Bathed in blood, the Bhoja king looked
beautiful like a mountain, O king, streaked with streams of liquefied red
chalk after a shower. The puissant Kritavarma then, taking up another bow
with a string and an arrow fixed thereon, struck Shikhandi in his
shoulder-joint. With those shafts sticking to his shoulder-joint,
Shikhandi looked resplendent like a lordly tree with its spreading
branches and twigs. Having pierced each other, the two combatants were
bathed in blood, and resembled a couple of bulls that have gored each
other with their horns Carefully exerting themselves to slay each other,
those two mighty car-warriors moved in a 1,000 circles with their
respective cars on that arena. Then Kritavarma, O king, in that
encounter, pierced the son of Prishata with seventy shafts all of which
were equipped with wings of gold and whetted on stone. The ruler of the
Bhojas then, that foremost of smiters, sped with great activity a
terrible and fatal shaft at his foe. Struck therewith, Shikhandi quickly
swooned away. Overcome with stupefaction, he supported himself by seizing
his flag-staff. The driver then of that foremost of car-warriors speedily
bore him away from the fight. Scorched with the shaft of Hridika's son he
drew breath upon breath repeatedly. After the defeat of the heroic son of
Drupada, O lord, the Pandava army, slaughtered on all sides, fled away
from the field."
27
"Sanjaya said, 'The white steeded (Arjuna) also, O monarch, routed thy
force even as the winds, approaching a heap of cotton, scatters it on all
sides.
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