Thereupon that great car-warrior jumped down from his car the horses and the charioteer of which had been killed. Seeing Shveta, that foremost of car-warriors, deprived of his car, the grandsire began to strike him on all sides with showers of arrows. Wounded in this great battle with arrows shot from Bhishma's bow, leaving his bow on his car, he took up a dart decked with gold, and taking up that terrible and fearful dart which resembled the fatal rod of Death and which was capable of killing even Death himself, Shveta thus spoke in anger to the son of Shantanu, Bhishma. "O foremost of men, wait a little and see my prowess". Having said this to Bhishma that greatly powerful and high-souled bow-man hurled that dart resembling a snake.
हताश्वसूतात् स रथादवप्लुत्य महाबलः॥ अमर्षवशमापन्नो व्याकुलः समपद्यत। विरथं रथिनां श्रेष्ठं श्वेतं दृष्ट्वा पितामहः॥ ताडयामास निशितैः शरसंधैः समन्ततः। स ताड्यमानः समरे भीष्मचापच्युतैः शरैः॥ स्वरथे धनुरुत्सृज्य शक्तिं जग्राह काञ्चनीम्। ततः शक्तिं रणे श्वेतो जग्राहोचां महाभयाम्॥ कालदण्डोपमां घोरां मृत्योर्जिह्वामिव श्वसन्। अब्रवीच्च तदा श्वेतो भीष्मं शान्तनवं रणे॥ तिष्ठेदानीं सुसंरब्धः पश्य मां पुरुषो भव। एवमुक्त्वा महेष्वासो भीष्मं युधि पराक्रमी॥ ततः शक्तिममेयात्मा चिक्षेप भुजगोपमाम्। पाण्डवार्थ पराक्रान्तस्तवानर्थं चिकीर्षुकः॥