"Having thus spoken to the kings and to the king of Kashi, the valorous one, that Kaurava, raised all the maidens onto his own chariot; and having thrown down his challenge, he quickly set off, carrying off those maidens. Then all those kings sprang up, enraged, rubbing their arms and biting their lips. As they hastily tore off their ornaments and put on their armor, the greatest confusion arose. Like a shower of falling stars, O Janamejaya, was that flashing of bright ornaments and armor everywhere. Gleaming with armor and ornaments that flashed brightly here and there, their brows knit with anger and indignation, their eyes reddened, mounting splendid chariots equipped with charioteers and drawn by fine horses straining forward, those heroes, armed with every weapon, weapons raised, rushed after the lone Kaurava as he drove away. Then a battle broke out between them and him, O Bharata -- of one against many, tumultuous, hair-raising. They loosed ten thousand arrows at him all at once; but before they could reach him, Bhishma instantly cut them all down. Then all those kings, surrounding him on every side, showered him with a rain of arrows, as clouds shower a mountain with rain. He, having warded off that rain of arrows with his own arrows from every side, then pierced every king -- each with three arrows. Even his enemies praised his skill, surpassing that of all other men, as a chariot-warrior, and his defense of himself in battle."