The retreat of Shakuni

Sanjaya said Having slain the ruler of the Pragjyotisas who was the friend and favourite of Indra and who was possessed of immeasurable prowess, the son of Pritha circumambulated him.

Thereafter, Vrisaka and Achala, the two sons of the king of the Gandharas, both competent to subjugate hostile cities, began to afflict the son of Pandu in battle.

Those two heroic bowmen assailing Arjuna simultaneously from the rear and the van, began to pierce him with swift-flying arrows coursing with vehemence.

Thereupon with whetted shafts, Pritha's son cut-off into fragments the steeds the charioteer, the bow, the standard, the umbrella and the chariot of Vrishaka the son of Subala.

Thereafter Arjuna with showers of arrows and various other weapons, began to afflict the Gandharas headed by Subala and others.

Then wrought up with wrath, Dhananjaya dispatched, by means of his arrows, to the regions of Death, five hundred heroic Gandhara warriors with their weapons held over their heads.

Meanwhile the mighty-armed Vrishaka alighting from his chariot of which the horses were slain, ascended the car of his brother with agility and grasped another bow.

Then those two heroic brothers Vrishaka and Achala, both riding on the self same car, began incessantly to pierce Pritha's son with their arrowy downpour.

Then those two kings, your brothers-in-law, viz., Vrishaka and Achala of illustrious souls, began to wound Partha sorely, like Bala or Vritra wounding Indra himself.

The two Gandhara kings of unerring aims, again and again pierced Pandu's son like the summer and the rainy months of the year piercing the world with heat and rain respectively.

Thereat, O monarch, Arjuna with a single shaft slew those two foremost of men, those two princes, viz., Vrishaka and Achala who had been riding on the same chariot side by side.

Thereupon those two heroic brothers with red eyes, possessed on long arms, having similar features and looking like two lions, fell down from their car.

Then their bodies, so much tended by their friends and favourities, falling from the car, lay prostrate on the Earth, spreading sacred fame in all the ten points of the compass.

Thereafter, O ruler of men, your sons beholding their two unretreating and heroic maternal uncles slain, began unceasingly to discharge weapons.

Then, conversant with hundred kinds of illusion, Shakuni beholding his two brothers slain spread a mighty illusion for confounding the two Krishnas.

Then clubs, iron-balls, Shataghnis, rocks, darts, maces, bludgeons, swords, tridents, mallets, battle-axes, kampanas scimitars, nails, Mushalas, axes, razors, horse-shoe-headed arrows, Nalikas, Vatsadantas and shafts of bony-heads, discuses, Vishikhas, lances and many other kinds of weapons began to fall upon Arjuna from all the cardinal and subsidiary points of the compass.

Also asses, camels, buffalo's, tigers, lions, deer, leopards, bears, wolves, bears, wolves, vultures, monkeys and various reptiles and diverse kinds of Rakshasas and fights of birds, all burning with hunger and rage, assailed Arjuna from all sides.

Thereat that heroic son of Kunti, by name Dhananjaya, versed in the use of celestial weapons, discharging a net-work of arrows, simultaneously attacked them all.

Attacked by that hero with excellent and strong airways, those beasts and reptiles and birds, emitting loud yells of agony, began to give the ghost up on the field of battle.

Thereupon Arjuna's chariot was enveloped in a pall of gloom and harsh voices were heard to reproach Arjuna from within that gloom.

Then in that fierce battle, Arjuna, with a mighty and lustrous weapon of the finest make

called Gotishka, dispelled that dreadful and palpable darkness capable of inspiring every one with terror.

When that gloom had been dispelled, frightful waves of waters started into existence. Thereupon for destroying these water-waves, Arjuna discharged the Aditya weapon; that weapon then dried up almost all the waterwaves. Thus various kinds of illusions created by Subala's son.

Arjuna smilingly nullified, by means of the virtue of his weapons. When all his illusions had been nullified, struck with the arrows of Arjuna and seized with terror.

Shakuni fled like a mean deserter being borne away by fleet coursers. Then Arjuna conversant with the use of all weapons, displaying to his foes his great lighthandedness.

Poured showers of arrows on the host of the Kauravas. Then that army of your son, thus smashed by Pritha's son.

Became split up in twain, like a current of Ganges water dividing into two streams when it is obstructed by a hillock. Some among those foremost of men, then sought shelter from Drona.

And others, O king, being afflicted sore by the diadem-decked Arjuna, flew towards Duryodhana's division. Then we could not see Arjuna, as the army was enveloped in a cloud of dust.

I could then only hear the twang of the Gandiva-bow on my right side, as also the sound and blare of conch-shells and drums and the din of many other musical instruments.

But rising above all those noise and din, the twang of the Gandiva reached the very heavens. Then on the Southern part of the field, again raged a fight between numerous warriors on the one side.

And Arjuna on the other. I, however, followed Drona's division. Then the diverse divisions of Yudhishthira's army began to strike down the eneiny's host on the field.

Then, O Bharata, like wind scattering masses of clouds in the heavens, Arjuna began to scatter the various divisions composing the army of your son.

None could then resist that fierce bowmen, that excellent of all male beings, as he advanced, like Indra, pouring incessantly showers of arrows.

Then all those troops of yours, thus slaughtered by Partha and overwhelmed with intense pain, began to fly and in flying crushed many of their own number.

The arrows, sped by Arjuna, furnished with wings of Kanka feather and capable of piercing into every body, began to fall even like flights of locusts covering all the ten points of the compass.

Those arrows, O sire, penetrating through horses, car-warriors, elephants and footsoldiers, entered the earth, like snakes entering their holes in ant-hills.

Arjuna did not shoot more than one arrow at any elephant, man or horse. Each of these, afflicted by one shaft only, began to fall down and give up the ghost on the field.

Over-strewn with slain men and elephants and horses mangled with arrows and filled with the yells of dogs and jackals, the field of battle assumed an awful appearance.

Afflicted with arrows, then father deserted his son, friend forsook his friend and son abandoned his father. Then with their hearts intent on saying themselves, men even forsook their very vehicles, being pained by the arrows of Partha.