Karna Parva — The slaying of Kshemadhurti

Sanjaya said Thereupon the two vast armies, composed of horses, men and elephants, that were filled with cheer and also that had the brilliany of the celestial and Asura hosts, can. face to face and struck each other down.

Then the men, the cars, the horses, the elephants, as well as the infantry, all possessed of formidable strength, continued to strike most fiercely, thereby destroying the bodies and the sins as well.

The lion-like men, began to scatter over the earth, the heads of lion-like men, which were equal in splendour to the full-moon and the sun and also which had resembled the lotuses in fragrance.

They, again, began to sever the heads of the fighting warriors by means of the crescentshaped, broad-faced and razor-handed arrows, swords, axes, battle-axes and other weapons.

The arms of men, possessed of long and stout arms, severed by men, possessed of long and stout arms, looked resplendent upon the ground, decorated as they were 'vith both weapons and bracelets.

The earth shone most brightly with the halo of their (the warriors) red fingers and palms, even as it shines with the fierce and fiveheaded snakes upon itself slain by Garuda.

Smitten by the enemies, the heroic warriors fell down from the elephants, the cars and horses, even as the dwellers of heaven fall down from the celestial balloons, when their virtues are entirely spent.

While other heroic warriors, having been smitten by heroes of greater prowess with heavy maces, spiked clubs and maces, fell in the battle by hundreds.

In that formidable battle, the cars were smitten by cars, the infuriate elephants were crushed by infuriate elephants and the horsemen were struck down by horse-men.

The men smitten by the cars and the cars destroyed by elephants and the horsemen slain by the foot-soldiers and the infantry slain by the cavalry, are lying dead in the field.

And again, the cars, the horses and the infantry smitten by the elephants; and the cars, steeds and elephants slain by the infantry; and the cars, the infantry and the elephant-force destroyed by the horses, and also the men and elephants struck down by the cars, are lying dead in the battle.

A terrible slaughter of car-warriors, horsemen, the elephant-force and men was wrought by men steeds, elephants and cars, with the help of their hands and feet, weapons and cars.

While the army was being thus smitten and slain by the horses, the sons of Pritha with Vrikodara at their head proceeded against us.

So also Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandin, the sons of Draupadi, the Provadrakas and Shatyaki and Chekitana accompanied by the Dravida warriors (proceeded against us);

And also the Pandavas and the Cholas along with the Keralas (advanced against us), surrounded by a formidable array of soldiers, who were all possessed of strong chests, long arms, huge statures and very large eyes;

And who, again, were adorned with various ornaments and were of red teeth and were endowed with the strength of mad elephants and were clothed in dresses of various colours and also were besmeared with scented powders;

And O monarch, as they were possessed of swords and nooscs in their hands and endued with the power of with-standing the infuriate elephants and as they were equally determined to die, they (the warriors) did not forsake one another (in the field).

The infantry, belonging to the Andhara race, commanded by Satyaki, were all possessed of quivers and bows in the hand, of long hairs and were very sweet in speech and endowed with fierce forms and mighty prowess.

Thereupon the other heroic leaders, namely the Chedis, the Panchalas, the Kaikeyas, the Karushas, the Kosalas, the Kanchyas and the Magadhas advanced most rapidly.

Their car-warriors, cavalry and elephantforce, that all belonged to the superior class, as well as the terrible-looking infantry, were highly gratified to hear the harmonious sound of several instruments and began to laugh.

In the midst of at vast army stood Vrikodara, encompassed by the foremost elephant-force and advanced against your troops, each riding on the neck of an elephant.

That terrible-looking elephant, the best of his kind, shone with all the equipments befitting him, even as the mountain-abode on the top of the Udaya (mountain) looks resplendent with the rising Sun over it.

His best armour, made of iron and bedecked with the most precious gems, shone like the autumnal firmament besprinkled with innumerable stars.

He (that Bhima), who had a lance in the hand stretched out and who was crowned with a handsome diadem and who was adorned with innumerable ornaments and who, again, had the brilliancy of the autumnal sun when at the meridian, began to burn the enemies by energy.

Seeing that elephant from a distance, Kshemadhurti, riding on an elephant and very much gratified in the heart, invited that one, who was much more cheerful than he, to battle and rushed against him (Bhima).

Then there followed an encounter between the two elephants of formidable appearances according they desired, which (the clephants) were like the two gigantic mountains with trees at their tops. as

Those two heroic warriors, whose elephants had thus been engaged in the encounter, forcibly pierced each other with their lances, that were resplendent like the rays of the sun and they roared most loudly.

Having receded back, they (the two heroes) roved about in circles dismounting from their elephants, and also having taken up their bows, really struck each other.

They cheered the hearts of the people by their roaring sounds and the slaps of their armpits, as well as by the whistling sound of their arrows on all sides; and then they shouted aloud like lions.

Again mounting upon their elephants, that had their trunks raised up in the air and that were adorned with banners floating on the wind, both the heroes, perfectly accomplished and possessed of immense strength, went on combating.

Thereupon both of them, having cut-off each other's bow, roared and poured forth showers of arrows and lances upon each other, even as the two masses of clouds during the rainy season drop down rains.

Then having roared aloud Kshemadhurti pierced Bhima in the chest with great force by means of his lance, as well as by six other (lances).

That Bhimasena, whose form looked bright with rage, shone with those lances adhering to his body like the resplendent Sun with the masses of clouds about him.

Thereupon, Bhima thrust at his enemy most carefully the lance, made of iron, that had the splendour of the colour of the solar rays and had a speed, direct and straight.

Thereupon having stretched out his bow, the lord of the Kulatas severed the lance by means of ten arrows and pierced the son of Pandu (Bhima) by sixty other shafts.

Then having taken up his bow having the twang like the roar of clouds, Bhima the son of Pandu, oppressed his enemy's elephant by arrows and uttered terrible shouts.

That elephant, being thus oppressed by the arrows of Bhimasena, did not stay in the field of battle, although repeatedly restrained, even as the cloud dispersed by the wind (run away from their positions).

The most formidable and royal elephant of Bhima rapidly followed that elephant of (Kshemadhurti), even as the wind-blown cloud pursues the cloud dispersed by the tempest.

Kshemadhurti of immense energy having checked his own elephant, pierced with his arrows the elephant of Bhimasena pursuing his own.

Thereupon, he (Kshemadhurti), having cutoff his enemy's bow by means of an arrow well-shot, razor-like and straight, highly oppressed that elephant belonging to his foe.

Then highly wrathful Kshemadhurti struck Bhima in the battle and killed the elephant by piercing all his vital parts with his arrows.

O descendant of the Bharata race, thus the great prince of elephant, belonging to Bhimasena, fell down. Before the fall of his elephant, Bhiinasena dismounted from him and stood on the earth.

Then he, too, struck down the elephant of his enemy by means of his mace. Then Vrikodara killed Kshemadhurti with his mace, who then had descended from his crushed elephant and had advanced against him with uplifted weapons. Having been thus killed, he, with a sword in the hand, fell down dead by the side of his elephant.

O foremost of the Bharata race, even as a lion killed by thunder falls dead by the side of a hill broken down by thunder. having seen the most famous lord of the Kulatas killed, your troops, highly distressed, ran away from ihe field.