Then Ghatotkacha, filled with rage, struck Drona’s son, in that battle, on the chest with ten shafts, each resembling the Yuga-fire, Deeply pierced the Rakshasa, the mighty son of Drona began to tremble in that battle like a tall tree shaken by the wind.  Supporting himself by holding the flagstaff, he swooned away.  Then all thy troops, O king, uttered cries of Oh and Alas.  Indeed, O monarch, all thy warriors then regarded Drona’s son as slain.  Beholding Aswatthaman in that plight, the Panchalas and the Srinjayas in that battle uttered leonine roars.  Then that crusher of foes, viz., the mighty car-warrior Aswatthaman, recovering his senses, forcibly drawing the bow with his left hand, stretching the bowstring to his ear, quickly shot a terrible shaft resembling the rod of Yama himself, aiming at Ghatotkacha.  That excellent shafts, fierce and equipped with golden wings, piercing through the chest of the Rakshasa, entered the earth, O king.  Deeply pierced, O monarch, by Drona’s son who was proud of his prowess in battle, that prince of Rakshasas, endued with great strength, sat down on the terrace of his car.  Beholding Hidimva’s son deprived of his senses, his charioteer, inspired with fear, speedily removed him from the field, bearing him away from the presence of Drona’s son.  Having pierced that prince of Rakshasas, viz., Ghatotkacha, in that encounter thus, Drona’s son, that mighty car-warrior, uttered a loud roar.  Worshipped by thy sons as also by all thy warriors, O Bharata, Aswatthaman’s body blazed up like the midday sun.

“As regards Bhimasena who was battling in from of Drona’s cal king Duryodhana himself pierced him with many whetted shafts.  Bhimasena, however, O Bharata, pierced him in return with nine arrows.  Duryodhana, then, pierced Bhimasena with twenty arrows.  Covered with each other’s arrows on the field of battle, those two warriors looked like the sun and the moon covered with clouds in the firmament.  Then king Duryodhana, O chief of Bharatas, pierced Bhima with five winged arrows and said, ’Wait!  Wait!’ Bhima then, cutting off his bow as also his standard with keen shafts, pierced the Kuru king himself with ninety straight arrows.  Then, Duryodhana filled with rage, taking up a more formidable bow, O chief of the Bharatas, afflicted Bhimasena, at the van of battle, with many whetted shafts, in the very sight of all the bowmen.  Baffling those shafts shot from Duryodhana’s bow, Bhima pierced the Kuru king with five and twenty short arrows.  Duryodhana then, O sire, excited with wrath, cut off Bhimasena’s bow with a razor-faced arrow and pierced Bhima himself with ten shafts in return.  Then the mighty Bhimasena, taking up another bow, quickly pierced the king with seven keen shafts.  Displaying great lightness of hand, Duryodhana cut off even that bow of Bhima.  The second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth, bow that Bhima took up were similarly cut off.  Indeed, O king, thy son, proud of his prowess and desirous of victory, cut off Bhima’s