down deprived of life, innumerable headless trunks stood up and fell down.  Ashvatthama, O Bharata, cut off arms adorned with angadas and holding weapons in grasp, and heads, and thighs resembling trunks of elephants, and hands, and feet.  The illustrious son of Drona mangled the backs of some, cut off the heads of some, and caused some to turn away from the fight.  And he cut off some at the middle, and lopped off the ears of others, and struck others on the shoulders, and pressed down the heads of some into their trunks.

As Ashvatthama careered in this way, slaughtering thousands of men, the deep night became more terrible in consequence of the darkness that set in.  The earth became terrible to behold, strewn with thousands of human beings dead and dying and innumerable steeds and elephants.  Cut off by the enraged son of Drona, his foes fell down on the earth that was then crowded with yakshas and rakshasas, and frightful with (broken) cars and slain steeds and elephants.  Some called upon their brothers, some upon their sires, and some upon their sons.  And some said, “The Dhartarashtras in rage could never accomplish such feats in battle as these which rakshasas of wicked deeds are achieving (upon us) during the hour of sleep!  It is only in consequence of the absence of the Parthas that this great slaughter is going on.  That son of Kunti, who hath Janardana for his protector, is incapable of being vanquished by gods, asuras, gandharvas, yakshas and rakshasas!  Devoted to Brahma, truthful in speech, self-restrained, and compassionate towards all creatures, that son of Pritha, called Dhananjaya, never slaughters one that is asleep, or one that is heedless, or one that has laid aside his weapons or one that has joined his hands in supplication, or one that is retreating, or one whose locks have been dishevelled.  Alas, they are rakshasas of wicked deeds who are perpetrating such terrible act upon us.”  Uttering such words, many laid themselves down.

The loud din caused by the cries and groans of human beings died away within a short space of time.  The earth being drenched with blood, O king, that thick and frightful dust soon disappeared.  Thousands of men moving in agony, overwhelmed with anxiety and overcome with despair, were slain by Ashvatthama like Rudra slaying living creatures.  Many who laid themselves down on the ground clasping one another, and many who sought to fly away, and many who sought to hide themselves, and many who struggled in battle, were all slain by the son of Drona.  Burnt by the raging flames and slaughtered by Ashvatthama, the men, losing their senses, slew one another.  Before half the night was over, the son of Drona, O monarch, despatched the large host of the Pandavas unto Yama’s abode.