They all carefully protected Bhishma who was then in great distress. To them that stood there as spectators, the king (Duryodhana) thus exclaimed. “Either Shveta or Bhishma will die (to day)". Having heard the words of the king, the great car-warriors soon with four kinds of troops advanced to protect the son of Ganga. O descendant of Bharata, Balhika, Kritavarina, Kripa, Shalya, the son of Jarasandha, Vikarna, Chitrasena and Vivingshati, all with great speed, surrounded him on all sides and poured a continuous shower of arrows. That highsouled and mighty warrior then soon checked those wrathful warriors with sharp arrows by displaying his own lightness of hands. Checking them all as a lion checks a herd of elephants, Shveta cut off Bhishma's bow with a thick shower of arrows.
यत्ता भीष्मं परीप्सध्वं रक्षमाणाः समन्ततः। मा नः प्रपश्यमानानां श्वेतान्मृत्युमवाप्स्यति॥ भीष्मः शान्तनवः शूरस्तथा सत्यं ब्रवीमि वः। राज्ञस्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा त्वरमाणा महारथाः॥ बलेन चतुरङ्गेण गाङ्गेयमन्वपालयन्। बाह्रीकः कृतवर्मा च शलः शल्यश्च भारत॥ जलसंधो विकर्णश्च चित्रसेनो विविंशतिः। त्वरमाणास्त्वराकाले परिवार्य समन्ततः॥ अवारयदमेयात्मा दर्शयन् पाणिलाघवम्। स निवार्य तान् सर्वान् केसरी कुञ्जरानिव॥ महता शरवर्षेण भीष्मस्य धनुराच्छिनत्।