“That tiger among men and slayer of hostile heroes, viz., the son of Subhadra, pierced Chitrasena with many sharp shafts and Purumitra also with seven shafts.  And piercing Satyavrata too with seventy shafts, that hero resembling Indra himself in battle, began as it were to dance on the field, and caused us much pain.  Chitrasena then pierced him in return with ten shafts, and Satyavrata with nine, and Purumitra with seven.  Then the son of Arjuna, thus pierced, while yet covered with blood, cut off the large and beautiful bow of Chitrasena that was capable of checking foes.  And cutting through his coat of mail he pierced his antagonist’s breast with a shaft.  Then the princes of thy army, all heroic and mighty car-warriors, excited with wrath and united together in that conflict, pierced him with sharp arrows.  And Abhimanyu, acquainted with the mightiest weapons, smote them all with keen shafts.  Beholding that feat of his, thy sons then surrounded the son of Arjuna, who was consuming thy army in that conflict like a swelling fire of blazing flames consuming a heap of dry grass in summer.  And the son of Subhadra, while smiting thy troops (thus), seemed to glow in splendour.  Seeing that conduct of his, thy grandson Lakshmana then, O monarch, quickly fell upon the son of Subhadra.  Thereupon that mighty car-warrior Abhimanyu, excited with wrath, pierced Lakshmana graced with auspicious marks, as also his charioteer, with six sharp arrows.  But Lakshmana also, O king, pierced Subhadra’s son with many keen shafts.  And that feat, O king, seemed to be highly wonderful.  Then that mighty car-warrior, viz., Abhimanyu, slaying the four steeds as also the charioteer of Lakshmana with sharp shafts, rushed towards the latter.  Thereupon Lakshmana, that slayer of hostile heroes, staying on that car of his whose steeds had been slain, and excited with wrath, hurled a dart towards the car of Subhadra’s son.  Abhimanyu, however, with his sharp arrows, cut off that irresistible dart of fierce mien, resembling a snake, and coming impetuously towards him.  Then Kripa, taking Lakshmana up on his own car, bore him away from the conflict, in the very sight of all the troops.  Then when that awful conflict became general, the combatants rushed against one another, desirous of taking another’s life.  And the mighty bowmen of thy army and the great car-warriors of the Pandava host, prepared to lay down their lives in battle, slew one another.  With hair dishevelled, divested of their coats of mail, deprived of their cars, and their bows broken, the Srinjayas fought with the Kurus with their bare arms.  Then the mighty-armed Bhishma, endued with great strength, and excited with wrath, slew with his celestial weapons the troops of the high-souled Pandavas.  And the earth became covered with the fallen bodies of elephants deprived of their guides of men and steeds and car-warriors and cavalry-soldiers.”

SECTION LXXIV