After Drona’s son, that mighty car-warrior, had gone away, the women and all the guards set up a loud wail of woe.  Seeing their king slain, all the wives of Dhrishtadyumna, filled with great sorrow, cried.  At that wail of theirs many mighty kshatriyas, awaking, put on their armour and came there for enquiring after the cause of those cries.  Those ladies, terrified at the sight of Ashvatthama, in piteous tones asked the men to pursue him without delay.  They said, “Whether he is a rakshasa or a human being, we know not what he is!  Having slain the Pancala king, he stayeth there!” At these words, those foremost of warriors suddenly surrounded Drona’s son.  The latter slew them all by means of the rudrastra.  Having slain Dhrishtadyumna and all those followers of his, he beheld Uttamauja sleeping on his bed.  Attacking him with his foot on the throat and chest, Drona’s son slew that great hero also while the latter writhed in agony.  Yudhamanyu, coming up and believing his comrade to have been slain by a rakshasa, speedily struck Drona’s son in the chest with a mace.  Rushing towards him, Ashvatthama seized him and brought him down to the ground and slew him like an animal while the latter uttered loud shrieks.

Having slain Yudhamanyu thus, that hero proceeded against the other car-warriors of the king, who were all asleep.  He slew all those trembling and shrieking warriors like animals in a sacrifice.  Taking up his sword then, he slew many others.  Proceeding along the diverse paths of the camp, one after another, Ashvatthama, accomplished in the use of the sword, beheld diverse gulmas and slew in a trice the unarmed and tired warriors sleeping within them.  With that excellent sword he cut off combatants and steeds and elephants.  Covered all over with blood, he seemed then to be Death himself commissioned by time.  Causing his foes to tremble by the repeated blows of his sword that were of three kinds, Ashvatthama became bathed in blood.  Covered as he was with blood, and wielding as he did a blazing sword, his form, as he careered in battle, became exceedingly terrible and superhuman.  Those who awaked from sleep, O Kaurava, became stupefied with the loud noise (they heard around).  Beholding Drona’s son, they looked at each other’s faces and trembled (with fear).  Those kshatriyas, beholding the form of that crusher of foes, believed him to be a rakshasa and closed their eyes.

Of terrible form, he careered in the camp like Yama himself, and at last saw the sons of Draupadi and the remnant of the Somakas.  Alarmed by the noise, and learning that Dhrishtadyumna had been slain, those mighty car-warriors, the sons of Draupadi, armed with bows, fearlessly poured their shafts on Drona’s son.  Awakened by their noise, the Prabhadrakas with Shikhandi at their head, began to grind the son of Drona with their arrows.  Drona’s son, beholding them shower their arrows on him, uttered a loud roar and became desirous of slaying those mighty