And the encounter that took place between Partha and Bhishma,
was fierce and the Kaurava warriors with their troops stood as lookers
on. And in the conflict between Bhishma and the son of Pandu, shafts
striking against shafts shone in the air like fireflies in the season of
rains. And, O king, in consequence of Partha's shooting arrows with both
his right and left hands, the bent _Gandiva_ seemed like a continuous
circle of fire. And the son of Kunti then covered Bhishma with hundreds
of sharp and keen-edged arrows, like a cloud covering the
mountain-breast with its heavy downpour. And Bhishma baffled with his
own arrows that arrowy shower, like the bank resisting the swelling sea,
and covered the son of Pandu in return. And those warriors, cut into a
thousand pieces in battle, fell fast in the vicinity of Phalguna's car.
And then there was a downpour, from the car of Pandu's son, of arrows
furnished with golden wing, and raining through the sky like a flight of
locusts. And Bhishma again repelled that arrowy shower with hundreds of
whetted shafts shot by him. And then the Kauravas exclaimed.--
'Excellent! Excellent!--Indeed, Bhishma hath performed an exceedingly
difficult feat inasmuch as he hath fought with Arjuna. Dhananjaya is
mighty and youthful, and dexterous and swift of hand. Who else, save
Bhishma, the son of Santanu, or Krishna, the son of Devaki, or the
mighty son of Bharadwaja, the foremost of preceptors, is able to bear
the impetus of Partha in battle?' And repelling weapons with weapons,
those two bulls of the Bharata race, both endued with great might,
fought on playfully and infatuated the eyes of all created beings.
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