Earth trembled with a loud sound, and cracked in many places, O chief of the Bharatas, with loud noise.  And the roll of thunder, O king, was heard frequently on all sides.  So thick was the dust that arose that nothing could be seen.  And the tall standards (of the combatants), furnished with strings of bells, decked with golden ornaments, garlands of flowers, and rich drapery, graced with banners and resembling the Sun in splendour, being suddenly shaken by the wind, gave a loud jingling noise like that of a forest of palmyra trees (when moved by the wind).  It was thus that those tigers among men, the sons of Pandu, ever taking delight in battle, stood having disposed their troops in counter-array against the army of thy son, and sucking as it were, the marrow, O bull of Bharata’s race, of our warriors, and casting their eyes on Bhimasena stationed at their head, mace in hand.”

SECTION XX

Dhritarashtra said,—­“When the Sun rose, O Sanjaya, of my army led by Bhishma and the Pandava army led by Bhima, which first cheerfully approached the other, desirous of fight?  To which side were the Sun, the Moon and the wind hostile, and against whom did the beasts of prey utter inauspicious sounds?  Who were those young men, the complexions of whose faces were cheerful?  Tell me all these truly and duly.”

Sanjaya said,—­“Both armies, when arrayed, were equally joyful, O king.  Both armies looked equally beautiful, assuming the aspect of blossoming woods, and both armies were full of elephants, cars and horses.  Both armies were vast and terrible in aspect; and so also, O Bharata, none of them could bear the other.  Both of them were arrayed for conquering the very heavens, and both of them consisted of excellent persons.  The Kauravas belonging to the Dhritarashtra party stood facing the west, while the Parthas stood facing the east, addrest for fight.  The troops of the Kauravas looked like the army of the chief of the Danavas, while that of the Pandavas looked like the army of the celestials.  The wind began to blow from behind the Pandavas (against the face of the Dhartarashtras), and the beasts of prey began to yell against the Dhartarashtras.  The elephants belonging to thy sons could not bear the strong odour of the temporal juice emitted by the huge elephants (of the Pandavas).  And Duryodhana rode on an elephant of the complexion of the lotus, with rent temples, graced with a golden Kaksha (on its back), and cased in an armour of steel net-work.  And he was in the very centre of the Kurus and was adored by eulogists and bards.  And a white umbrella of lunar effulgence was held over his head graced with a golden chain.  Him Sakuni, the ruler of the Gandharas, followed with mountaineers of Gandhara placed all around.  And the venerable Bhishma was at the head of all the troops, with a white umbrella held over his head, armed with bow and sword, with a white headgear, with a white banner (on his car),