brought him down to the ground. And overthrown by the powerful Kichaka,
Bhima quickly rose up like Yama himself with mace in hand. And thus that
powerful _Suta_ and the Pandava, intoxicated with strength and
challenging each other, grappled with each other at midnight in that
solitary place. And as they roared at each other in wrath, that
excellent and strong edifice began to shake every moment. And slapped on
the chest by the mighty Bhima, Kichaka fired with wrath moved not a
single pace. And bearing for a moment only that onslaught incapable of
being born on earth, the _Suta_, overpowered by Bhima's might, became
enfeebled. And seeing him waning weak, Bhima endued with great strength
forcibly drew Kichaka towards his breast, and began to press hard. And
breathing hard again and again in wrath, that best of victors,
Vrikodara, forcibly seized Kichaka by the hair. And having seized
Kichaka, the mighty Bhima began to roar like a hungry tiger that hath
killed a large animal. And finding him exceedingly exhausted, Vrikodara
bound him fast with his arms, as one binds a beast with a cord. And then
Bhima began for a long while, to whirl the senseless Kichaka, who began
to roar frightfully like a broken trumpet.[17] And in order to pacify
Krishna's wrath Vrikodara grasped Kichaka's throat with his arms and
began to squeeze it. And assailing with his knees the waist of that
worst of the Kichakas, all the limbs of whose body had been broken into
fragments and whose eye-lids were closed, Vrikodara slew him, as one
would slay a beast. And beholding Kichaka entirely motionless, the son
of Pandu began to roll him about on the ground. And Bhima then said,
'Slaying this wretch who intended to violate our wife,--this thorn in
the side of _Sairindhri_, I am freed from the debt I owed to my
brothers, and have attained perfect peace.' And having said this, that
foremost of men, with eyes red in wrath, relinquished his hold of
Kichaka, whose dress and ornaments had been thrown off his person, whose
eyes were rolling, and whose body was yet trembling. And that foremost