warrior endued with great strength, jumping down from that car whose steeds had been slain, ran on foot, with an upraised sabre, towards the son of Prishata.  Then the mighty Sakuni, devoted to the king, quickly coming to that spot, caused thy royal son to mount on his own car in the very sight of all.  Then that slayer of foes, the son of Prishata, having vanquished the king, began to slaughter thy troops like the wielder of the thunder-bolt slaughtering the Asuras.

“Kritavarman, in that battle, covered with his arrows that mighty car-warrior Bhima.  Indeed, he overwhelmed the latter entirely, like a mighty mass of clouds shrouding the sun.  Then that chastiser of foes viz., Bhimasena, excited with wrath, and laughing the while, sped some shafts at Kritavarman.  Struck therewith, that Atiratha of the Satwata race, excelling all in might, trembled not, O king, but (instead) pierced Bhima (in return) with many sharp arrows.  Then the mighty Bhimasena, slaying the four steeds of Kritavarman, felled the latter’s charioteer, and then his beautiful standard.  And that slayer of hostile heroes (viz., Bhima) then pierced Kritavarman himself with many shafts of diverse kinds.  And Kritavarman, pierced all over, seemed to be excessively mangled in every limb.  Then from that car whose steeds had been slain, Kritavarman quickly went to the car of Vrishaka, in the very sight, O king, of both Salya and thy son.  And Bhimasena. excited with rage, began to afflict thy troops.  Goaded to fury, he began to slay them, like the destroyer himself armed with his club.”

SECTION LXXXIV

Dhritarashtra said, “Many and wonderful, O Sanjaya, were the single combats I hear thee speak of between the Pandavas and my warriors.  Thou speakest not, however, O Sanjaya, of any one of my side having been cheerful (on such occasions).  Thou always speakest of the sons of Pandu as cheerful and never routed, O Suta and thou speakest of mine as cheerless, deprived of energy, and constantly vanquished in battle.  All this, without doubt, is Destiny.”

Sanjaya said, “Thy men, O bull of Bharata’s race, exert themselves according to the measure of their might and courage, and display their valour to the utmost extent of their strength.  As contact with the properties of the ocean make the sweet waters of the celestial stream Ganga brakish, so the valour, O king, of the illustrious warriors of thy army coming in contact with the heroic sons of Pandu in battle, becometh futile.  Exerting themselves according to their might, and achieving the most difficult feats, thou shouldst not, O chief of the Kurus, find fault with thy troops.  O monarch, this great and awful destruction of the world, swelling the (population of the) domains of Yama, hath arisen from thy misconduct and that of thy sons.  It behoveth thee not, O king, to grieve for what hath arisen from thy own fault.  Kings do not always in this world protect their lives.  These rulers of Earth, desirous of winning by battle the regions of the righteous, daily fight, penetrating into (hostile) divisions, with heaven only for their aim.