Then that slayer of hostile heroes, that mighty-armed descendant of Madhu's race, viz., the son of Vasudeva, seeing that Arjuna was fighting mildly, and that Bhishma was continually pouring his showers of arrows in battle, also that the latter standing in the centre of the two hosts, was scorching (every thing) like the sun himself and was slaying the foremost combatants of the army of Pandu's son, and was producing in the army of Yudhishthira a total annihilation like that at the end of a Yuga, was unable to bear it any longer.
वासुदेवस्तु सम्प्रेक्ष्य पार्थस्य मृदुयुद्धताम्। भीष्मं च शरवर्षाणि सृजनामनिशं युधि॥ प्रतपन्तमिवादित्यं मध्यमासाद्य सेनयोः। वरान् वरान् विनिघ्नन्तं पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैनिकान्॥ युगान्तमिव कुर्वाणं भीष्मं यौधिष्ठिरे बले। नामृष्यत महाबाहुर्माधवः परवीरहा॥