Hearing the assembled kings, Bhishma, the mighty Kaurava, addressed the rulers of the earth, declaring, “These are the ways by which I intend to take her—by strength. Therefore, strive with all your power: win, or be defeated.” Having thus spoken to the gathered monarchs and the powerful king of Kāśi himself, Bhishma, resolute in purpose, placed all the maidens upon his own chariot. Taking formal leave, he swiftly departed, seizing the princesses. Enraged at this bold act, all the kings sprang up in fury, grasping their weapons, biting their lips in wrath. In their haste, they donned their armor and ornaments, and a great confusion arose among them. The tumult was like a gathering of stars, as ornaments and armor were scattered everywhere in the melee. With armor and ornaments strewn about, their eyes red with anger and brows furrowed in indignation, those heroic kings mounted their splendid chariots—prepared by skilled charioteers, yoked with fine horses, and equipped with all manner of weapons. Thus armed, they pursued Bhishma as he departed with the maidens. There arose a tumultuous and hair-raising battle between Bhishma and the many kings. In unison, they loosed ten thousand arrows at him, but before those missiles could reach their mark, Bhishma intercepted them all. With a bristling shower of arrows, he cut them down, even as the kings surrounded him on every side. Like clouds pouring rain upon a mountain, they showered arrows upon him, but Bhishma blocked that torrent completely with his own shafts. Then, demonstrating his skill, Bhishma pierced all the kings with three arrows each; in turn, each king struck Bhishma with five arrows. Undaunted, he struck them back with two arrows each, revealing his prowess. The battle was tumultuous and terrible, like the ancient conflict between gods and demons. Before the eyes of the world’s heroes, Bhishma cut down bows, the crests of standards, armor, and even heads, all thick with arrows and spears. Hundreds and thousands fell before him, so extraordinary was his feat and swiftness as a chariot-warrior. Even his enemies honored his defense, for after destroying countless opponents, he remained unscathed, his valor immeasurable. Then, the son of the king of Kāśi was brought forth by the son of the ocean-going king. Having conquered all in battle, Bhishma, foremost among weapon-wielders, set out with the maidens toward the Bharata kingdom. But the mighty king of Shalva, indomitable in spirit, followed behind. Like an elephant breaking the rear of a rival with its tusks, the king of Shalva approached Bhishma, son of Shantanu, in battle. Driven by desire for the maiden, the leader of the strong caught up, calling out to Bhishma, “Stop! Stop!” The king of Shalva, mighty-armed and ablaze with anger, thus challenged Bhishma, the tiger among men and destroyer of enemy hosts. Stirred by these words, Bhishma blazed with fury like a smokeless fire, grasping his stretched bow, his brow furrowed. Embracing the duty of a warrior, fearless and undaunted, the great chariot-warrior turned his chariot to face Shalva. Seeing Bhishma turn, all the assembled kings became spectators to this mighty encounter. Like two roaring bulls in the midst of the herd, Bhishma and Shalva, both mighty and valorous, advanced upon each other, displaying their strength and prowess. Then the king of Shalva showered Bhishma, son of Shantanu, with hundreds of thousands of swift arrows. Seeing Bhishma pressed hard by Shalva, the kings were astonished and cried out, “Well done! Well done!” Delighted by Shalva’s skill and swiftness, they praised him with words of admiration. Hearing the acclaim of the Kshatriyas, Bhishma, subduer of enemies, was angered and called out, “Stop! Stop!” Enraged, he said to his charioteer, “Drive to where that king is! Today I will slay him, as the king of birds slays a serpent.” Then Bhishma invoked the Varuna weapon and, with it, struck down the four horses of King Shalva. Countering the weapons of Shalva with his own, Bhishma also struck down Shalva’s charioteer. Using the Indra weapon, Bhishma felled the excellent horses for the sake of the maiden. Having conquered his foe, Bhishma released the king alive; thus, Salva returned to his own city. At that time, the king, following righteousness, resumed his kingdom, as did the other kings who had come to witness the svayamvara. Those conquerors of other cities also returned to their own realms. Thus, having won the maidens, Bhishma, foremost of warriors, set out for Hastinapura, where the Kaurava king, the righteous Vicitravirya, ruled the earth. In all this, Bhishma acted as his father Shantanu, best of kings, had done in times past. Having subdued forests, rivers, mountains, and treasuries of trees, Bhishma remained unharmed, destroying his foes in battle, his valor immeasurable.