SECTION CLXV
"Sanjaya said, 'The ruler of the Madras shrouded on all sides, with
clouds of shafts, Virata with his troops, who was proceeding quickly for
getting at Drona. The battle that took place between those two great
bowmen resembled, O king, that between Vala and Vasava in days of yore.
The ruler of the Madras, O monarch, with great activity, struck Virata,
that commander of a large division, with a hundred straight shafts. King
Virata, in return, pierced the ruler of the Madras with nine keen arrows,
and once more with three and seventy, and once again with a hundred. The
ruler of the Madras, then, slaying the four steeds yoked unto Virata's
car, cut down with a couple of shafts, the latter's umbrella and
standard. Quickly jumping down from that steedless car, the king stood,
drawing his bow and shooting keen shafts. Beholding his brother deprived
of his steeds, Satanika quickly approached him on his car in the very
sight of all the troops. The ruler of the Madras, however, piercing the
advancing Satanika with many shafts, despatched him to the abode of Yama.
Upon the fall of the heroic Satanika, Virata, that commander of a large
division, ascended the fallen hero's car, decked with standard and
garlands.[223] opening his eyes wide, and with prowess doubled by wrath,
Virata quickly covered the car of the ruler of the Madras with winged
arrows. The ruler of the Madras then, excited with rage, deeply pierced
Virata, that commander of a large division, in the chest, with a hundred
straight shafts. Deeply pierced by the mighty ruler of the Madras, that
great car-warrior, viz., Virata, sat down on the terrace of his car and
swooned away. His driver, then, beholding him mangled with shafts in that
encounter, bore him away. Then that vast force, O Bharata, fled away on
that night, oppressed by hundreds of arrows of Salya, that ornament of
battle. Beholding the troops flying away, Vasudeva and Dhananjaya quickly
advanced to that spot, O monarch, where Salya was stationed. Then that
prince of the Rakshasas, viz., Alamvusha, O king, riding upon a foremost
car, harnessed with eight steeds, having terrible-looking Pisachas of
equine faces yoked unto it, furnished with blood-red banners, decked with
floral garlands made of black iron, covered with bear-skins, and
possessing a tall standard over which perched a terrible, fierce-looking,
and incessantly shrieking vulture, of spotted wings and wide-open eyes,
proceeded against those advancing heroes. That Rakshasa, O king, looked
beautiful like a loose heap of antimony, and he withstood the advancing
Arjuna, like Meru withstanding a tempest, scattering showers of arrows, O
monarch, upon Arjuna's head. The battle then that commenced between the
Rakshasa and that human warrior, was exceedingly fierce. And it filled
all the spectators there, O Bharata, with wonder. And it conduced to the
joy also of vultures and crows, of ravens and owls and Kanakas and
jackals. Arjuna struck Alamvusha with six shafts and then cut off his
standard with ten sharp arrows. With a few other arrows, he cut off his
driver, and with some others his Trivenu, and with one more, his bow, and
with four others his four steeds. Alamvusha strung another bow, but that
also Arjuna cut off in two fragments. Then, O bull of Bharata's race,
Partha pierced that prince of the Rakshasas with four keen arrows. Thus
pierced, the Rakshasas fled away in fear. Having vanquished him, Arjuna
quickly proceeded towards the spot where Drona was, shooting as he went,
many shafts, O king, at men, elephants, and steeds. Slaughtered O
monarch, by the illustrious son of Pandu, the combatants fell down on the
ground, like trees laid low by a tempest. Thus treated by the illustrious
son of Pandu, all of them fled like a frightened herd of deer.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 165 ---------------------
