Bhishma said O best among the Bharatas, the next day a hard and terrible fight took place with Rama who had come back.

On that occasion did that virtuous souled hero, conversant with celestial weapons, hurl at me, day by day, many celestial weapons.

Those weapons I met by weapons capable of meeting them, o Bharata, in that terrific struggle, casting off hopes of life which is so hard to sacrifice.

When in this way many weapons were neutralized and baffled by other weapons, O Bharata, Rama, of great energy, fought in that battle with me, casting off hopes of life.

Seeing his weapons thus baffled then did the great-souled son of Jamadagni hurl at me the fire weapon called Shakti with its extremely ablaze and shining like a meteor which came to have been shot by Death himself and which pervaded the earth with its effulgence.

I too cut asunder that blazing weapon which was coming against me like the blazing sun at the time of the destruction of the universe and felled it to the earth cut up into three pieces by my felled it to the earth cut of into three pieces by my arrows: then did sweetsmelling breeze blow about me.

That one being cut asunder, Rama excited with wrath, hurled twelve other fierce weapons at me. Their appearance, O Bharata, I cannot describe owing to their effulgence and speed.

How indeed can I do so? I was struck with fear at seeing all those arrows flying towards me from diverse directions and assuming diverse forms and blazing with effulgence as the twelve suns that rise at the time of the destruction of the universe.

Seeing myself surrounded by a net of arrows, I neutralized them by another net of arrows from myself, O king and then in that battle, I shot twelve arrows by which I neutralized even those terrible looking arrows.

Then did the great souled of Jamadagni, O king, hurl at me fierce arrows having golden handles which were variegated and furnished with golden wings. They were blazing like great meteors.

These too, O chief among men, I caused to fall to the ground with the heel of my sword and shield and then shot forth celestial arrows at the celestial horses of Rama and his charioteer in that battle.

son Seeing those arrows, decked with gold, flying at him like serpents let loose from their holes, the great-souled smiter of the lord of the Haihayas became excited with wrath and again brought forth celestial weapons.

Then did a cluster of blazing and fierce arrows looking like a swarm of locusts completely overwhelm my body and my horses and chariot.

By those arrows were my chariot, and all the horses and the charioteer completely covered. The yoke, shaft, wheels and wheel spoken were all broken by the force of that downpour of arrows.

That down pour of arrows having been finished, I too showered arrows on my preceptor. The mass of Brahmic merit pierced with the shower of arrows began to give forth copious discharges of blood.

But in the same measure as Rama was overwhelmed with my arrows, was I also pierced hard with his. When the sun set in the afternoon behind the hills in the west, our combat came to an end.