elephant, regarded himself as shrouded by the arrows of Arjuna. Shot from
Gandiva, those winged arrows of diverse forms slew in that battle
elephants and steeds and men whether stationed in his immediate front or
at the distance of two miles. The trunks, cut off with broad-headed
shafts, of elephants, down whose cheeks and other limbs flowed the juice
indicative of excitement, fell down like tall trees in the forest struck
down with the axe. A little after down fell elephants, huge as hillocks,
with their riders, like mountains crushed by Indra with his thunder. With
his shafts cutting into minute portions well-equipped cars that looked
like dissolving edifices of vapour in the evening sky and unto which were
yoked well-trained steeds of great speed and which were ridden by
warriors invincible in battle, the son of Pandu continued to shower his
arrows on his enemies. And Dhananjaya continued to slay well-decked
horsemen and foot-soldiers of the foe. Indeed, Dhananjaya, resembling the
very Sun as he rises at the end of the Yuga, dried up the samsaptaka
ocean incapable of being dried up easily, by means of keen arrows
constituting his rays. Without losing a moment, the son of Pandu once
more pierced Drona's son resembling a huge hill, with shafts of great
impetuosity and the splendour of the Sun, like the wielder of the
thunderbolt piercing a mountain with the thunder. Desirous of battle, the
preceptor's son then, filled with rage, approached Arjuna for piercing
him and his steeds and drivers by means of his swiftly coursing shafts.
Arjuna, however, quickly cut off the shafts shot at him by Ashvatthama.
The son of Pandu then filled with great wrath, proffered unto
Ashvatthama, that desirable guest, quivers upon quivers of arrows, like a
charitable person offering everything in his house unto a guest. Leaving
the samsaptakas then the son of Pandu rushed towards Drona's son like a
donor abandoning unworthy guests, for proceeding towards one that is
worthy."