Karna Parva — The encounter between several heroes

Sanjaya said Having been persuaded by your son, many elephant-warriors, riding upon their elephants and desiring to bring about his destruction, became highly enraged and marched against Dhristadyumna.

Many foremost of clephant-warriors belonging to the tribes called the Easterners, the Southerners, the Angas, the Bangas, the Pundras, the Magadhas and the Tamaliptakas.

And O descendant of the Bharata race, also belonging to the Mekalas, the Koshalas, the Madras, the Dasharnas and the Nishadhas, who were all very skillful in fighting on the back of elephants and who again, were accompanied by the Kalingas.

Began to pour forth showers of arrows, lances and broad-headed shafts, like the masses of clouds and also they all drenched the whole force of the Panchalas (with them) in that battle,

He (Dhristadyumna) then dropped down showers of arrows and broad-headed shafts upon those elephants, that crushed down the enemies and also that were urged forward by their being deeply struck in the sides with heels, toes and hooks.

O descendant of the Bharata race, he (the Panchala chief) pierced every one of these elephants, that resembled mountains with ten, six or eight keen arrows.

Both the Pandus and the Panchalas, uttering loud roars and being furnished with the sharp weapons, advanced towards him (the Panchala chief) who was then closed with by those elephants even as the sun is covered over with the masses of clouds.

Then they (the above warriors) continued to shower (their weapons) upon those elephants and having been excited by the sound of bowstrings and palms, as well as by the beatings (caused by the heroes), began to dance the dance worthy of the heroic warriors. Afterwards Nakula, Shahadeva, the sons of Draupadi, the Provadrakas, Satyaki, Shikhandin and the most powerful Chekitana, these heroes drenched (these elephants) from all sides (with their weapons); even as the clouds drench the mountains with the torrents of water.

Being driven by the Mlechchas, these elephants, highly enraged, had cast down the men, the horses and cars, with their trunks and crushed them with their feet.

Then they (the elephants) pierced them with the points of their tusks and having thrown them down shattered them. Others, again, being lifted up with their tusks, fell down upon the ground exciting great horror (in the spectators).

Thereupon Satyaki, after having pierced the elephant of the Vanga prince, that was standing before him, in the very vitals with a long arrows possessed of great impetuosity, hurled him down upon the ground).

Again, Satyaki had struck the chest of him (the rider of that elephant), whose body was not yet touched and who also fell down from his elephant, with a long shaft. Thus struck, he (the rider) fell upon the ground.

Shahadeva, on the other hand, had struck the elephant of falling Pundra, that was moving like a mountain, with three long arrows, which were most excellently directed.

Then Shahadeva, after having deprived that elephant of his banners, driver, armour, standard and life, again advanced against the ruler of the Angas.

But Nakula, having forbidden Shahadeva (from advancement), himself crushed the chief of the Angas with three long shafts resembling the very rods of Death in appearance, as well as his elephant with hundred others.

The ruler of the Angas, on the other hand, had directed eight hundred lances, that were as resplendent as the rays of the sun, towards Nakula, who, again, shattered each of them into three pieces.

So again, the son of Pandu severed the head (of his antagonist) with a crescent shaped arrow. That Mlechchha, being thus cut-off, fell down with his elephant.

Thereupon, when the princes powerful monarch, Satyaki on the other hand, having smiled and shrouded all the points of the horizon with a shower of arrows, closed with the two brothers, O descendant of the Bharata race. of the Angas, who was well versed in the knowledge of managing elephants, was thus slain, the highly enraged elephant-warriors of the Anga race, rushed against Nakula, riding upon their elephants.

That were adorned with waving banners and also that were furnished with excellent mouths and that were decked with the housings made of gold and that were as resplendent as the blazing mountains; for, the warriors were most desirous of crushing him and all possessed of immense activity.

The Mekalas, Utkalas, the Kalingas, the Nishadhas, the Tamraliptakas, who were all very willing to slaughter him, continued to pour forth showers of arrows and lance (upon Nakula).

Then the highly enraged Pandus, Panchalas and Somakas proceeded most rapidly to rescue Nakula, who was closed with by those warriors, even as the sun is covered over with the masses of clouds.

Thereupon, the battle raged between the car-warriors, who were shooting showers of shafts and hurling down thousands of lances, (at the antagonists) and the heroes fighting from the back of elephant.

The frontal globes and several other vitals, the tusks and the equipments of the elephants, that were deeply pierced with long shafts, were all shattered.

Thereupon Shahadeva had most rapidly slaughtered eight of the gigantic elephants with sixty-four arrows, possessed of great impetuosity. On that, they all fell down along with their riders.

Nakula also, who was the darling of his family, after having lifted up the foremost of his bow with great care, had slaughtered innumerable elephants with straight shafts.

Thereupon the chief of the Panchalas, the grandson of Shini, the son of Draupadi, the Provodrakas and Shikhandin, poured forth showers of arrows upon those huge elephants.

Having been killed with the torrents of shafts by such clouds as the Pandu warriors, those hills of elephants belonging to the foes, fell down; even as the mountains are struck down by the falling of thunders.

Having thus slaughtered your elephants, those foremost of car-warriors, belonging to the side of the Pandavas, looked at the army (on your side), that was running away from the field like a river, flowing down a shore other than where it took its rise.

Those warriors, belonging to the side of the son of Pandu, after having first agitated that army and again having afflicted, proceeded most rapidly against Karna.