“Duryodhana said, ’I will not, O grandsire, give back the Pandavas their kingdom.  Let every preparation, 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 conch and banner and coat of mail, decked with diadem and scimitar and bow, the son of Pritha shineth like the blazing (Homa) fire surrounded with sacrificial ladles and fed with sacrificial butter.’”