Chapter 78

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘When our troops were broken in battle by Bhimasena,what, O Sanjaya, did Duryodhana and Subala’s son say? Or, what did Karna,that foremost of victors, or the warriors of my army in that battle, orKripa, or Kritavarma, or Drona’s son Duhshasana, say? Exceedinglywonderful, I think, is the prowess of Pandu’s son, since, single-handed,he fought in battle with all the warriors of my army. Did the son ofRadha act towards the (hostile) troops according to his vow? That slayerof foes, Karna, O Sanjaya, is the prosperity, the armour, the fame, andthe very hope of life, of the Kurus. Beholding the army broken by Kunti’sson of immeasurable energy, what did Karna, the son of Adhiratha andRadha, do in that battle? What also did my sons, difficult of defeat inbattle, do, or the other kings and mighty car-warriors of our army? Tellme all this, O Sanjaya, for thou art skilled in narration!’

“Sanjaya said, ‘In that afternoon, O monarch, the Suta’s son of greatvalour began to smite all the Somakas in the very sight of Bhimasena.Bhima also of great strength began to destroy the Dhartarashtra troops.Then Karna, addressing (his driver) Shalya, said unto him, “Bear me tothe Pancalas.” Indeed, beholding his army in course of being routed byBhimasena of great intelligence, Karna once more addressed his driver,saying, ‘Bear me to the Pancalas only.’ Thus urged, Shalya, the ruler ofthe Madras, endued with great might, urged those white steeds that werefleet as thought, towards the Cedis, the Pancalas and the Karushas.Penetrating then into that mighty host, Shalya, that grinder of hostiletroops, cheerfully conducted those steeds into every spot that Karna,that foremost of warriors, desired to go to. Beholding that car cased intiger skins and looking like a cloud, the Pandus and the Pancalas, Omonarch, became terrified. The rattle then of that car, like unto thepeal of thunder or the sound of a mountain splitting into fragments,became audible in that dreadful battle. With hundreds upon hundreds ofkeen arrows sped from the bow-string drawn to his ear, Karna then smotehundreds and thousands of warriors belonging to the Pandava army. Whilethe unvanquished Karna was employed in achieving those feats, many mightybowmen and great car-warriors among the Pandavas encompassed him on allsides. Indeed, Shikhandi, and Bhima, and Dhrishtadyumna, the son ofPrishata, and Nakula, and Sahadeva, and the (five) sons of Draupadi, andSatyaki, surrounded the son of Radha, pouring showers of arrows upon him,from desire of despatching him to the other world. The heroic Satyaki,that best of men, struck Karna in that engagement with twenty keen shaftsin the shoulder-joint. Shikhandi struck him with five and twenty shafts,and Dhrishtadyumna struck him with seven, and the sons of Draupadi withfour and sixty, and Sahadeva with seven, and Nakula with a hundred, inthat battle. The mighty Bhimasena, in that encounter, filled with rage,struck the son of Radha in the shoulder-joint with ninety straightshafts. The son of Adhiratha, then, of great might laughing in scorn, anddrawing his excellent bow let off many keen shafts, afflicting his foes.The son of Radha pierced each of them in return with five arrows. Cuttingoff the bow of Satyaki, as also his standard, O bull of Bharata’s race,Karna pierced Satyaki himself with nine shafts in the centre of thechest. Filled with wrath, he then pierced Bhimasena with thirty shafts.With a broad-headed arrow, O sire, he next cut off the standard ofSahadeva, and with three other arrows, that chastiser of foes afflictedSahadeva’s driver. Within the twinkling of an eye he then deprived the(five) sons of Draupadi of their cars, O bull of Bharata’s race, whichseemed exceedingly wonderful. Indeed, with his straight shafts castingthose heroes to turn back from the fight, the heroic Karna began to slaythe Pancalas and many mighty car-warriors among the Cedis. Thus struck inthat battle. O monarch, the Cedis and the Matsyas, rushing against Karnaalone, poured upon him showers of shafts. The Suta’s son, however, thatmighty car-warrior, began to smite them with his keen shafts. I beheldthis exceedingly wonderful feat. O Bharata, viz., that the Suta’s son ofgreat prowess, alone and unsupported in that battle, fought with allthose bowmen who contended with him to the utmost of their prowess, andchecked all those Pandava warriors, O monarch, with his shafts. With thelightness of hand, O Bharata, of the high-souled Karna on that occasion,all the gods as also the Siddhas and the Charanas were gratified. All thegreat bowmen among the Dhartarashtras also, O best of men, applaudedKarna, that foremost of great car-warriors, that first of all bowmen.Then Karna, O monarch, burnt the hostile army like a mighty and blazingconflagration consuming a heap of dry grass in the summer season. Thusslaughtered by Karna, the Pandava troops, struck with fear, fled in alldirections, at the very sight of Karna. Loud wails arose there among thePancalas in that great battle, while they were thus struck with the keenshafts sped from Karna’s bow. Struck with fear at the noise, the vasthost of the Pandavas, those enemies of Karna, regarded him as the onewarrior in that battle. Then that crusher of foes, viz., the son ofRadha, once more achieved an exceedingly wonderful feat, inasmuch as allthe Pandavas, united together, were unable to even gaze at him. Like aswelling mass of water breaking when it comes in contact with a mountain,the Pandava army broke when it came in contact with Karna. Indeed, Oking, the mighty-armed Karna in that battle, burning the vast host of thePandavas, stood there like a blazing fire without smoke. With greatactivity that hero, with his shafts, cut off the arms and the heads ofhis brave foes, O king, and their ears decked with earrings. Swords withhilts of ivory, and standards, and darts, and steeds, and elephants, andcars of diverse kind, O king, and banners, and axles, and yokes, andwheels of many kinds, were cut off in various ways by Karna, observant ofa warrior’s vow. There, O Bharata, with elephants and steeds slain byKarna, the earth became impassable and miry with flesh and blood. Theuneven and even spots also of the field, in consequence of slain horseand foot and broken cars and dead elephants, could no longer bedistinguished. The combatants could not distinguish friends from foes inthat thick darkness caused by shafts when Karna’s (celestial) weapon wasdisplayed. The mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas, O monarch, werecompletely shrouded with shafts, decked with gold, that were sped fromKarna’s bow. Those mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas, O king, in thatbattle, though struggling vigorously, were repeatedly broken by the sonof Radha, even as a herd of deer in the forest is routed by an angrylion. Routing the foremost of Pancala car-warriors and (other) foes,Karna of great fame, in that battle, slew the Pandava warriors like awolf slaying smaller animals. Beholding the Pandava army turn away frombattle, the Dhartarashtra bowmen of great might rushed against theretreating host uttering terrible shouts. Then Duryodhana, O monarch,filled with great delight, caused diverse musical instruments to bebeaten and blown in all parts of the army. The great bowmen amongst thePancalas, those foremost of men, though broken, returned heroically tothe fight, making death their goal. The son of Radha, however, that bullamong men and scorcher of foes, O monarch, in that battle, broke thosereturned heroes in diverse ways. There, O Bharata twenty car-warriorsamong the Pancalas and more than a hundred Cedi warriors were slain byKarna with his shafts. Making the terraces of cars and the backs ofsteeds empty, O Bharata, and slaying the combatants that fought from thenecks of elephants, and routing the foot-soldiers, that scorcher of foes,the Suta’s son of great bravery, became incapable of being gazed at likethe mid-day sun and looked resplendent like the Destroyer himself at theend of the Yuga. Thus, O monarch, that slayer of foes, that mightybowmen, Karna, having slain foot, horse, car-warriors, and elephants,stood there on his car. Indeed, like the Destroyer himself of great mightstanding after slaying all creatures, the mighty car-warrior Karna stoodalone, having slain the Somakas. The prowess that we then beheld of thePancalas seemed to be exceedingly wonderful, for, though thus struck byKarna, they refused to fly away from that hero at the head of battle. Atthat time, the king (Duryodhana), and Duhshasana, and Kripa, the son ofSharadvata, and Ashvatthama, and Kritavarma, and Shakuni also of greatmight, slaughtered the Pandava warriors in hundreds and thousands. Thetwo sons also of Karna, O monarch, those two brothers of prowessincapable of being baffled, filled with rage, slaughtered the Pandavaarmy in several parts of the field. The battle at that place was dreadfuland cruel and the carnage that occurred was very great. Similarly thePandava heroes, Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandi and the (five) sons ofDraupadi, filled with rage, slaughtered thy host. Even thus a greatdestruction took place among the Pandavas everywhere on the field, andeven thus thy army also suffered great loss at the hands of the mightyBhima.'”