Beholding them fly away afflicted with the fear of Bhimasena,
indeed, and seeing his troops thus leave the field in thousands,
Duryodhana, uttering cries of "Oh!" and "Alas!" addressed his driver,
saying, "Partha will never be able to transgress me standing bow in hand.
Urge my steeds slowly behind all the troops. Without doubt, if I fight
standing in the rear of the army, the son of Kunti will never be able to
transgress me even as the vast deep is unable to transgress its
continents. Slaying Arjuna and Govinda and the proud Vrikodara and the
rest of my foes, I will free myself from the debt I owe to Karna."
Hearing these words of the Kuru king that were so worthy of a hero and
honourable man, the charioteer slowly urged his steeds adorned with
trappings of gold. Then 25,000 warriors on foot, belonging to thy army,
without cars and cavalry and elephants among them, prepared for battle.
Bhimasena, filled with wrath, and Dhrishtadyumna the son of Prishata,
encompassed them with four kinds of forces and began to strike them with
their shafts. In return, those warriors fought with Bhima and Prishata's
son. Some amongst them challenged the two heroes by name. Then Bhimasena
became filled with rage. Alighting from his car, mace in hand, he fought
with those warriors arrived for battle. Observant of the rules of fair
fight, Vrikodara, the son of Kunti, came down from his car, and relying
upon the might of his arms, began to fight on foot with those foes of his
that were on foot.
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