repeatedly uttered loud shouts. Thereupon blood spouted forth from the
wounds of Karna, and the latter, filled with rage and breathing like a
snake, cut off his antagonist's standard and pierced the Pandava himself
with three broad-headed arrows. And he also cut off the couple of quivers
(that his foe had) and the car (he rode) into minute fragments. Thereupon
the king, riding on another car unto which were yoked those steeds, white
as ivory and having black hair on their tails, that used to bear him (to
battle), turned his face and began to fly. Thus did Yudhishthira began to
retreat. His Parshni driver had been slain. He became exceedingly
cheerless and unable to stay before Karna. The son of Radha then,
pursuing Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, cleansed himself by touching him
in the shoulder with his own fair hand (the palm of which was) graced
with the auspicious signs of the thunderbolt, the umbrella, the hook, the
fish, the tortoise, and the conchshell, and desired to seize him by
force. He then remembered the words of Kunti. Then Shalya addressed him,
and said, "Do not, O Karna, seize this best of kings. As soon as thou
seizest him, he will reduce both thee and me to ashes." Then Karna, O
king, laughing in mockery, addressed the son of Pandu and thus spoke unto
him disparagingly. "How, indeed, born though thou art in a noble race,
and observant though thou art of Kshatriya duties, wouldst thou leave the
battle in fear, desiring to save thy life? I think that thou art not
well-acquainted with the duties of Kshatriyas. Endued with Brahma-force,
thou art indeed devoted to the study of the Vedas and the performance of
sacrificial rites. Do not, O son of Kunti, fight again, and do not again
approach brave warriors. Do not use harsh language towards heroes and do
not come to great battles. Thou mayst use such words, O sire, towards
others, but thou shouldst never address persons like us in that way. By
using such words towards persons like us, thou wouldst in battle meet
with this and other kinds of behaviour. Go back to thy quarters, O son of
Kunti, or thither where those two, viz., Keshava and Arjuna, are. Indeed,
O king, Karna will never slay one like thee." Having said these words
unto the son of Pritha, the mighty Karna, setting Yudhishthira free,
began to slaughter the Pandava host like the wielder of the thunderbolt
slaughtering the Asura host. That ruler of men, (viz., Yudhishthira,)
then, O king, quickly fled away. Beholding the king flying away, the
Cedis, the Pandavas, the Pancalas, and the mighty car-warrior Satyaki,
all followed that monarch of unfading glory. And the sons of Draupadi,
and the Suras, and the twin sons of Madri by Pandu, also followed the
king. Beholding the division of Yudhishthira retreating, the heroic Karna
became highly glad with all the Kurus and began to pursue the retreating
force. The din of battle-drums and conchs and cymbals and bows, and
leonine shouts, arose from among the Dhartarashtra troops. Meanwhile
Yudhishthira, O thou of Kuru's race, quickly riding on the car of
Srutakirti, began to behold the prowess of Karna. Then king Yudhishthira,
the just, seeing his troops fast slaughtered, became filled with rage,
and addressing his warriors, commanded them, saying, "Slay these enemies.
Why are ye inactive?" Then the mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas,
headed by Bhimasena, thus commanded by the king, all rushed against thy
sons. The shouts then, O Bharata, of the warriors (of both hosts), and
the noise made by cars and elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers, and
the clash of weapons, became tremendous. "Exert," "Strike," "Face the
foe," were the words that the combatants addressed to one another as they
began to slay one another in that dreadful battle. And in consequence of
the showers of shafts shot by them a shadow as that of the clouds seemed
to spread over the field. And in consequence of those rulers of men,
covered with arrows, striking one another, they became divested of
banners and standards and umbrellas and steeds and drivers and weapons in
that battle. Indeed, those lords of Earth, deprived of life and limbs,
fell down on the Earth. Looking like the mountain-summits in consequence
of their uneven backs, huge elephants with their riders, deprived of
life, fell down like mountains riven by thunder. Thousands of steeds,
with their armour, equipments, and adornments all torn and broken and
displaced, fell down, along with their heroic riders, deprived of life.
Car-warriors with weapons loosened from their grasp, and deprived by
(hostile) car-warriors of cars and life, and large bands of
foot-soldiers, slain by hostile heroes in that dreadful clash, fell down
in thousands. The Earth became covered with the heads of heroic
combatants intoxicated with battle, heads that were adorned with large
and expansive eyes of coppery hue and faces as beautiful as the lotus or
the moon. And people heard noises as loud in the sky as on the surface of
the Earth, in consequence of the sound of music and song proceeding from
large bands of Apsaras on their celestial cars, with which those bands of
heavenly choristers continually greeted the newly-arrived heroes slain in
hundreds and thousands by brave enemies on Earth, and with which, placing
them on celestial cars, they repaired on those vehicles (towards the
region of Indra). Witnessing with their own eyes those wonderful sights,
and actuated by the desire of going to heaven, heroes with cheerful
hearts speedily slew one another. Car-warriors fought beautifully with
car-warriors in that battle, and foot-soldiers with foot-soldiers, and
elephants with elephants, and steeds with steeds. Indeed, when that
battle, destructive of elephants and steeds and men, raged in this way,
the field became covered with the dust raised by the troops. Then enemies
slew enemies and friends slew friends. The combatants dragged one another
by their locks, bit one another with their teeth, tore one another with
their nails, and struck one another with clenched fists, and fought one
another with bare arms in that fierce battle destructive of both life and
sins. Indeed, as that battle, fraught with carnage of elephants and
steeds and men, raged on so fiercely, a river of blood ran from the
bodies of (slain) human beings and steeds and elephants. And that current
carried away a large number of dead bodies of elephants and steeds and
men. Indeed, in that vast host teeming with men, steeds, and elephants,
that river formed by the blood of men and steeds and elephants and
horsemen and elephant-men, became miry with flesh and exceedingly
terrible. And on that current, inspiring the timid with terror, floated
the bodies of men and steeds and elephants. Impelled by the desire of
victory, some combatants forded it and some remained on the other side.
And some plunged into its depths, and some sank in it and some rose above
its surface as they swam through it. Smeared all over with blood, their
armour and weapons and robes - all became bloody. Some bathed in it and
some drank the liquid and some became strengthless, O bull of Bharata's
race. Cars and steeds, and men and elephants and weapons and ornaments,
and robes and armour, and combatants that were slain or about to be
slain, and the Earth, the welkin, the firmament, and all the points of
the compass, became red. With the odour, the touch, the taste, and the
exceedingly red sight of that blood and its rushing sound, almost all the
combatants, O Bharata, became very cheerless. The Pandava heroes then,
headed by Bhimasena and Satyaki, once more rushed impetuously against
that army already beaten. Beholding the impetuosity of that rush of the
Pandava heroes to be irresistible, the vast force of thy sons, O king,
turned its back on the field. Indeed, that host of thine, teeming with
cars and steeds and elephants and men no longer in compact array, with
armour and coats of mail displaced and weapons and bows loosened from
their grasp, fled away in all directions, whilst being agitated by the
enemy, even like a herd of elephants in the forest afflicted by lions.'"
50
"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding the Pandava heroes rushing impetuously towards
thy host, Duryodhana, O monarch, endeavoured to check the warriors of his
army on all sides, O bull of Bharata race. Although, however, thy son
cried at the top of his voice, his flying troops, O king, still refused
to stop. Then one of the wings of the army and its further wing, and
Shakuni, the son of Subala, and the Kauravas well-armed turned against
Bhimasena in that battle. Karna also, beholding the Dhartarashtra force
with all its kings flying away, addressed the ruler of the Madras,
saying, "Proceed towards the car of Bhima." Thus addressed by Karna, the
ruler of the Madras began to urge those foremost of steeds, of the hue of
swans, towards the spot where Vrikodara was. Thus urged by Shalya, that
ornament of battle, those steeds approaching the car of Bhimasena,
mingled in battle. Meanwhile, Bhima, beholding Karna approach, became
filled with rage, and set his heart on the destruction of Karna, O bull
of Bharata's race. Addressing the heroic Satyaki and Dhrishtadyumna, the
son of Prishata, he said, "Go you to protect king Yudhishthira of
virtuous soul. With difficulty he escaped from a situation of great peril
before my very eyes. In my sight have the armour and robes of the king
been cut off and torn, for Duryodhana's gratification, by Radha's son of
wicked soul. I shall today reach the end of that woe, O son of Prishata.
Today, either I shall slay Karna in battle, or he will slay me in
dreadful battle. I tell thee truly. Today I make over the king to you as
sacred pledge. With cheerful hearts exert ye today for protecting the
king." Having said these words, the mighty-armed Bhima proceeded towards
Adhiratha's son, making all the points of the compass resound with a loud
leonine shout. Beholding Bhima, that delighter in battle, advancing
quickly, the puissant king of the Madras addressed the Suta's son in the
following words:
"'Shalya said, "Behold, O Karna, the mighty-armed son of Pandu, who is
filled with rage. Without doubt, he is desirous of vomiting upon thee
that wrath which he has cherished for many years. Never before did I see
him assume such a form, not even when Abhimanyu was slain and the
Rakshasa Ghatotkaca. Filled with wrath, the form he hath now assumed,
endued with the splendour of the all-destroying fire at the end of the
Yuga, is such that it seems he is capable of resisting the three worlds
united together.'"
"Sanjaya continued, 'While the ruler of the Madras was saying these words
unto the son of Radha, Vrikodara, excited with rage, came upon Karna.
Beholding Bhima, that delighter in battle, approaching him in that way,
the son of Radha laughingly said unto Shalya these words, "The words that
thou, O ruler of the Madras, hast today spoken to me regarding Bhima, O
lord, are without doubt all true. This Vrikodara is brave and is a hero
full of wrath. He is reckless in protecting his body, and in strength of
limbs he is superior to all. While leading a life of concealment in the
city of Virata, relying then on the might of his bare arms, for doing
what was agreeable to Draupadi, he secretly slew Kichaka with all his
relatives. Even he stands today at the head of battle clad in mail and
insensate with wrath. He is ready to engage in battle with the Destroyer
armed with uplifted mace. This desire, however, hath been cherished
through all my days, viz., that either I shall slay Arjuna or Arjuna will
slay me. That desire of mine may be fulfilled today in consequence of my
encounter with Bhima. If I slay Bhima or make him carless, Partha may
come against me. That will be well for me. Settle that without delay
which thou thinkest to be suitable to the hour." Hearing these words of
Radha's son of immeasurable energy Shalya replied, saying, "O thou of
mighty arms, proceed against Bhimasena of great might. Having checked
Bhimasena, thou mayst then obtain Phalguna. That which is thy purpose,
that desire which for many long years thou hast cherished in thy heart,
will be accomplished, O Karna. I tell the truth." Thus addressed, Karna
once more said unto Shalya, "Either I shall slay Arjuna in battle, or he
will slay me. Setting thy heart on battle proceed to the spot where
Vrikodara is.'"
"Sanjaya continued, 'Then, O king, Shalya speedily proceeded on that car
to the spot where that great bowman, viz., Bhima, was engaged in routing
thy army. There rose then the blare of trumpets and the peal of drums, O
monarch, when Bhima and Karna met. The mighty Bhimasena, filled with
rage, began to scatter thy troops difficult of defeat, with his sharp and
polished shafts, to all sides. That collision in battle, O monarch,
between Karna and the son of Pandu became, O king, fierce and awful, and
the noise that arose was tremendous. Beholding Bhima coming towards him,
Karna, otherwise called Vaikartana or Vrisha, filled with rage, struck
him with shafts in the centre of the chest. And once more, Karna of
immeasurable soul, covered him with a shower of arrows. Thus pierced by
the Suta's son, Bhima covered the former with winged arrows. And he once
more pierced Karna with nine straight and keen shafts. Then Karna, with a
number of arrows, cut in twain Bhima's bow at the handle. And after
cutting off his bow, he pierced him once again in the centre of the chest
with a shaft of great keenness and capable of penetrating every kind of
armour. Then Vrikodara, taking up another bow, O king, and knowing full
well what the vital parts of the body are, pierced the Suta's son with
many keen arrows. Then Karna pierced him with five and twenty arrows,
like a hunter striking a proud and infuriate elephant in the forest with
a number of blazing brands. His limbs mangled with those shafts, his eyes
red with rage and the desire of revenge, the son of Pandu, insensate with
wrath, and impelled by the desire of slaying the Suta's son, fixed on his
bow an excellent shaft of great impetuosity, capable of bearing a great
strain, and competent to pierce the very mountains. Forcibly drawing the
bow-string to his very ear, the son of the Wind-god, that great bowman,
filled with wrath and desirous of making an end of Karna, sped that
shaft. Thus sped by the mighty Bhima, that shaft, making a noise loud as
that of the thunder, pierced through thunderbolt Karna in that battle,
like the thunderbolt itself piercing through a mountain. Struck by
Bhimasena, O perpetuator of Kuru's race, the Suta's son, that commander
(of thy forces), sat down senseless on the terrace of his car. The ruler
of the Madras then, beholding the Suta's son deprived of his senses, bore
that ornament of battle away on his car, from that fight. Then after
Karna's defeat, Bhimasena began to rout the vast Dhartarashtra host like
Indra routing the danavas.'"
51
"Dhritarashtra said, 'Exceedingly difficult of accomplishment was that
feat, O Sanjaya, which was achieved by Bhima who caused the mighty-armed
Karna himself to measure his length on the terrace of his car. There is
only one person, Karna, who will slay the Pandavas along with the
Srinjayas - even this is what Duryodhana, O Suta, used very often to say
unto me. Beholding, however, that son of Radha now defeated by Bhima in
battle, what did my son Duryodhana next do?'
"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding Radha's son of the Suta caste turned back from
the fight in that great battle, thy son, O monarch, addressed his uterine
brothers, saying, "Go ye quickly, blessed be ye, and protect the son of
Radha who is plunged into that fathomless ocean of calamity represented
by the fear of Bhimasena." Thus commanded by the king, those princes,
excited with wrath and desirous of slaying Bhimasena, rushed towards him
like insects towards a blazing fire. They were Srutarvan and Durddhara
and Kratha and Vivitsu and Vikata and Soma, and Nishangin and Kavashin
and Pasin and Nanda and Upanandaka, and Duspradharsha and Suvahu and
Vatavega and Suvarchasas, and Dhanurgraha and Durmada and Jalasandha and
Sala and Saha. Surrounded by a large car-force, those princes, endued
with great energy and might, approached Bhimasena and encompassed him on
all sides. They sped at him from every side showers of arrows of diverse
kinds. Thus afflicted by them, Bhima of great strength, O king, quickly
slew fifty foremost car-warriors with five hundred others, amongst those
sons of thine that advanced against him. Filled with rage, Bhimasena
then, O king, with a broad-headed arrow, struck off the head of Vivitsu
adorned with earrings and head-gear, and graced with a face resembling
the full moon. Thus cut off, that prince fell down on the Earth.
Beholding that heroic brother of theirs slain, the (other) brothers
there, O lord, rushed in that battle, from every side, upon Bhima of
terrible prowess. With two other broad-headed arrows then, Bhima of
terrible prowess took the lives of two other sons of thine in that
dreadful battle. Those two, Vikata and Saha, looking like a couple of
celestial youths, O king, thereupon fell down on the Earth like a couple
of trees uprooted by the tempest. Then Bhima, without losing a moment,
despatched Kratha to the abode of Yama, with a long arrow of keen point.
Deprived of life, that prince fell down on the Earth. Loud cries of woe
then, O ruler of men, arose there when those heroic sons of thine, all
great bowmen, were being thus slaughtered. When those troops were once
more agitated, the mighty Bhima, O monarch, then despatched Nanda and
Upananda in that battle to Yama's abode. Thereupon thy sons, exceedingly
agitated and inspired with fear, fled away, seeing that Bhimasena in that
battle behaved like the Destroyer himself at the end of the Yuga.
Beholding those sons of thine slain, the Suta's son with a cheerless
heart once more urged his steeds of the hue of swans to that place where
the son of Pandu was. Those steeds, O king, urged on by the ruler of
Madras, approached with great speed the car of Bhimasena and mingled in
battle. The collision, O monarch, that once more took place between Karna
and the son of Pandu in battle, became, O king, exceedingly fierce and
awful and fraught with a loud din. Beholding, O king, those two mighty
car-warriors close with each other, I became very curious to observe the
course of the battle. Then Bhima, boasting of his prowess in battle,
covered Karna in that encounter, O king, with showers of winged shafts in
the very sight of thy sons. Then Karna, that warrior acquainted with the
highest of weapons, filled with wrath, pierced Bhima with nine
broad-headed and straight arrows made entirely of iron. Thereupon the
mighty-armed Bhima of terrible prowess, thus struck by Karna, pierced his
assailant in return with seven shafts sped from his bow-string drawn to
his ear. Then Karna, O monarch, sighing like a snake of virulent poison,
shrouded the son of Pandu with a thick shower of arrows. The mighty Bhima
also, shrouding that mighty car-warrior with dense arrowy downpours in
the very sight of the Kauravas, uttered a loud shout. Then Karna, filled
with rage, grasped his strong bow and pierced Bhima with ten arrows
whetted on stone and equipped with kanka feathers. With another
broad-headed arrow of great sharpness, he also cut off Bhima's bow. Then
the mighty-armed Bhima of great strength, taking up a terrible parigha,
twined round with hempen cords and decked with gold and resembling a
second bludgeon of Death himself, and desiring to slay Karna outright,
hurled it at him with a loud roar. Karna, however, with a number of
arrows resembling snakes of virulent poison, cut off into many fragments
that spiked mace as it coursed towards him with the tremendous peal of
thunder. Then Bhima, that grinder of hostile troops, grasping his bow
with greater strength, covered Karna with keen shafts. The battle that
took place between Karna and the son of Pandu in that meeting became
awful for a moment, like that of a couple of huge lions desirous of
slaying each other. Then Karna, O king, drawing the bow with great force
and stretching the string to his very ear, pierced Bhimasena with three
arrows. Deeply pierced by Karna, that great bowman and foremost of all
persons endued with might then took up a terrible shaft capable of
piercing through the body of his antagonist. That shaft, cutting through
Karna's armour and piercing through his body, passed out and entered the
Earth like a snake into ant-hill. In consequence of the violence of that
stroke, Karna felt great pain and became exceedingly agitated. Indeed, he
trembled on his car like a mountain during an earthquake. Then Karna, O
king, filled with rage and the desire to retaliate, struck Bhima with
five and twenty shafts, and then with many more. With one arrow he then
cut off Bhimasena's standard, and with another broad-headed arrow he
despatched Bhima's driver to the presence of Yama. Next quickly cutting
off the bow of Pandu's son with another winged arrow, Karna deprived
Bhima of terrible feats of his car. Deprived of his car, O chief of
Bharata's race, the mighty-armed Bhima, who resembled the Wind-god (in
prowess) took up a mace and jumped down from his excellent vehicle.
Indeed, jumping down from his car with great fury, Bhima began to slay
thy troops, O king, like the wind destroying the clouds of autumn.
Suddenly the son of Pandu, that scorcher of foes, filled with wrath,
routed seven hundred elephants, O king, endued with tusks as large as
plough-shafts, and all skilled in smiting hostile troops. Possessed of
great strength and a knowledge of what the vital parts of an elephant
are, he struck them on their temples and frontal globes and eyes and the
parts above their gums. Thereupon those animals, inspired with fear, ran
away. But urged again by their drivers they surrounded Bhimasena once
more, like the clouds covering the Sun. Like Indra felling mountains with
thunder, Bhima with his mace prostrated those seven hundred elephants
with their riders and weapons and standards. That chastiser of foes, the
son of Kunti, next pressed down two and fifty elephants of great strength
belonging to the son of Subala. Scorching thy army, the son of Pandu then
destroyed a century of foremost cars and several hundreds of
foot-soldiers in that battle. Scorched by the Sun as also by the
high-souled Bhima, thy army began to shrink like a piece of leather
spread over a fire. Those troops of thine, O bull of Bharata's race,
filled with anxiety through fear of Bhimasena, avoided Bhima in that
battle and fled away in all directions. Then five hundred car-warriors,
cased in excellent mail, rushed towards Bhima with loud shouts, shooting
thick showers of arrows on all sides. Like Vishnu destroying the Asuras,
Bhima destroyed with his mace all those brave warriors with their drivers
and cars and banners and standards and weapons. Then 3,000 horsemen,
despatched by Shakuni, respected by all brave men and armed with darts
and swords and lances, rushed towards Bhima. That slayer of foes,
advancing impetuously towards them, and coursing in diverse tracks, slew
them with his mace. Loud sounds arose from among them while they were
being assailed by Bhima, like those that arise from among herd of
elephants struck with large pieces of rocks. Having slain those 3,000
excellent horses of Subala's son in that way, he rode upon another car,
and filled with rage proceeded against the son of Radha. Meanwhile, Karna
also, O king, covered Dharma's son (Yudhishthira) that chastiser of foes,
with thick showers of arrows, and felled his driver. Then that mighty
car-warrior beholding Yudhishthira fly away in that battle, pursued him,
shooting many straight-coursing shafts equipped with Kanka feathers. The
son of the Wind-god, filled with wrath, and covering the entire welkin
with his shafts, shrouded Karna with thick showers of arrows as the
latter pursued the king from behind. The son of Radha then, that crusher
of foes, turning back from the pursuit, quickly covered Bhima himself
with sharp arrows from every side. Then Satyaki, of immeasurable soul, O
Bharata, placing himself on the side of Bhima's car, began to afflict
Karna who was in front of Bhima. Though exceedingly afflicted by Satyaki,
Karna still approached Bhima. Approaching each other those two bulls
among all wielders of bows, those two heroes endued with great energy,
looked exceedingly resplendent as they sped their beautiful arrows at
each other. Spread by them, O monarch, in the welkin, those flights of