His assailants, meanwhile, filled
with rage, O monarch, endeavoured to afflict that mighty car-warrior of
the Pandavas and checked other combatants (that tried to rescue him).
Encountered by those warriors, Bhima became filled with fury. Quickly
alighting from his car, he proceeded on foot against them. Taking up his
massive mace adorned with gold, he began to slay thy troops like the
Destroyer himself armed with his club. The mighty Bhima, with his mace,
crushed those 21,000 foot-soldiers who were without cars and steeds and
elephants. Having slain that strong division, Bhima, of prowess incapable
of being baffled, showed himself with Dhrishtadyumna in his front. The
Dhartarashtra foot-soldiers, thus slain, lay down on the ground, bathed
in blood, like Karnikaras with their flowery burthens laid low by a
tempest. Adorned with garlands made of diverse kinds of flowers, and
decked with diverse kinds of earrings, those combatants of diverse races,
who had hailed from diverse realms, lay down on the field, deprived of
life. Covered with banners and standards, that large host of
foot-soldiers, thus cut down, looked fierce and terrible and awful as
they lay down on the field. The mighty car-warriors, with their
followers, that fought under Yudhishthira's lead, all pursued thy
illustrious son Duryodhana. Those great bowmen, beholding thy troops turn
away from the battle, proceeded against Duryodhana, but they could not
transgress him even as the ocean cannot transgress its continents.
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