Karna Parva — The general encounter

Sanjaya said Having careered round Jishnu slaughtered again innumerable number of the Samsaptakas; even as the Planet Mercury destroys a large number of people by traveling in an exceedingly curved line. an

O monarch, O descendant of the Bharata race, the men, horses, cars and elephants, having been struck by the arrows of the son of Pritha, wavered, roved about, lost their color, fell down and died.

The son of Pandu severed in the field of battle, with his broad-headed, razor-like and crescent-shaped arrows, as well as with those equipt with the teeth of calves, the best of horses yoked to the cars, drivers, standards, bows and arrows, hands and the weapons held in the hands, the arms and heads of heroic warriors of the side of the enemies, who were fighting against him.

The mighty heroes fell upon Arjuna by hundreds and thousands, even as the mighty bulls fight with another bull in order to gain a cow during season.

The battle that took place between him and them made the hairs to stand on points. This battle resembled the great war between the Daityas and the wielder of the thunder-bolt at the time of the conquest of the three worlds.

Thereupon the son of Ugrayudha pierced him (the son of Pritha) with three arrows that were like the Dandashuka snakes. He (the son of Pritha) on the other hand, severed his head from his body.

Then they (the heroic warriors), highly enraged, shrouded Arjuna from all sides with innumerable weapons, even as the masses of clouds being urged by the winds cover the Himavat at the expiration of the summer.

Arjuna, after having restrained the weapons of his antagonists coming from all sides with the weapons of his own, slaughtered a large number of the foes with well-shot arrows.

Afterwards Arjuna made in-numerable cars severed of their Trivenus; and slaughtered the horses, the drivers and the Parshnis (driver of another class) of them; and again, displaced their weapons and quivers, and also destroyed their wheels and standards; and cut-off their chords, traces and axes; and moreover despoiled their bottoms and yokes; and at last displaced their equipments from their proper place with a large number of his shafts.

Those cars, lying there (on the field of battle) in innumerable numbers, having been broken into pieces and injured (by Arjuna), looked like the mansions of the rich men, smitten down either by the fire, or wind, or the rains.

The elephants, having their vital parts penetrated with the arrows that were like the thunderbolt in speed, fell down like the mansions on the summits of a mountain shattered by the blasts of lightning.

Having been afflicted by Arjuna, large number of horses, that had their tongues and entrails driven out and that were greatly weakened and that were smeared with blood and also that had held and awful appearance, fell down upon the ground along with their riders.

O sire, having been pierced by Savyasachin with the keen arrows, the men, horses and elephants wandered about, with tottering steps, fell down, roared most loudly and died.

The son of Pritha and slaughtered his antagonists with innumerable arrows, that were sharpened on stones and also that were as deadly as the thunderbolt or the poison; even as Mahendra slays the Danavas.

Many heroes, who had put on valuable coats of armour and who were adorned with various kinds of ornaments and who had diverse forms and who, again, were equipt with innumerable weapons of the best kinds, are lying, with their cars and standards, on the field of battle, having been slaughtered by the son of Pritha.

The warriors, who were vanquished, of noble deeds and of high parentage and learning departed to paradise on account of their noble deeds, whereas their bodies only lay upon the earth.

Thereupon several kings of many countries, who were accompanied by their attendants and who, again, were highly enraged, belonging to your army, proceeded most rapidly against Arjuna, that foremost of car-warriors.

Conveyed by their cars, horses and elephants, several warriors and foot-soldier who were all very desirous of slaying (Arjuna), advanced most rapidly against their antagonist (Arjuna), letting off innumerable weapons of great speed.

Thereupon Arjuna, who was like winds, had done away with the showers of weapons, that resembled the showers of rains and that were let off by the warriors resembling the masses of clouds, by means of sharp arrows, shot with great readiness.

Then the people saw him (Arjuna) crossing that bridgeless ocean, which was constituted by the horses, infantry, elephant and cars and whose waves were formed by the most powerful weapons of the foes, by means of a bridge composed of his offensive and defensive weapons.

Then Vasudeva said-"O son of Pritha, O sinless one, why do you play thus? Having crushed down this army of the Samsaptakas, then make haste to slay Karna.”

Having uttered-so be it, to Krishna, Arjuna then forcibly struck down the rest of the army of the Samsaptakas; and slaughtered them, even as Indra had slaughtered the Daityas.

It could not be seen by the people with even the greatest attention, when Arjuna had taken up, or aimed the arrows, or shot the shafts with rapidity in the field of battle.

O descendant of the Bharata race, Govinda considered this event to be most wonderful. Those arrows (shot by Arjuna) looking white like swans and possessed of great impetuosity, entered into the hostile army, even as the swans enter into a lake.

Thereupon, Govinda, after having observed the field of battle during the course of the slaughter of men, addressed Savyasachin, sayingएष

“O son of Pritha, this formidable and great destruction of the kings of the Bharata race, as well as of the rulers of entire earth has taken place on account of the (foolish) actions of Duryodhana.

O descendant of the Bharata race, behold these bows, having their backs decked in gold, of the mighty bowmen, so also the girdles and quivers, that were displaced from their bodies.

(Again, behold), the straight shafts adorned with the golden wings, as well as the long arrows, washed with oil, even like the snakes coming out of their sioughs.

O descendant of the Bharata race, (behold also) ihe lances of diverse kinds, that are adorned with gold and scattered on all sides, as well as the coats of mail, having golden backs and loosened from the bodies of the warriors.

(Behold) the spears adorned with gold and the Sakti-arrows also decorated with gold, as well as the huge maces bound with the threads of gold and chords of hemp.

(Behold) the swords ornamented with the workmanship of gold, the axes decorated with gold, as also the battle-axes equipt with the handles made of bright gold.

(Again behold) the spiked maces, the short arrows, the Bhushandis, the Kanayas, the Kuntas, made of iron, scattered about and the huge musalas.

The mighty warriors most desirous of victory and possessed of immense activity, after having taken up weapons of diverse kinds, although dead, still looked as if they were living.

Behold those thousands of warriors, who had their limbs crushed by the maces and who had their heads severed by the Mushalas and again, who were highly pressed by the elephants, horses and cars.

O destroyer of foes, the fields of battle were scattered over the dead bodies of the elephants, horses and men, that had been torn into fragments with the shafts, the arrows called Sakti, swords and lances and scimitars, axes, spears and the Nakharas and clubs; and also those bodies were sineared with the torrents of blood.

O descendant of the Bharata race, the earth shines most brilliantly with the arms scattered over her, that are smeared with the soft sandal and that are ornamented with the Angadas and also that are marked with the auspicious signs and that are furnished with the leathern protections and that are adorned with the Keyuras.

(Again, the earth looks most resplendent), strewn over with the hands furnished with the well-protected fingers, severed from their arms and adorned with innumerable ornaments and also with the thighs severed from their bodies and resembling the trunks of elephants and again, with the heads of the most skillful and active warriors, that are adorned with the turbans set with the most valuable gems and furnished with the handsome ear-rings.

Now do you behold the most handsome cars, equip with golden bells and broken into numberless fragments, so also the large number of horses, that are smeared with blood; and again the bottoms of cars and long quivers; as well as several kinds of flags and standards. (Again do you behold) the large conches of the warriors; the yak-tails that are perfectly white; and the elephants whose tongues have come out (of the mouths) and that are lying on the field, resembling the hills.

(Also behold) the variegated the triumphal banners and the elephants, warriors, slain in the battle, the beautiful coverlets of elephants; and the innumerable blankets with excellent (needle) workmanship.

(Moreover behold) the blankets, that are most handsome, variegated and torn into fragments and as well as the bells, broken into minute particles by the falling elephants and loosened from their bodies.

(Also behold) the hooks, that are furnished with handles, decked with precious stones called Vaidurya and lying on the ground; and the most handsome yokes of horses, as well as the armours for theirs breast, that are decked with diamonds; and the valuable pieces of cloth, that are adorned with gold and tied to the suimit of the standards carried by horsemen.

(Behold) the coverlets of horses upon their backs lying upon the ground, that are most beautiful and that are set with the precious jewels and that are adorned with gold and made of the skins of Ranku (a kind of deer).

(Behold) the headgears of the lords of men and the beautiful garlands made of gold and the umbrellas fallen from their proper places and also the white yak-tails and fans.

(Behold) the earth scattered over with the faces, that resemble either the moon or the stars in splendour and that are furnished with handsome ear-rings and that are ornamented with well-cut bcards and that are as brilliant as the full moon.

As the lake is adorned with the assemblage of white and pink lilies and lotuses, so the earth strewn ever with those faces resembling the lilies and lotuses in splendour is decked with thcim.

Behold this (the earth), that resembles the clear moon in splendour and that is variegated with the myriads of stars and also that looks like the autumnal firmament sprinkled over with the millions of stars.

O Arjuna, deeds that had been wrought by you today in this dreadful battle are proper for you, or for the lord of the celestials in heaven.

While Krishna was thus showing that field of battle to the diadem-decked Arjuna and going to their camp, he heard a loud roar in the army of Duryodhana. (In the army of Duryodhana were heard) the blare of conches and the best of drums and cymbals and the rattle of elephants and the dreadful class of innumerable weapons.

Having entered that army with horses swift as the wind and also having seen your force crushed down by the chief of the Pandayas, Krishna became highly astonished,

That foremost of heroes, who was skilled in the management of arrows and weapons in battle, slaughtered large throngs of enemies with different kinds of shafts, even as Yama (Death) destroys the creatures, deprived of their lives.

That foremost of smiters, after having penetrated the bodies of the elephants, horses and soldiers, with keen arrows, had struck down the foes, who were deprived of both their bodies and lives.

Then the chief of the Pandavas after having cut-off the innumerable offensive weapons shot by the most dreadful of his enemies with his own arrows had slaughtered those enemies, even as Shakra had slain the Asuras (in the battle of old).