Jayadratha-Vadha Parva — The battle between Bhima and Karna

Dhritarashtra said Beholding, O Sanjaya, him on whom the hope of victory of my sons rested, compelled to turn his face away from the field of battle, what did king Duryodhana say?

Or that disciple of Parasurama is equipped with the merits as expected in disciple. He is even more valorous than his preceptor yet defeated by the son of Kunti, Bhimasena in play way. O Sanjaya! What did Duryodhana express on seeing the one expected to reap victory, so departing as a result of defeated body by Bhimasena?

How did the puissant Bhima ever proud of prowess, fight then? What did then Karna do, Beholding Bhima blaze forth like a mighty fire in battle?

Sanjaya said Riding on another duly furnished car, Karna then rushed at Pandu's son, like the ocean lashed into fury by the tempest.

Then, 0 ruler of men, beholding Adhiratha's son excited with rage, your sons considered Bhimasena to be a libation poured on fire.

Then dreadfully slapping his palms and producing whizzes with his arrows, the sons of Radha began to shower arrows on the car of Bhimasena.

Once more, O king, the encounter between the heroic son of Vikartana and the high-souled Bhima, raged furiously.

Filled with wrath and desirous of slaying one another, O mighty-armed one, they began to look at each other as if to burn each other down with their giances.

Their eyes became fierce and red in rage and the breathed like two snakes. Those two slayers of enemies, those two heroes, then began to mangle each other with their arrows.

They fought on with one another like two furious tigers or two swift-flying hawks or two enraged Sarabhas,

Then that subduer of foes, viz., Bhima remembering the hardships undergone by him at the game of dice, during his exile in the woods and residence in the city of Virata;

And recollecting the despoliation of the kingdom swelling with prosperity and gems by your sons and various other injuries inflicted upon the Pandavas, by yourself and the son of Suta;

And bearing in mind the fact that you had conspired to burn the innocent Kunti with her sons and remembering the woes of Krishna in the midst of the assembly at the hands of those wretches;

As also the holding of her locks by Dushasana and the abusive speech uttered by Karna, O Bharata.

To this effect="Take you another husband, for, all your husbands are dead; the sons of Pritha have merged into hell and are like sesamum seed without kernel."

Remembering also those words, O descendant of the Kuru race, that were uttered by the Kauravas in your presence and the fact that your son had been desirous of enjoying Krishna as a slave.

Recollecting also those words, harsh and cruel, uttered by Karna, when the sons of Pandu were about to go to the forest, clad in deerskins;

And keeping alive in his remmory the brag your vindictive and foolish son, then in prosperity, indulged in holding the woe stricken sons of Pritha in the light of mere

Indeed the virtuous-souled Bhima that slayer of opponents recollecting all these hardships and those he had undergone since his childhood, became disregardful of his very life.

Them, o foremost of the Bharatas, stretching his invincible and gold-decked bow, Bhima rushed at Krishna, reckless of his very life.

Then with a net-work woven with arrows whetted on stone, lustrous like the rays of the sun spread around the car of Karna, Bhima intercepted the rays of the sun.

Thereupon Adhiratha's son, smiling (in contempt) tore away Bhima's net-work of arrows, by means of his own winged shafts whetted on stone.

Then the mighty car-warrior of mighty arms and great strength, viz., that son of Adhiratha, pierced with nine whetted and mighty shafts that mighty warrior Bhima.

Assailed with those winged shaft, like an elephant assailed with the hook, Vrikodara then dauntlessly rushed against Suta's son.

Then as that foremost of the Pandavas was rushing with fury at him, Karna, excited with wrath, rushed at him like an infuriate elephant rushing at another.

Then blowing his conch whose blast resembled the sound of a hundred Bheris, he agitated the hostile array that resembled the surging sea.

Beholding his army teeming with elephants, horses, cars and infantry then agitated, Bhima approaching Karna began to cover him with arrows.

Karna thereupon caused his own horses of the hue of swans to the mingled with those of Bhimasena of the hue of bears and covered in his turn the son of Pandu, with his shafts.

Beholding those steeds of the hue of bears and fleet as the wind, mingled with those of Karna of the hue of swans, cries Oh and Alas, rose among the army of your son.

Those horses, fleet as the winds, thus mingled together looked exceedingly beautiful like white and black clouds, O king, mingled together in the firmament.

Beholding Karna and Vrikodara burning with rage with, their eyes coppery therewith, your mighty car-warriors began tremble with fear.

The field of battle where they fought, soon became dreadful like the abode of Yama; and O foremost of the Bharatas, it became as repulsive to the sight as the domain of the king of departed spirits.

Your warriors, who were then looking upon that battle as upon a sport in an arena could not find any of them get any advantage over other.

They only then saw the clash and the mingling of the mighty weapons shot by those warriors, as the consequence brought about by the wicked policy of you and your sons, O ruler of men.

Those two heroes of wonderful prowess, those two slayers of their foes, then-covering each other with their arrows covered next the welkin with the net-work of their arrows.

Desirous of slaying each other, those two mighty car-warriors shooting sharp arrows at each other became worthy of being looked at like two clouds surcharged with rain.

O Lord, those two subduers of foes shooting arrows decked with gold, 'illumined the welkin like meteors illumining the skies.

O king, the arrows, furnished with vulterince wings and discharged by Bhima, appeared beautiful like rows of maddened swans ranging through the welkin.

Then beholding Bhima that subduer of foes engaged with the son of Suta, Krishna and Dhananjaya considered a heavy burden to be placed on the former.

As Karna and Bhima, desirous of baffling each other shot numerous arrows, many elephants, horses and men, wounded therewith, fell down dead;

And in consequence of those falling and fallen creatures, deprived of life and shouting by thousands, great was the damage that then spread in the ranks of your army.

O foremost of the Bharatas, the field became soon covered over with the corpses and carcarsses of slain men, horses and elephants.