Chapter 60

“Arjuna said, ‘The time, O Karna, hath now come for making good thyloquacious boast in the midst of the assembly, viz., that there is noneequal to thee in fight. Today, O Karna, contending with me in terribleconflict, thou shalt know thy own strength, and shalt no longer disregardothers. Abandoning good breeding, thou hadst uttered many harsh words,but this that thou endeavourest to do, is, I think, exceedinglydifficult. Do thou now, O Radha’s son, contending with me in the sight ofthe Kurus, make good what thou hadst said before in disregard of myself.Thou who hadst witnessed Panchala’s princess outraged by villains in themidst of the court, do thou now reap the fruit of that act of thine.Fettered by the bonds of morality before, I desisted from vengeance then.Behold now, O son of Radha, the fruit of that wrath in conflict at hand.O wicked wight, we have suffered much misery in that forest for fulltwelve; years. Reap thou today the fruits of our concentrated vengeance.Come, O Karna, cope with me in battle. Let these thy Kaurava warriorswitness the conflict. Hearing these words, Karna replied, ‘Do thou, OPartha, accomplish in deed what thou sayst in words. The world knows thatthy words verily exceed thy deed. That thou hadst foreborne formerly wasowing to thy inability to do anything. If we witness thy prowess evennow, we may acknowledge its truth. If thy past forbearance was due to thyhaving been bound by the bonds of morality, truly thou art equally boundnow although thou regardest thyself free. Having as thou sayst, passedthy exile in the woods in strict accordance with thy pledge and beingtherefore weakened by practising an ascetic course of life, how canstthou desire a combat with me now! O Pritha’s son, if Sakra himself fighton thy side, still I would feel no anxiety in putting forth my prowess.Thy wish, O son of Kunti, is about to be gratified. Do thou fight with menow, and behold my strength.’ Hearing this, Arjuna said, ‘Even now, ORadha’s son, thou hadst fled from battle with me, and it is for this thatthou livest although thy younger brother hath been slain. What otherperson, save thee, having beheld his younger brother slain in battlewould himself fly from the field, and boast as thou dost, amid good andtrue men?’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Having said these words unto Karna, theinvincible Vibhatsu rushed at him and charged a volley, of shafts capableof penetrating through a coat of mail. But that mighty car-warrior,Karna, received with great alacrity that discharge with an arrowy showerof his own, heavy as the downpour of the clouds. And that fierce volleyof arrows covered all sides and severally pierced the steeds and arms andleathern fences of the combatants. And incapable of putting up with thatassault, Arjuna cut off the strings of Karna’s quiver by means of astraight and sharp arrow. Thereupon, taking out from his quiver anotherarrow, Karna pierced the Pandava in the hand at which the latter’s holdof the bow was loosened. And then the mighty-armed Partha cut off Karna’sbow into fragments. And Karna replied by hurling a dart at his adversary,but Arjuna cut it off by means of his arrows. And then the warriors thatfollowed the son of Radha rushed in crowds at Arjuna, but Partha sentthem all to the abode of Yama by means of arrows shot from the Gandiva.And Vibhatsu slew the steeds of Karna by means of sharp and tough arrowsshot from the bow-string drawn to the ear, and deprived of life theydropped down on the ground. And taking another sharp and blazing arrowendued with great energy, the mighty son of Kunti pierced the breast ofKama. And that arrow, cleaving through his mail, penetrated into hisbody. And at this, Karna’s vision was obscured and his senses left him.And regaining consciousness, he felt a great pain, and leaving the combatfled in a northernly direction. And at this, the mighty car-warriorArjuna and Uttara, both began to address him contumely.'”