we beheld of Vijaya seemed to be highly wonderful insomuch that those showers of weapons shot by his foes were checked by his myriads of arrows.  And there among those thousands of kings and steeds and elephants, was none, O king, that was not wounded.  And others, O sire, the son of Pritha pierced, each with two or three arrows.  And while being thus struck by Pritha, they sought the protection of Bhishma, the son of Santanu.  But Bhishma then became the rescuer of those warriors who were like men sinking in the fathomless deep.  And in consequence of those warriors thus flying away and mixing with thy troops, thy broken ranks, O king, were agitated like the vast deep with a tempest.”

SECTION LXXXIII

Sanjaya said, “And when the battle was thus raging and after Susarman had ceased fighting, and the (other) heroic warriors (of the Kuru army) had been routed by the high-souled son of Pandu; after, indeed, thy army, resembling the very ocean, had become quickly agitated and the son of Ganga had speedily proceeded against the car of Vijaya, king Duryodhana, beholding the prowess of Partha in battle, quickly proceeded towards those kings, and addressing them as also the heroic and mighty Susarman stationed in their van, said in their midst these words, gladdening them all, ’This Bhishma, the son of Santanu, this foremost one among the Kurus, reckless of his very life, is desirous of fighting with his whole soul against Dhananjaya.  Exerting your best, ye all, united together, and accompanied by your troops, protect in battle the grandsire, of Bharata’s race, who is proceeding against the hostile army.’  Saying, ‘Yes,’ all those divisions, belonging to those kings, O monarch, proceeded, following the grandsire.  Then the mighty Bhishma, the son of Santanu, (thus rushing to battle), speedily came upon Arjuna of Bharata’s race who also had been coming towards him, on his exceedingly resplendent and large car unto which were yoked white steeds and upon which was set up his standard bearing the fierce ape, and whose rattle resembled the deep roll of the clouds.  And thy entire army, beholding the diadem-decked Dhananjaya, thus coming to battle, uttered, from fear, many loud exclamations.  And beholding Krishna, reins in hand, and looking like the mid-day sun in splendour, thy troops could not gaze at him.  And so also the Pandavas were incapable of looking at Santanu’s son Bhishma of white steeds and white bow and resembling the planet Sukra risen in the firmament.  And the latter was surrounded on all sides by the high-souled warriors of the Trigartas headed by their king with his brothers and sons, and by many other mighty car-warriors.