Ghatotkacha-Vadha Parva — The joy of Krishna

Sanjaya said Beholding Hidimva's son slain and lying like a riven hill all the Pandavas began to shed copious tears of grief.

But the son of Vasudeva, overwhelmed with delight, began to utter there loud war-cries thereby causing pain to the Pandavas.

Indeed uttering loud shouts he then embraced the son of Pandu. Thus uttering loud roars and drawing the reins of the steeds.

He began to dance in joy, like a tree shaken by the tempest. Then embracing Partha once more and clapping his armp-its.

That undeteriorating god, endowed with great intelligence, once more uttered roud roars standing on the terrace of his car. Then beholding those sings of joy manifested by Kesava, Dhananjaya.

O monarch, with a beast overwhelmed with grief, addressed the former saying-"O slayer of Madhu, you are showing delight at a time scarcely fit for it.

Indeed on an occasion for sorrow generated by the death of Hidimva's son our troops, beholding Ghatotkacha slain, are flying away.

We also are filled with great grief, at the death of Hidimva's son, O Janardana. The cause of your delight on such occasion must indeed by very serious.

O foremost of all truth-speaking men, therefore tell me today truly the cause of your joy. O subduer of foes, if it is not a secret, it behoves you to say it to me.

O Slayer of Madhu, tell me what has disturbed your patience today? O Jannaradana, I consider this fickleness of yours to be like the drying up of the ocean or the walking of the Meru mountain.

Vasudeva's son said Overwhelming is the delight that has filled me now. Hear it, O Dhananjaya. What I shall tell you will immediately dispel your sorrow impart joy on your beast.

O you of great splendour, his sakti having been used against Ghatotkacha, regard Karna as already slain in battle.

No person could have confronted Karna, if like Kartikeya he would have stood in battle armed with that dart.

It is through good fortune that his armour had been taken away, that his ear-rings, had been taken away from him; by good luck it is that his infallible dart also had been baffled by Ghatotkacha.

Covered in his natural coat of mail and decked with his natural ear-rings, Karna, having his senses under thorough control, could, single-handed, defeat the three worlds with the gods therein.

Neither Vasava, nor Kubera, nor Varuna, the lord of the waters, nor the god of Death, could venture to confront him.

If that foremost of men had his natural coat of mail and car-rings then neither yourself, wielding the Gandiva, nor myself uplifting the discus Sudarsana could have defeated him in battle.

For your good, Karna was deprived of his ear-rings by Indra with the aid of illusion. In the same manner that subjugator of hostile troops was deprived of his armour.

As Karna had given his effulgent ear-rings and armour cutting them off from his body he is designated as Vikartana.

Karna now appears to me to be like an infuriate snake of virulent venom stupefied by the virtue of incantation or like a fire with its flames quenched.

0 mighty-armed one, since the time the illustrious Shakra gave that Sakti to Karna in exchange for the latter's earrings and armour-that Salkti, which has slain Ghatotkacha from that time, Vrisha having obtained it. had always regarded you as slain in battle.

But though deprived of that dart, I swear to you, O sinless one, that hero could not still be defeated by any one else save yourself.

Devoted to the Brahmanas, truthful, of ascetic practices and vow-observing and merciful on his foes, Karna is called Vrisha.

Delighting in battle, possessed of mighty arms, his bow ever ready for use, like a lion in the forest depriving leaders of elephantine heads of their pride.

Karna ever humiliates the pride of many mighty car-warriors and resembles the mid-day sun incapable of being looked at.

When fighting with all the high-souled and excellent warriors of your army, O foremost of men, Karna, discharging his showers of arrows, looks like the autumnal sun of myriad rays.

Just like clouds at the end of summer pouring torrents of rain, Karna, shooting incessantly showers of arrows, resembles a pouring cloud charged with celestial weapons.

He is incapable of being vanquished in battle by the very gods shooting showers of arrow in all directions and discharging flesh and blood profusely.

Deprived of his armour and his two earrings, O son of Pandu and haring given up his Sakti given to him by Shakra, Karna today is nothing more then a mortal.

There will happen only one opportunity for his slaughter. When the wheels of his chariot will be sunk in the earth, availing yourself of that opportunity and exerting vigourously you should slay him, acting up to my hint.

The conqueror of Bala that excellent hero, wielding his thunder, cannot slay the indomitable Karna when he stands armed with weapons. Indeed, O Arjuna, for your welfare, by the help of numerous machinations, I have destroyed, one after another Jarasandha, the high-souled ruler of the Chedis, the mighty armed Ekalavya of the Nishada tribe, other great Rakshasas having Hidimba, Krimira and Vaka for their leaders, as also Alayudha that crusher of hostile troops and Ghatotkacha that guider of enemies and of fearful feats.