became a loud uproar.  And Madhava and Arjuna, both stationed on a great car unto which were yoked white steeds, blew their excellent conches decked with gold and jewels.  And Hrishikesa blew the conch called Panchajanya, and Dhananjaya (that called) Devadatta.  And Vrikodara of terrible deeds blew the huge conch called Paundra.  And Kunti’s son king Yudhishthira blew the conch called Anantavijaya, while Nakula and Sahadeva (those conches called) Sughosa and Manipushpaka.[360] And the ruler of Kasi, and Saivya, and Sikhandin the mighty car-warrior, and Dhrishtadyumna, and Virata, and the mighty car-warrior Satyaki, and that great bowman the king of the Panchalas, and the five sons of Draupadi, all blew their large conches and set up leonine roars.  And that great uproar uttered there by those heroes, loudly reverberated through both the earth and the welkin.  Thus, O great king, the Kurus and the Pandavas, both filled with delight, advanced against each other for battling again, and scorching each other thus.”

SECTION LII

Dhritarashtra said, “When mine and the hostile hosts were thus formed into battle array, how did the foremost of smiters begin to strike?”

Sanjaya said, “When all the divisions were thus arrayed, the combatants waited, each cased in mail, and with their beautiful standards all upraised.  And beholding the (Kuru) host that resembled the limitless ocean, thy son Duryodhana, O king, stationed within it, said unto all the combatants on thy side, ‘Cased in mail (as ye are), begin ye the fight’.  The combatants then, entertaining cruel intentions, and abandoning their very lives, all rushed against the Pandavas, with standards upraised.  The battle that took place then was fierce and made the hair stand on end.  And the cars and elephants all got mixed together.  And shafts with beautiful feathers, and endued with great energy and sharp points, shot by car-warriors fell upon elephants and horses.  And when the battle began in this way, the venerable Kuru grandsire, the mighty-armed Bhishma of terrible prowess, cased in mail, taking up his bow, and approaching them, showered an arrowy downpour on the heroic son of Subhadra, and the mighty car-warrior Arjuna, and the ruler of the Kekayas and Virata, and Dhrishtadyumna of Prishata’s race, as also upon the Chedi and the Matsya warriors.  And that mighty array (of the Pandavas) wavered at the onset of that hero.  And terrific was the encounter that took place between all the combatants.  And horse-men and car-warriors and foremost of steeds fell fast.  And the car-divisions of the Pandavas began to fly away.  Then that tiger among men, Arjuna, beholding that mighty car-warrior Bhishma, angrily said unto him of Vrishni’s race.  ’Proceed to the place where the grandsire is.  O thou of Vrishni’s race, it is evident that this Bhishma, with wrath excited, will annihilate for Duryodhana’s benefit my host.  And this