Karna Parva — The defeat of Ashvatthama

Sanjaya said Thereupon the battle waged between them (Arjuna and Ashvatthaman) who were like the planets Sakra and Angirasa in splendour; even as there had taken place a battle between Sakra and Angirasa in the firmament for entering the constellation.

Those two warriors, who inspired the people of the world with fears, afflicted cach other with resplendent arrows, that were like their rays and resembled two planets, that had gone away from their proper paths.

Thereupon Arjuna deeply penetrated him (Ashvatthaman) in the midst of his eye-brows with a sharp arrow. Therewith the son of Drona blazed forth like the sun with his upward rays.

Thus the two Krishnas (Arjuna and Keshava) having been greatly afflicted by Ashvatthaman with hundreds of keen arrows, stood (in the field), blazing forth, covered ever as they were by their own rays, like the two suns appearing at the end of the Yuga.

Thereupon when Vasudeva became invisible, Arjuna shot a weapon with sharp edges on all sides. He then slew the son of Drona with a large number of arrows, that were either like the thunder-bolt, or like the rod of Death.

That one of immense strength, always performing the most difficult deeds, pierced both Keshava and Arjuna in the most vital part of their bodies with arrows, that were endued with fierce impetuosity. Even death, being struck by them, feels great pain.

After having restrained the arrows shot by the son of Drona, Arjuna shrouded him over with twice as many shafts, furnished with the wings. He then, having closed over that best hero, the unique of his class, along with his horses, the driver of his car and his standards, began to smite down the army of the Samsaptakas.

Then the son of Pritha cut-off with his willshot arrows, the bows, the shafts, the quivers, the bow-strings, the hands, the arms, the weapons grasped in their hands, the umbrellas, the standards, swift horses, the shafts deposited in the cars, the clothes, the floral wreaths, the ornaments, the coats of mail, the shields, the heads, all of them most handsome and endearing, of the enemies, who stood in the field determined never to turn their backs towards their foes.

The excellently ornamented cars, horses and elephants, that were ridden over by heroes among men, who were capable of fighting with the greatest care, were smitten down with hundreds of arrows shot by the son of Pritha. Along with these the foremost of heroes among men fell down.

The heads of persons, furnished with faces resembling the lotus, the sun and the full moon in beauty and adorned with diadems, crowns of highest splendour and again, slain by the broad-headed, the crescent-shaped and razorlike arrows, fell down upon the earth without cessation.

Thereupon the heroes, belonging to the races, called the Kalingas, the Bangas, the Angas and the Nishadhas, most desirous of slaying him, riding upon elephants as splendid as the elephant of the great enemy of the Daityas, proceeded most rapidly against the son of Pandu, who had checked the pride of the foes of the celestials.

The son of Pritha severed into fragments, the armour, the vital parts, the trunks, the riders, the standards and flags of those elephants, which then fell down upon the earth, even as the summits of mountains drop down on the ground, when smitten by the thunder.

When that elephant force was entirely destroyed, the diadem-decked one (Arjuna) closed the son of his preceptor with arrows, having the color of the newly-risen sun; even as the wind wholly covers the risen sun with the net-work of vast masses of clouds.

Then having restrained the shafts of Arjuna with the arrows of his own, the son of Drona after closing both Arjuna and Vasudeva with innumerable shafts, roared most loudly; even as the vast mass of clouds, appearing in the firmament at the end of the summer season, after covering both the sun and the moon, makes a loud uproar.

Arjuna having been highly oppressed with those weapons and having dispelled the darkness (caused with the arrowy showers of Ashvaithaman), suddenly darkened all with the torrents of arrows and again and again pierced him (Ashvatthaman) and all those, belonging to your army, with arrows furnished with the excellent wings.

Savyasachin could not be seen while taking up the arrows, or aiming them, or shooting them. But only this could be seen that the elephants, the horses, the foot-soldiers and the cars (i.e. the car-warriors), with their bodies cut-off, were slain (with the arrows of Arjuna).

Then the son of Drona, after having immediately aimed ten foremost of arrows, shot them, as if one with great activity. Of these ten shafts, excellently shot, five pierced Arjuna and the remaining five deeply penetrated that Eternal One (Keshava).

All the people considered these two foremost of persons, resembling Kubera and Indra, who being struck with those arrows, were drenched in blood (i.e. blood having flowed down their limbs) and who were highly afflicted by that one, who had completed his education (in the science of arms), slain in the field of battle.

Thereupon the king of the Dasharha race, said to Arjuna these words-Why do you make this mistake? Do you slay this heroic chief. This will, indeed, be committing a great fault, if this person be neglected, who will hereafter be the cause of great uneasiness, even as the disease, if neglected, becomes the cause of great woe.

Unerring Arjuna, having said to the Eternal One-So be it, cut into minute fragments the son of Drona with the greatest care. Then, horses, again Arjuna having been filled with wrath with good care, pierced the son of Drona in the two arms, that were the best of their kind and also that were besmeared with the soft sandal and also of the chest, the head and the extraordinary thighs, with arrows furnished with heads like the ears of goats, excellently shot from his Gandiva bow. Moreover the son of Pandu, having severed the traces of his antagonist's pierced the horses themselves and also carried away his foe to a great distance from the field of battle.

The son of Drona, who was thus carried away from the field, on those horses, as swift as the wind, became deeply afflicted with the arrows of the son of Pritha. Then that intelligent one (Ashvatthaman) having meditated for a while, liked not to return back with a view to fight with the son of Pritha. The most exalted one of the Angirasa's race, who was possessed of immense activity and who became destitute of all aspirations and who had all his arrows and weapons exhausted, after knowing that victory was ever with the chief of the Vrishni race and Dhananjaya, entered into the army of Karna.

Then, indeed, O sire, the son of Drona, after having checked his horses and consoled himself entered the army of Karna, that was teemed with cars, horses and men.

When Ashvatthaman, who was their bitterest enemy, had been carried away by the horses from the field of battle, even as the disease is driven away from the body by incantations, medicines and efficacious means.

Both Keshava and Arjuna, riding upon cars, with flags waved by the wind and whose rattle was like the loud roar of the clouds, advanced towards the front of the army of the Samsaptakas. disease is driven away from the body by incantations, medicines and efficacious means.

Both Keshava and Arjuna, riding upon cars, with flags waved by the wind and whose rattle was like the loud roar of the clouds, advanced towards the front of the army of the Samsaptakas.