The slaughter of Ghatotkacha

Sanjaya said Having slain the Rakshasa Alayudha Ghatotkacha was greatly delighted; and then standing at the very van of the troops he began to utter diverse kinds of roars.

Those loud roars of his, capable of his making an elephant tremble, entering into the car of troops, struck a great panic to their hearts, O mighty monarch.

Meanwhile the mighty-armed Karna, beholding the highly puissant son of Bhima engaged with Alayudha, rushed against the Panchalas.

He proceeded against Dhristadyumna and Sikhandin, each with ten strong and straight shafts, shot from his bow drawn to its fullest stretch.

Thereafter with a group of other arrows, consisting of Narachas, & c., the son of Suta caused Yudhamanyu, Uttamanjas and the mighty car-warrior Satyaki to tremble.

The bows of all those warriors also, O king, engaged in shooting shafts right and left, were also seen incessantly to be deawn in a circle.

In that night the sound of their palms and the twang of their bow-strings and the clatter of their car-wheels were so loud as to resemble and rumble of cloud at the end of summer.

Then, O monarch, that battle appeared to be a cloud of which the sound of car-clatter and bow-twang consisted the roar of thunder; the bows of warriors its flashes and showers of arrows it torrents of rain.

O foremost of kings, then Vikartana's son Karna, that crusher of his foes, immovable like a hill and equal to a hill in personal proportions, destroyed that wonderful shower of arrows.

Then Vikartana's son, high-souled, ever devoted to the interests of your sons, began to slay his adversaries in that battle, with Tomaras, which, in their fall, resembled the thunder-bolt and also with sharp arrows furnished with variegated wings of gold.

Some (of the enemy's host) then had their standards broken and torn; some had their bodies torn and mangled with sharp arrows. Some were deprived of their charioteers, some of their horses and some were soon maimed by Vikartana's son.

Getting no refuge, the Panchala host then fell back upon the division of Yudhishthira. Beholding these troops broken and compelled to turn away, Ghatotkacha then became excited to the highest pitch of fury.

Then mounting on his excellent car adorned with gold and gems, he began to roar like a lion. Thereafter approaching Vikartana's son Karna he pierced him with arrows resembling the bolt of Heaven itself,

They both then covered the welkin with showers of barbed arrows, Narachas, Silimukhas, Nalikas, Dandas, Asanis. Vatsyadantas, Varahakarnas and broad-headed and razor-faced arrows and shafts pointed like horns.

The welkin then, shrouded with that arrowy shower, appeared in consequence of these gold-winged shafts of burning effulgence flying straight through it, as if hung with festoons of beautiful flowers.

Of unequaled splendour, they both were each other's match and they then wounded each other with excellent weapons. None could then find any superiority of either of those two excellent heroes.

The battle, that was thus fought between the sons of Surya and Bhima and in which showers of arrows were discharged, looked highly charming and presented almost of unequaled aspect like what is seen in the fierce encounter between Rahu and the sun in the heavens.

Sanjaya said When, o king, Ghatotkacha, that foremost of all wielders of weapons, found that could get no advantage over Karna he invoked into existence an exceedingly fierce weapon.

Then with that weapon having at first slain Karna's steed, the Rakshasa next destroyed his driver. And then the son of Hidimba quickly rendered himself invisible even then and there,

Dhritarashtra said When that Rakshasa, after fighting by underhand measures, had thus disappeared, O Sanjaya, describe to me what befell my troops then.

Sanjaya said Then beholding the Rakshasa disappear, all the Kurus then exclaimed aloud Saying-"Appearing next to view, the Rakshasa, fighting by underhand means, will certainly slay Karna.”

Thereupon Karna, who was endued with extreme lightness in the use of diverse weapons, covered all the points of the compass with bis arrowy net-work. Then in consequence of the welkin being darkened by those showers of arrows, no creature could be seen distinguished.

So great was the lightness of hand displayed by the son of Suta that nobody could then mark when the touched his quiver with his fingers, when he placed his arrows on the bowstring and when he aimed and let them off. The whole welkin was then darkened with his shafts.

Then a fierce and dreadful illusion was invoked into existence in the welkin by the Rakshasa. We then beheld in the sky what appeared to be amass of red cloud resembling the terrible flames of a raging fire.

O ruler of the Kurus, then from that cloud were seen to issue out flashes of lightning and burning flame-beams. Tremendous roars also issued therefrom, resembling the din of thousands of drums beaten simultaneously.

From it also fell many gold-winged shafts, spears, javelins, heavy clubs and such other weapons, as also battle-axes, swords cleansed with oil and axes of blazing edges and darts.

And spiked bludgeons pouring shinning rays, charming maces made of iron, long lances of keen points, heavy maces adorned with gold and entwined with strings and Shataghnis all around.

Large stones drooped from it and thousands of thunderbolts with loud clap and hundreds of wheels and razors of the effulgence of fire.

Shooting countless arrows Karna then failed to destroy that thick and blazing shower of lances, swords, clubs, mallets, thunderbolts Asains and axes.

Then a tremendous uproar was caused there as horse fell struck with arrows, elephants came down being crushed with thunderbolts and car-warriors fell deprived of life by other weapons.

Afflicted all around with the fall of dreadful weapons of various kinds discharged by Ghatotkacha and army of Duryodhana, in great distress, were seen to move helplessly on the field of battle.

Cries of Alas and Oh then arose there; and the warriors with their cheerless expression indicted as if they were on the verge of ruin. But those foremost of men, inspired as they were with honorable sentiments, did not then leave the field with faces turned round.

Then beholding that immensely terrible and awful shower of weapons invoked into existence by the illusive energy of the Rakshasa and seeing their own troops felled incessantly by it, your sons were seized with a great panic.

Jackals having tongues like the leaping flames of fire began to utter fierce howls by hundreds; the Rakshasa also uttered fierce yells. Hearing these disagreeable sounds, O king, your troops were greatly afflicted.

Those fierce Rakshasas having fiery tongues, blazing countenances and sharp teeth and forms huge as mountains, car-reering through the sky with lances in grasp, appeared like clouds pouring torrents of rain.

Wounded and crushed with those dreadful arrows, spears, darts, maces, spiked bludgeons of great lustre, thunder-bolts, trident, Asanis, wheels and Shataghnis, the Kaurava troops began to fall down.

The Rakshasas then went on pouring upon the warriors of your sons long spears and treacle and Shataghnis and Sthunas made of steel and covered with strings of jute and all the combatants became confounded.

heroic warriors with weapons broken or falling off from their gasp or deprived of heads or with maimed limbs, began to fall down on the field. Then steeds and elephants and chariots were also crushed to pieces by the shower of stones.

Those Yatudhanas of terrible forms created by Ghatotkacha by the help of his illusive powers, pouring that thick shower of mighty weapons, spread neither those that were frightened nor those that begged for mercy.

In the ruthless slaughter of Kuru heroes, brought on by Death himself, in that extermination ou Kshatriyas the Kaurava warriors suddenly broke and fled with speed,

"Fly, O Kouravas, all is lost. The gods with Indra at their head are slaying us for the sake of the Pandavas.” At that time there was nobody that could save the sinking Bharata troops."

During that terrible uproar and shout and carnage of the Kurus, the divisions loosing their distinguishing marks the parties could not be differentiated from one another.

In that dreadful fight in which nobody paid any regard for any one else, every side of the field, when looked at, appeared to be said, O monarch. Karna alone was then to be seen drowned in that downpour of arrows.

Then Karna covered the welkin with his shafts, striking agair..t that celestial illusion of the Rakshasas. The son of Suta, endowed with modesty and achieving the most difficult and praiseworthy feats, was not at all confounded in that battle.

was O king, then all the Saindhavas and Valhikas looked in fear at Karna whose senses were not confounded in that fight. And they all applauded him whether they looked at the triumphs of the Rakshasa.

Thereafter a Sataghni, furnished with wheels, discharged at Karna by Ghatotkacha and it detached at once the four steeds of Karna. These horses then fell down on their knees, deprived of life, teeth, eyes and tongues.

Then descending from his horseless chariot and seeing the Kouravas fly away and beholding his own celestial weapons repulsed by the illusion of the Rakshasa, Karna, not at all confounded, turned his mind inwards and then began to reflect as to what he should do next.

At that time all the Kouravas, beholding Karna and the terrible the terrible illusion of the Rakshasas, cried out saying-O Karna, slay the Rakshasa with your dart. The Kouravas and the Dhritarashtras are on the point of being exterminated.

What can Bhima or Arjuna do to us? Slay this wicked Rakshasa, who is consuming us all, at this dead of night. They, that will escape alive form this encounter, will fight with the Parthas tomorrow.

Therefore slay this dreadful Rakshasa now with that dart given to you by Vasava. O Karna, let not these great warriors, the Kouravas these royal combatants that resemble Indra himself be all exterminated in this nightfight.

Then Karna, seeing the Rakshasa alive at the middle of night and the Kuru army filled with fear and hearing also the loud wails of the latter, set his heart upon hurling his dart.

Burning with wrath like an infuriate lion and unable to brook the assaults of the Rakshasa Karna took up that foremost of victory-giving and indomitable darts, desirous of achieving the destruction of Ghatotkacha.

That dart. O monarch, which he had kent and worshipped through years for encompassing the slaughter of Pandu's son in battle, that excellent dart that Indra himself had given to Suta's son in exchange for the latter's ear-rings.

That burning and dreadful dart entwined with strings and which seemed to long for blood, that terrible missile that looked like very tongue of death or his sister, that resplendent and fearful dart Vikartana's son now hurled at the Rakshasa.

Thereupon seeing that excellent and glittering weapon, capable of penetrating of Suta's son, the Rakshasa fled away in fear making his body prodigious like the foot of the Vindhya hills.

Then seeing that dart in the grasp of Karna all creatures, in the heavens, began to utter loud wails. Fearful winds began to blow and thunder with tremendous clap began to fall on the earth.

Then that dart, destroying the blazing illusion and going through the breast of the Rakshasa, soared aloft and penetrated in the night into a stony constellation in the heavens.

Thus having fought with various kinds of weapons with numerous heroic warriors and Rakshasa, Ghatotkacha, then uttering various dreadful roars, fell deprived of life with that dart of Indra.

This is the most exceedingly wonderful feat that the Rakshasa achieved for the destruction of his foes viz., that at the time when his heart was penetrated by that dart he shone resplendent, O monarch, like a mightymountain or a mass of clouds.

Deprived of life, that foremost of the Rakshasas, fell down on the ground from welkin. His body was torn, deprived of speech, head and tongue Gatotkacha extended his body in a very large form.

Having assumed that terrible and dreadful figure, Bhimasena's son of frightful deeds fell down. When dying, O monarch, he fell upon a portion of your army and pressed those troops down by the weight of his own body.

Then falling down with force, the Rakshasa, with his huge and still increasing body, desirous of benefiting the Pandavas, slew a full Akshauhini of your troops, while he himself gave up his life.

Then a tremendous uproar composed of the war-cries of combatants, beasts, of conchs and sound of drums and cymbals arose there. The Kouravas, then beholding the Rakshasa slain and his illusion destroyed, uttered loud shouts of joy.

Then Karna, applauded by the Kurus, as Shakra had been by the Marutas upon the death of Vritra, ascended behind the car of your son and becoming, the object of every body's sight entered the Kuru host.