mace in grasp, and arms bearing swords, O king, or darts, or quivers, or shafts, or bows, or hooks, or standards, all over the field.  And spiked maces broken in fragments, and mallets, O sire, and bearded darts, and short arrows, and swords also, in that battle, and sharp-edged battle-axes, and lances, O Bharata, and shields broken into pieces, and coats of mail also, O king,[369] and standards, and weapons of all kinds thrown away and umbrellas furnished with golden staves, and iron hooks also, O Bharata, and goads and whips, and traces also, O sire, were seen strewn over the field of battle in heaps.  There was no man in thy army, O sire, who could advance against the heroic Arjuna in battle.  Whoever, O king, advanced against Pritha’s son in battle, pierced by sharp shafts was despatched to the other world.  When all these combatants of thine broke had fled away, Arjuna and Vasudeva blew their excellent conches.  Thy sire Devavrata then, beholding the (Kuru) host routed, smilingly addressed the heroic son of Bharadwaja in the battle and said, “This mighty and heroic son of Pandu, viz., Dhananjaya, accompanied by Krishna, is dealing with (our) troops as he alone is competent to deal with them.  He is incapable of being vanquished in battle today by any means, judging by his form that we see now so like unto that of the Destroyer himself at the end of the Yuga.  This vast host again (of ours) is incapable of being rallied.  Behold, looking at one another, our troops are flying away.  Yon Sun, robbing in every way the vision of the whole world, is about to reach that best of mountains called Asta.[370] For this, O bull among men, I think that the hour is come for the withdrawal (of the army).  The warriors, who have all been tired and struck with panic, will never fight.  Having said this unto Drona that best of preceptors, Bhishma, that mighty car-warrior, caused thy army to be withdrawn.  And then when the sun set, the withdrawal of both thy army and theirs took place, O sire, and twilight set in.”

SECTION LVI

Sanjaya said,—­“When the night having passed away, the dawn came, Santanu’s son Bhishma, that chastiser of foes, gave the order for the (Kuru) army to prepare for battle.  And the son of Santanu, the old Kuru grandsire, desirous of victory to thy sons, formed that mighty array known after the name of Garuda.  And on the beak of that Garuda was thy sire Devavrata himself.  And its two eyes were Bharadwaja’s son and Kritavarman of Satwata’s race.  And those renowned warriors, Aswatthaman and Kripa, supported by the Trigartas, the Matsyas, the Kekayas, and the Vatadhanas, were in its head.  And Bhurisravas and Sala, and Salya and Bhagadatta, O sire, and the Madrakas, the Sindhu-Souviras, and they that were called the Pancha-nodas, together with Jayadratha, were placed on its neck.  And on its back was king Duryodhana with all his followers.  And Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, and the Kamvojas