addressed, Dhananjaya replied unto Vasudeva, saying, ’Plunging through this sea of the hostile host, urge on the steeds to where Bhishma is.  I will throw down that invincible warrior, the reverend Kuru grandsire’.  Then Madhava urged those steeds of silvery hue to where, O king, the car of Bhishma was, that car which, like the very sun, was incapable of being gazed at.  And beholding the mighty-armed Partha thus rushing to an encounter with Bhishma, the mighty army of Yudhisthira rallied for battle.  Then Bhishma, that foremost of warriors amongst the Kurus, repeatedly roaring like a lion, quickly covered Dhananjaya’s car with an arrowy shower.  In a moment that car of his, with standard and charioteer, became invisible, shrouded with that arrowy downpour.  Vasudeva, however, endued with great might fearlessly and summoning all his patience, began to guide those steeds mangled by Bhishma’s shafts.  Then Partha, taking up his celestial bow whose twang resembled the roar of the clouds, caused Bhishma’s bow to drop down, cutting it off with his keen shafts.  The Kuru warrior, thy sire, seeing his bow cut off, took up another and stringed it within the twinkling of the eye.  And he stretched that bow whose twang resembled the roar of the clouds, with his two hands.  But Arjuna, excited with wrath, cut off that bow also of his.  Then the son of Santanu applauded that lightness of hand (displayed by Arjuna), saying—­Excellent, O Partha, O thou of mighty arms, excellent, O son of Pandu.  O Dhananjaya, such a mighty feat is, indeed, worthy of thee.  I have been pleased with thee.  Fight hard with me, O son.  And having applauded Partha thus, and taking up another large bow, that hero shot his shafts at Partha’s car.  And Vasudeva then displayed his great skill in the guiding of chariot, for he baffled those shafts of his, by guiding the car in quick circles.  Then, O sire, Bhishma with great strength pierced both Vasudeva and Dhananjaya with keen shafts all over their bodies.  And mangled by those shafts of Bhishma, those two tigers among men looked like two roaring bulls with the scratches of horns on their bodies.  And once again, excited with rage, Bhishma covered the two Krishnas on all sides with shafts in hundreds and thousands.  And with those keen shafts of his, the enraged Bhishma caused him of Vrishni’s race to shiver.  And laughing loudly he also made Krishna to wonder.  Then the mighty-armed Krishna, beholding the prowess of Bhishma in battle as also the mildness with which Arjuna fought, and seeing that Bhishma was creating incessant showers of arrows in that conflict and looked like the all-consuming Sun himself in the midst of the two armies, and marking besides, that that hero was slaying the foremost of combatants in Yudhishthira’s host and causing a havoc in that army as if the hour of dissolution had come,—­the adorable Kesava, that slayer of hosts, endued with immeasurable soul—­unable to bear what he saw, thought that Yudhishthira’s