up a huge mace decked with a net-work of gold, hurled it at Prativindhya.  That mace slew the latter’s steeds and driver also in that great battle, and crushing, besides, his car, fell with great impetuosity on the Earth.  Meanwhile, having alighted from his car, O Bharata, Prativindhya hurled at Citra a dart, well-adorned and equipped with a golden staff.  Catching it as it coursed towards him, the high-souled king Citra, O Bharata, hurled the very weapon at Prativindhya.  Striking the brave Prativindhya in that battle, that blazing dart, piercing through his right arm, fell down on the Earth, and falling illumined the whole region like a blast of lightning.  Then Prativindhya, O king, filled with rage, and desiring to compass the destruction of Citra, sped at him a lance decked with gold.  That lance penetrating through his armour and chest, entered the Earth like a mighty snake in its hole.  Struck with that lance, the king fell down, stretching out his large and massive arms that resembled a couple of iron clubs.  Beholding Citra slain, thy warriors, those ornaments of battle, rushed impetuously at Prativindhya from all sides.  Shooting diverse kinds of shafts and Sataghnis decked with rows of bells, they soon covered Prativindhya like masses of clouds covering the Sun.  The mighty-armed Prativindhya, consuming with his arrowy showers those assailants of his in that battle, routed thy army like the thunder-wielding Sakra routing the Asura host.  Thus slaughtered in battle by the Pandavas, thy troops, O king, suddenly dispersed in all directions like congregated masses of clouds dispersed by the wind.  While thy army, slaughtered on all sides, was thus flying away, only Drona’s son singly rushed with speed against the mighty Bhimasena.  All at once a fierce encounter ensued between them like to what had taken place between Vritra and Vasava in the battle between the gods and the Asuras (of old).’”

15

“Sanjaya said, ’Endued with the greatest activity, Drona’s son, O king, displaying the lightness of his arms, pierced Bhima with an arrow.  Aiming at all his vital points—­for he had a knowledge of all the vital points of the body—­the quick-handed Ashvatthama again struck him with ninety shafts.  Pierced all over with keen arrows by the son of Drona, Bhimasena looked resplendent in that battle like the Sun himself with his rays.  The son of Pandu then, covering the son of Drona with a 1,000 well-directed shafts, uttered a leonine roar.  Baffling with his own shafts the shafts of his foe in that battle, the son of Drona, O king, as if smiling, then struck the Pandava on the forehead with a cloth-yard shaft.  The son of Pandu bore that arrow on his forehead even as the proud rhinoceros, O king, in the forest bears its horn.  The valiant Bhima, then, in that battle as if smiling all the while, struck the struggling son of Drona on the forehead with three cloth-yard shafts.  With those three arrows sticking on his forehead, that brahmana looked