Chapter 164

‘Sanjaya said, ‘Karna, the son of Vikartana,[222] O king, resisted themighty car-warrior Sahadeva in that battle, who advanced from desire ofgetting at Drona. Piercing the son of Radha with nine shafts, Sahadevaonce more pierced that warrior with nine straight arrows. Karna thenpierced Sahadeva in return with a hundred straight shafts, and displayinggreat lightness in hand, cut off the latter’s stringed bow. Then thevaliant son of Madri, taking up another bow, pierced Karna with twentyarrows. This feat of his seemed exceedingly wonderful. Then Karna,slaying Sahadeva’s steeds with many straight shafts, speedily despatchedthe latter’s driver with a broad-headed shaft, to Yama’s abode. Thiscarless Sahadeva then took up a sword and a shield. Even those weaponswere cut off by Karna smiling the while. Then the mighty Sahadeva, inthat encounter, sped towards the car of Vikartana’s son, a heavy andterrible mace decked with gold. Karna, then with his shafts, quickly cutoff that mace which hurled by Sahadeva, coursed towards him impetuously,and caused it to fall down on the earth. Beholding his mace cut off,Sahadeva quickly hurled a dart at Karna. That dart also was cut off byKarna. The son of Madri, then, quickly jumping down from his excellentcar, and blazing with wrath upon beholding Karna stationed before him,took up a car-wheel and hurled it at the son of Adhiratha. The Suta’sson, however, with many thousands of arrows, cut off that wheel coursingtowards him like the uplifted wheel of Death. When that wheel had beencut off, Sahadeva, O sire, aiming at Karna, hurled at him the shafts ofhis car, the traces of his steeds, the yokes of his cars, the limbs ofelephants and steeds and dead human bodies. Karna cut off all these withhis shafts. Seeing himself deprived of all weapons, Madri’s son,Sahadeva, struck by Karna with many shafts, left the battle. Pursuing himfor a while, the son of Radha, O bull of Bharata’s race, smilinglyaddressed Sahadeva and said these cruel words, ‘Do not, O hero, fight inbattle with those that are superior to thee. Fight with thy equals, O sonof Madri! Do not mistrust my words.’ Then touching him with the horn ofhis bow, he once more said, ‘Yonder, Arjuna is fighting resolutely withthe Kurus in battle. Go there, O son of Madri, or return home if thoulikest.’ Having said those words, Karna, that foremost of car-warriors,smilingly proceeded on his car against the troops of the king of thePanchalas. The slayer of foes, that mighty car-warrior, devoted to truth,slew not the son of Madri although he had got the opportunity,recollecting the words of Kunti. Sahadeva, then, heartless and afflictedwith arrows, and pierced with the wordy darts of Karna, no longercherished any love for life. That mighty car-warrior then quicklyascended the car of Janamejaya, the illustrious prince of the Panchalas.'”