Having, with his formidable
mace, penetrated into that elephant division, the enraged Bhima, within a
very short time, despatched it to Yama's abode. We then beheld those
infuriated elephants with spiked plates on their bodies falling on every
side, with their riders and standards, like winged mountains. Having
destroyed that elephant division, the mighty Bhimasena, once more riding
on his car, followed Arjuna at his rear. That great host, thus
slaughtered, filled with cheerlessness and about to fly away, stood
almost inactive, O monarch, assailed on all sides with weapons. Beholding
that host looking humble and standing inactive and almost motionless,
Arjuna covered it with life-scorching shafts. Men and steeds and
elephants, pierced in that battle with showers of shafts by the wielder
of Gandiva, looked beautiful like Kadamva flowers with their filaments.
Thus struck with Arjuna's shafts that quickly slew men and steeds and
cars and elephants, loud wails, O king, arose from the Kuru army. With
cries of "Oh" and "Alas," and exceedingly frightened, and huddling close
to one another, thy army began to turn round with great speed. The
battle, however, continued between the Kurus and the Pandavas of great
might. There was not a single car-warrior or horseman or elephant-warrior
or steed or elephant that was unwounded. Their coats of mail pierced with
shafts and themselves bathed in blood, the troops looked blazing like a
forest of flowering Asokas.
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