Karna Parva — The fall of Pandya

Dhritarashtra said The name of that foremost of heroes celebrated all over the world, was related by you already; but O Sanjaya, his achievements in battle were not related by you.

Describe to me detail the prowess, learning, spirit, energy, the amount of strength and pride of that best of heroic warriors.

Sanjaya said You raged Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, the son of Drona, Karna, Arjuna and Janardana to be well versed in the knowledge of weapons and also to be the foremost of all bowmen and again, the best of car-warriors.

But he (the chief of the Pandayas) indeed surpasses all those mighty car-warriors in prowess. And he also does not consider any one of the kings to be equal to himself.

He (Pandya) does not admit that he cqual to either Karna or Bhishma; nor docs he wish that he is inferior to Vasudeva or Arjuna.

That foremost of kings, Pandaya, who was the most superior to all that are versed in the management of all weapons, slaughtered the army of Karna, even as highly insulted Death destroys all the creatures.

That army (of Karna), which teemed with innumerable cars and horses, as also with the most expert of foot-soldiers, having been smitten down by Pandya, circled round like the wheel of the potter.

Pandya had, with his excellently-shot arrows, continued to scatter about that force, slaughtering its horses, drivers, standards and cars, as also displacing its weapons and striking down its elephants, even as the wind disperses the masses of clouds.

He (Pandya) had slaughtered the elephants along with their riders and foot-soldiers guarding them and had split asunder the banners, weapons and standards (with which they were equipt) of that army; even as the breaker of mountains splits as under the mountains with the thunder-bolt.

He had smitten down the horses as well as the horsemen, who were armed with the arrows called Sakti, the lances and quivers. And then had destroyed the lives of the Pulindas, the Khasas, the Balhikas, the Nishadhas, the Andhakas, the Tanganas, the Southerners and the Bhojas, who were all possessed of heroism and very hardly and obstinate in the field of battle, after having deprived them of their weapons and coats of armour, by means of innumerable arrows.

Having seen that Pandya in the field was slaughtering the army consisting of the four principal elements by means of his shafts, then the son of Drona, undaunted with fear, advanced against that fearless warrior.

Having fearlessly addressed this hero (Pandya) in sweet words, who was then supposed to dance (on his car, in the field of battle) and also having called him to battle with a smiling face, that foremost of smiters (the son

“O monarch, O you, who art possessed of eyes like the petals of a louts. O you of high parentage, O you who art versed in all the sciences, O you who do resemble the mightest smiter of the thunder-bolt. (Indra), O you, whose strength and prowess are most noted.

Having caught the long bow-string in your grasp and stretched the bow by your two massive arms and also having pulled it by your hands, you look most handsome like a mass of congregated clouds.

You have continued pouring down showers of arrows, possessed of great impetuosity. I do not find any other hero than myself who can stand against you in the field of battle.

Being alone, you smite down innumerable cars, elephants, foot-soldiers and horses; even as the fearless lion of undaunted prowess kills a large number of deer in the forest.

Having made both the firmament and the earth resound with the great rattle of your carwheels, you look look most resplendent, O monarch, like the congregated mass of clouds, that destroys all the crops appearing at the end of the rains and making loud roars.

Having taken out your sharp arrows from the quiver, that are like the snakes of virulent poison, do you fight with me alone; even as Andhaka (Asura) fought with the three-eyed deity (Shiva) (in the days of yore).

Having been thus addressed by the son of Drona and uttering these words-So be it and also strike, Malayadhvaja was greatly assailed and he (Pandya) himself in return pierced the son of Drona with a barbed arrow.

Thereupon the son of Drona, that foremost of preceptors, had smilingly struck down Pandya with numerous arrows, that penetrate even the vitals and also that are possessed of great impetuosity and again, that resemble the flames of fire in splendour.

Thereafter Ashvatthaman, too, shot (at his enemy) several other broad-headed arrows, that are furnished with sharp points and that are capable of penetrating the very vitals and also that are possessed of ten different motions.

Then Pandya severed those arrows (of his antagonist) by means of his nine keen shafts; and by means of four other arrows he afflicted the horses (four in number), that had immediately been deprived of their lives.

Thereupon, having struck down those arrows of the son of Drona, that had the splendour of the sun, with his own keen shafts, pandya cut-off the stretched bowstring (of his antagonist),

Then having stringed his bow, that was without the string and also having behold that his car was immediately yoked to the foremost of horses by his men, that son of Drona, that smiter of enemies.

That twice-born person then sent away thousands of arrows (upon his antagonist); and he thereby filled the entire firmament and the different points of the horizon with his shafts.

Having been conscious of the fact that all those arrows of the high-souled son of Drona shot by himself, were, indeed, inexhaustible, that foremost of persons. Pandya, then cut them all into fragments.

Then, again the antagonist of the son of Drona, after having severed those arrows shot (by his foe) most carefully, had slain in the battle the two protectors of his (enemy's) carwheels, by means of his own keen shafts.

Thereupon having observed the lightness of hand of his antagonist, the son of Drona had stringed his bow into a circle and shot innumerable arrows, even as the mass of clouds pours down the torrents of rain.

O sire, the son of Drona shot, within the eighth part of a day, as many weapons as could be conveyed in eight cars drawn by eight bullocks.

Almost all those people, whoever behold him (Ashvatthaman), who then looked like the highly enraged Death himself, who resembled the very destroyer of Death himself, had wholly lost their senses.

The son of the preceptor poured froth showers of arrows upon that hostile army, even as the mass of congregated clouds, at the expiration of the summer, drops down showers of rain upon the earth, containing mountains and trees upon her.

Then Pandya, who was like the wind, after having checked, with his weapon, called the or Vayavya, that intolerable shower of shafts poured down by the son of Drona, who was like the mass of clouds, roared most loudly with great gratification.

The son of Drona, after having cut-off the standards, that was smcared with soft sandal and paste of Agura and also that resembled the Malaya inountain, of that person, who uttered inost loud roars, slaughtered four horses (belonging to him-Pandya).

After having slaughtered his (Pandya's) charioteer with a single arrow and also having severed his bow, that twanged like a vast mass of clouds, with a crescent-shaped arrow, had broken down his car into smallest fragments.

Having restrained the weapons (shot by his antagonist) by the weapons of his own and also having struck down all these weapons, the son of Drona, most desirous of encountering (with his foe), did not slaughter him even on receiving his antagonist (within his reach).

Within a very short time Karna proceeded most rapidly against the clephant-force belonging to the Pandavas, as also then rushed against their vast army.

O descendant of the Bharata race, he then deprived the car-warriors of their cars and with numerous straight arrows, cut-off the elephants, horses and warriors in large nuinbers.

Thereupon that mighty bowman, the son of Drona, did not slaughter Pandya, who was the great smiter of his enemies and who again, was the foremost of car-warriors, after having made him carless, for he had the desire of battling with him for some time.

After having roared against another hostile elephant, that foremost of elephants, that was riderless and that was furnished with all his equipments and that was possessed of great activity and that followed the actives (of other hostile elephants) and again, that was endowed with great strength and that was struck with the arrows of the son of Drona and also that had great impetuosity, advanced most rapidly against him (Pandya).

That lord of the Malaya mountains, that prince (Pandya) well versed in fighting upon he back of the elephant, ascended, with great activity, that foremost of elephants, resembling the summit of a mountain and also proceeding towards him; even as a lion, roaring most loudly, ascents the peak of a mountain.

Being highly enraged and most careful in the matter of hurling weapons with great impctuosity, that lord of the prince of mountains, roaring most loudly and afflicting the elephant, had hurled immediately a lance, that had the splendour of the rays of the sun, towards the son of the preceptor.

Having shouted with joy, uttering repeatedly-You are slain, you are slain, he (Pandya) broke into pieces the diadem of the son of Drona, that was ornamented with the best sorts of jewels and furnished with the superior kinds of diamonds and again, equipt with first-class gold and excellent cloths and garlands of pearls.

The diadem, that was resplendent as either the sun, or the moon, or the planets, or the fire, fell down on account of the severe stroke and was broken into minute fragments; even as the summit of a mountain, smitten by the thunder of Indra, falls upon the face of the earth, sending forth a very great noise.

Thereupon he (the son of Drona), became fiery with great wrath, even as the king of the snakes, being trodden down by the foot, blazes forth with anger. He then took up fourteen shafts, that resembled the rod of Death himself and also that were capable of afflicting the enemies.

He then cut-off the (four) feet and trunk of that elephant (belonging to his antagonist) with five arrows, as well as the arms and head of the king with three other shafts; and thereafter he siaughtered the nighty car-warriors, who accompanied king Pandya to the field and who, again, were highly resplendent.

Those two arms of the king, that were pretty long and round and that were smeared with excellent sandal past and also that were ornamented with gold, pearls, gems and diamonds, rolled on, falling upon the earth, like two snakes slain by Garuda.

The head, again, that was furnished with a face resembling the full moon and with eyes, large and red like copper, on account of wrath and that had a prominent nose and also that was adorned with the ear-rings, blazed upon the earth, even as the moon shines between two constellations.

That elephant, indeed, was divided into six pieces with five foremost of arrows and the king was cut into four portions with three others. These ten parts thus divided by the skillful warrior were like the clarified butter portioned out into ten parts offered up to ten different deities.

That king Pandya, after having severed into fragments innumerable horses, men and elephants and also having offered them to the Rakshasas as their food, was himself quieted (by the son of Drona with blazing shafts), even as the cremation fire, after having received the libation of dead body and also having appeased the dead fore-fathers, is itself extinguished by the constant flow of waters.

Then king, your son, after having advanced towards him, most joyfully worshipped, with enough of reverence, the son of the preceptor, who had finished all learning and who, again, had completed all his tasks, while (the king) was himself surrounded by all his brothers; as the lord of the celestials most cheerfully worshipped Vishnu after the subjugation of Bali (an Asura). even