Sanjaya said Hear from me, O king, as I relate to you, the description of the wonderful fight that then took place between the Kuru and the Pandavas.

Then the Parthas desirous of breaking through the Kuru array fought vigorously with Bharadvaja's son Drona, having encountered him at the head of his array.

Drona also, desirous of winning great fame, fought on with the Parthas, protecting his array and helped, in the encounter, by his own troops.

Then the two Avanti princes Vinda and Anuvinda, those well-wishers of your son, inflamed with rage, pierced Virata with ten sharp arrows.

Virata mighty monarch, encountering in battle these two puissant heroes together with their followers, fought on cheerfully.

A cruel and sanguinary combat raged between them, like that between a lion and a pair of elephants in rut, in a forest. also,

The highly powerful son of Yajnasena pierced with force, Balhika, with dreadful and sharp arrows capable of penetrating to the very vitals and the bones.

Thereupon Balhika also inflamed with rage, deeply struck Yajnasena's son with nine shafts of depressed knot, whetted on stone and furnished with golden wings.

Then that battle raged furiously in which arrows, lances and darts were freely used and that inspired terror into the hearts of the cowards and delight into those of the heroes.

Then with the arrows discharged by them, the welkin and the quarters became completely shrouded and nothing could be distinguished.

Shaivya the ruler of the Govasanas, with his troops, fought with that mighty car-warrior the son of Kasyapa, even as an elephant fights with its rival.

Then the king of the Balhikas excited with wrath, fought with the mighty car-warriors, the sons of Draupadi; and then he shone like the soul fighting with five senses.

Those five princes, O foremost of embodied beings, fought with his discharging their numerous arrows, like the sense-objects ever fighting with the body.

Your son Dushasana struck in that battle Satyaki of the Vrishni race with nine sharp shafts of depressed knots;

Thereupon Satyaki of invincible prowess, being thus deeply pierced by that mighty and fierce bowman, was soon partially deprived of his senses.

Then regaining his composure, he of the Vrishni race, pierced that mighty car-warrior viz., your son, with ten shafts furnished with wings of the Kanka feathers.

Then those heroes piercing each other deeply and each afflicted with the shafts of the other, shone, Oking, like two blossoming Kinshuka trees.

Afflicting with the arrows of Kuntibhoja, Alambusha inflamed with wrath, appeared beautiful like a Kinshuka tree rich with the wealth of its flowers.

Then that Rakshasa having pierce Kuntibhoja, with numerous swift, coursing arrows, uttered a terrible war-cry, standing in the van of your troops.

Then all the troops beheld these heroes each fighting with the other, appear like Shakra and Jambha fighting in the days of yore.

The twin sons of Madri, Nakula and Sahadeva, inflamed with rage, O Bharata, mangled Shakuni with their shafts, in as much as the latter was their implacable enemy.

O mighty monarch, the carnage that then spread there was dreadful. Kindled by you, fanned into flames by Karna.

And kept up by your sons, the fire of wrath of the Pandavas, O king, was then in full blaze in order to consume the whole world.

Shakuni was then compelled to turn his face away from the field, by the arrows shot by the sons of Pandu; and unable to fight any longer, he knew not what to do.

Seeing him turn away from the field, those two mighty car-warriors, the sons of Madri, again poured on him their arrowy showers, like two clouds drenching a mighty hill with showers of rain.

The son of Subala, struck with numerous arrows of close knots, flew towards the division of Drona, being borne away by fleetest steeds.

Then with medium impetuosity ihat hero, Ghatotkacha rushed upon the Rakshasa Alayudha, in that battle.

The battle battle between between them was very wonderful, like that which took place between Rama and Ravana in the days of yore.

King Yudhishthira having at first pierced the king of the Madras with five hundred arrows, again pierced him with seven.

O king, the battle that was then fought between them, was indeed marvellous and it resembled that fought between Shambara and the chief of the immortals in the days of yore.

Your Vikarna, Vivinshati and Chitrasena, surrounded by their divisions, fought on with Bhimasena. son