SECTION CXLV

“Sanjaya said, ’Hearing the twang, resembling the loud call of Death himself or the frightful peal of Indra’s thunder, of Dhananjaya’s bow, while he stretched it, that host of thine, O king, anxious with fear and exceedingly agitated, became like the waters of the sea with fishes and makaras within them, ruffled into mountain-like waves and lashed into fury by the hurricane that arises at the end of the Yuga.  Then Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, careered in battle in such a way that he was seen at the same time to be present in all directions, displaying his wonderful weapons.  Indeed, so light-handed was the son of Pandu that we could not mark when he took out his shafts, O king, when he fixed them on the bow-string, when he stretched the bow, and when he let them off.  Then the mighty-armed one, O king, excited with wrath, invoked into existence the invincible Aindra weapon, frightening all the Bharatas.  Hundreds and thousands of blazing shafts of fiery mouths, inspired by mantras with the force of celestial weapons, flowed from it.  With those shafts resembling fire or the rays of the sun, coursing with fierce impetuosity, the welkin became incapable of being gazed at, as if filled with flashing meteors.  Then that darkness which had been caused by the Katirava with their arrows, which was incapable of being dispersed even in imagination by others, the son of Pandu, careering around and displaying his prowess, destroyed by means of those shafts of his that were inspired by means of mantras with the force of celestial weapons, like the sun himself speedily dispersing at dawn of day the darkness of night by means of his rays.  Then the puissant Arjuna, with those blazing shafts of his, sucked the lives of thy warriors like the summer sun sucking with his hot rays the waters of tanks and lakes.  Indeed, showers of shafts endued with the force of celestial weapons, (shot by Arjuna) covered the hostile army like the rays of the sun covering the earth.  Other arrows of fierce energy, sped (by Dhananjaya), quickly entered the hearts of (hostile) heroes, like dear friends.  Indeed, those brave warriors that came in that battle before Arjuna, all perished like insects approaching a blazing fire.  Thus crushing the lives of his foes and their fame, Partha careered in that battle like Death in embodied form.  Heads decked with diadems, massive arms, adorned with Angadas, and ears with ear-rings of the foes, Partha, cut off with his shafts.  The arms, with spears, of elephant-riders; those, with lances, of horsemen; those, with shields, of foot-soldiers; those with bows, of car-warriors; and those, with whips and goads, of charioteers the son of Pandu cut off.  Indeed, Dhananjaya looked resplendent with his shafts of blazing points that seemed to constitute his rays, like a blazing fire with incessant sparks and rising flames.  The hostile kings, mustering all their resolution, could