Salwa rose and all of a sudden discharged his arrows on Pradyumna.  Then the heroic and mighty armed Pradyumna, sorely pierced by his adversary about his throat, was enfeebled on his car.  And, O mighty king, wounding the son of Rukmini, Salwa sent up a shout like unto the roar of a lion, and filling the entire earth with it!  And, O Bharata, when my son became senseless, Salwa, without losing a moment, again discharged at him other shafts difficult to bear.  And pierced with numberless arrows and deprived of his senses, Pradyumna, O chief of the Kuru race, became motionless on the field of battle!’”

SECTION XVIII

“Vasudeva continued, ’O king, afflicted with the arrows of Salwa, when Pradyumna became senseless the Vrishnis who had come to the fight were all disheartened and filled with grief!  And the combatants of the Vrishni and Andhaka races burst into exclamations of Oh! and Alas! while great joy was felt by the enemy and beholding him thus deprived of sense, his trained charioteer, the son of Daruka, soon carried him off the field by the help of his steeds.  The car had not gone far when that best of warriors regained his senses, and taking up his bow addressed his charioteer, saying, “O son of the Suta tribe, what hast thou done?  Why dost thou go leaving the field of battle?  This is not the custom of the Vrishni heroes in battle!  O son of a Suta, hast thou been bewildered at the sight of a Salwa in that fierce encounter?  Or hast thou been disheartened, beholding the fight?  O! tell me truly thy mind!” The charioteer answered, “O son of Janardana, I have not been confounded, nor hath fear taken possession of me.  On the other hand, O son of Kesava, the task, I ween, of vanquishing Salwa is difficult for thee!  Therefore, O hero, I am slowly retiring from the field.  This wretch is stronger than thou art!  It behoveth a charioteer to protect the warrior on the car, however, when he is deprived of his senses!  O thou gifted with length of days, thou shouldst always be protected by me, even as it behoveth thee to protect me!  Thinking that the warrior on the car should always be protected (by his charioteer), I am carrying thee away!  Further, O thou of mighty arms, thou art alone, while the Danavas are many.  Thinking, O son of Rukmini, that thou art not equal to them in the encounter, I am going away!"’