Karna Parva — The general encounter

Dhritarashtra said O Sanjaya, on the slaughter of Pandya and also while that foremost of warriors, Karna, destroyed the hostile force, what did Arjuna do in the field of battle?

That son of Pandu, who had finished the study of all sciences and who also was possessed of immense strength and who was attentive to fixed duties and who was a hero, was made by the lofty-minded Sankara most invincible amongst all creatures.

My greatest and highly tormenting terrors from that slayer slayer of antagonists, Dhananjaya. O Sanjaya, do you relate to me in detail what the son of Pritha had done there on that on that occasion. are

Sanjaya said On the death of Pandya, Krishna, with great activity, uttered these most beneficial words to Arjuna-'I do not find out the king. The other Pandavas have fled away (from the field of battle).'

The vast hostile force was repeatedly broken by the son of Pritha, who retreated (from the field). The Srinjaya were slaughtered by Karna in carrying out the purposes of Ashvatthama.

Then also a dreadful slaughter of the horses, cars and elephants was made (by that warrior). Thus the hero, Vasudeva, related all these to the diadem-decked one (Arjuna).

Hearing of the great and immense fear of his brother (Yudhishthira), as also witnessing it, the Pandava readily addressed him thus-'O Hrishikesha, urge the horses.'

Thereupon, Hrishikesha went (to the battle), ascending on an irresistible car. Then there raged a dreadful battle.

Then once more both the Kurus and the Pandavas fearlessly came face to face (for an encounter). The sons of Pritha were headed by Bhimasena; and we were headed by the son Suta.

Thereupon, O best of monarchs, again the dreadful battle took place between Karna and Pandavas, which aggrandised the kingdom of Yama.

Having taken up the bows, the arrows, the spiked maces and the swords, lances and the battle-axes and also the short clubs, the Vushandis, the Shakti-darts, the rapiers and the axes, as well as the iron maces, the spears, the white Kuntas, the short arrows and the hooks, the warriors most rapidly fell upon one another with the desire of killing them.

Having filled the firmament, the ten different points of the horison as well as the other subsidiary subsidiary points points and and the upper atmosphere with the noise of arrows, the bowstring and the sound of palms and again, having made the entire earth echo with the noise of clatter car-wheels, the warriors proceeded against their antagonists.

Being gratified with that tremendous noise, the hero, who were most willing to cross over and reach the shore of that dreadful ocean of hostility, began to fight with numerous other horses.

There was a great noise of the bowstrings, bows and lances and the loud roar of elephants; as also there were terrible shouts of the foot soldiers and men falling (upon the earth).

There, having heard the numerous kinds of arrow sounds and the terrible uproar of the heroic warriors, the combatants were deeply struck with terror, fell down and became very pale.

The warlike son of Adhiratha crushed, with innumerable arrows, large numbers of these enemies, who uttered loud roars and poured forth showers of weapons.

Then Karna led to the abode of Death twenty car-warriors against the Panchala heroes, along with their horses, drivers and standards, by means of his innumerable arrows.

Then, again, the best of the warriors of the vast Pandava force, who were all very powerful and who also were very sinart in the management of weapons, after having careered round, surrounded Karna from all sides in the field of battle.

Thereupon Karna crushed the army belonging to the foes by means of showers of shafts; even as the leader of the elephants, plunging into a lake, crushes down the lotuses and swans, adorning the lake itself.

The son of Radha, after having entered the hostile force and also having shaken his best of bonds had struck off their heads with his keen arrows and caused them to fall upon the carth.

Being broken into pieces, the shields and coats of mail, belonging to the warriors, fell upon the earth; and none of them could bear the touch of a second arrow (to be shot by Karna).

He (Karna) struck the fences of the antagonists, that could be perceivable only by the bowstrings, by means of shafts shot from his bow, that were capable of crushing the coats of mail, the bodies and the lives of the combatants); even as one strikes the horses with the whip.

Then Karna, with great speed, crushed down the Pandus, the Panchalas and the Srinjayas, who came with the reach of his arrows; even as the lion slays the whole lot of dear.

Thereupon, O sire, the king of the Panchalas, the sons of Draupadi, the twin brothers and Yuyudhana, who all gathered together, advanced against Karna.

Whilst the Kurus, the Panchalas and the Pandus were fighting with one another, the combatants, offering up their lives slaughtered one another in the field of battle.

O sire, the mighty warriors, who were all protected with armours and coats of mail and who also were ornamented with the headgears, uplifting their maces, short clubs and spiked maces, that resembled the very uplifted rod of Death jumped, marched most rapidly and dreadfully against their antagonists.

Thereupon they (the combatants), being highly afflicted by one another and also being deprived of their brains, eyes and weapons, struck one another and fell down in the field of battle, when blood gushed out of their limbs.

Some of the warriors, who were covered over with innumerable weapons, lay in the field of battle); and they were supposed to be alive with faces, that were as handsome as the pomegranates and also that were adorned with numerous teeth and smeared with blood.

With the battle-axes, short maces, swords, the arrows called Sakti, the Vindipalas and hooks, spears and lances, others, again, who were highly enraged either crushed, cut-off, pierced, furled down lopped off or slaughtered one another in that vast ocean of battle.

Being slain by one another, they (the combatants) fell down dead and covered over with blood; even as the sandal trees, being felled, fall down shedding red and excellent juice.

Cars, being destroyed by cars and elephants, smitten down by elephants, smitten down by elephants and men, slaughtered by men and horses, fell (upon the earth) in thousands.

The standards, heads, umbrellas, trunks of elephants and arms of men, being severed by the razor-like, broad headed and crescentshaped arrows, fell down upon the earth.

They (the combatants) had smiiten down in that battle, the men, elephants and horses yoked to the cars. cars. Many heroes, were slaughtered by horsemen; and the elephants had their trunks cut-off.

The elephants and cars being smitten down by the foot-soldiers, their standards along with their banner fell down like the cloven mountains.

On all sides, some (of the warriors) were slaughtered and some were in course of being slaughtered and others, again, fell down. Then the horsemen after having encountered most actively with the foot-soldiers, were killed (by the foot-soldiers).

The throngs of foot-soldiers, being slain by the horsemen, were lying on the field of battle, resembling the crushed lotuses and faded floral wreaths.

The faces and limbs of the slain rested on the field and O king, the most beautiful forms of the elephants, horses and men, that resembled the dirty cloths, presented an exceedingly gloomy site.