capable of drawing the bow with even his left hand, excited with rage, one after another, cut off all the bows that Bhishma took up.  Then Bhishma, whose bows were thus cut off, excited with rage, and licking the corners of his mouth, took up a dart that was capable of riving a hill.  In rage he hurled it at Phalguni’s car.  Beholding its course towards him like the blazing bolt of heaven, the delighter of the Pandavas fixed five sharp broad-headed arrows (on his bow-string).  And with those five arrows, O chief of the Bharatas, the angry Arjuna cut off into five fragments that dart hurled from Bhishma’s arms.  Thus cut off by the angry Arjuna, that dart then fell down like a flash of lightning separated from a mass of clouds.  Beholding his dart cut off, Bhishma became filled with rage.  That hero, that subjugator of hostile cities, then began to reflect.  And he said unto himself, ’With only a single bow I could slay all the Pandavas, if the mighty Vishnu himself had not been their protector.  For two reasons, however, I will not fight with the Pandavas, viz., their unslayableness, and the femininity of Sikhandin.  Formerly, when my sire wedded Kali, he pleased (with me) gave me two boons, viz., that I should be incapable of being slain in battle, and that my death should depend on my own choice.  I should, however, now wish my own death, this being the proper hour.’  Ascertaining this to be the resolve of Bhishma of immeasurable energy, the Rishis and the Vasus stationed in the firmament, said, ’That which hath been resolved by thee is approved by us also, O son!  Act according to thy resolution, O king.  Withdraw thy heart from battle.’  On the conclusion, of those words, fragrant and auspicious breeze charged with particles of water, began to blow along a natural direction.[486] And celestial cymbals of loud sounds began to beat.  And a flowery shower fell upon Bhishma, O sire.  The words spoken by the Rishis and the Vasus, however, O king, were not heard by any one save Bhishma himself.  I also heard them, through the power conferred on me by the Muni.  Great was the grief, O monarch, that filled the hearts of the celestials at the thought of Bhishma, that favourite of all the worlds, falling down from his car.  Having listened to these words of the celestials, Santanu’s son Bhishma of great ascetic merit rushed out at Vibhatsu, even though he was then being pierced with sharp arrows capable of penetrating through every armour.  Then Sikhandin, O king, excited with rage, struck the grandsire of the Bharatas in the chest with nine sharp arrows.  The Kuru grandsire Bhishma, however, though struck by him in battle, thus, trembled not, O monarch, but remained unmoved like a mountain during an earthquake.  Then Vibhatsu, drawing his bow Gandiva with a laugh, pierced the son of Ganga with five and twenty arrows.  And once more, Dhananjaya, with great speed and excited with wrath struck him in every vital part with hundreds of arrows.  Thus pierced by others, also with