Karna Parva — The retreat of Shikhandin

Sanjaya said O king, Kripa restrained proud Dhristadyumna in the field of battle; even as a Sharva resists a proud lion in the forest, while fighting.

O descendant of the Bharata race, the son of Prishata, being thus resisted by the most powerful son of Gautama, was not able to move a step further there (in the battle).

Witnessing the car of Gautama staying by the side of that of Dhrishtadyumna, all the creatures were greatly terrified and considered that destruction was to be attained by him (Dhristadyumna).

There all the car-warriors and horsemen, who become very inattentive (or gloomy), addressed thus-"This best of persons, the son of Sharadvata, who was possessed of immense prowess and who also was acquainted with the use of celestial weapons and who was, again very high-minded, is sorely filled with anger at the fall of Drona. Will there be escape of Dhrishtadyumna from the hands of Gautama?

Will this entire army be freed from that extreme fear? Will not this twice-born person slay us all, who have assembled here?

Gautama, who exactly appears even like the most dreadful Destroyer himself, will he not obtain today the appellation of the son of Bharadvaja?

The preceptor (Gautama), who is lighthanded (in the use of weapons) and who is always victorious in battle and who is furnished with various kinds of weapons and who is possessed of immense prowess, is now filled with rage.

The son of Prishata, too, appears today to have withdrawn from the great battle.' O great king, this and several other speeches were heard to have delivered by the man on your side, as well as by the antagonists; while those two (warriors) assembled there to fight against each other.

Thereupon, O monarch, Kripa, the son of Sharadvata, sighing heavily with rage, struck the son of Prishata, who had lost all his efforts, in all his vital parts.

Having been thus struck in the battle by the high-souled Gautama, he (Dhristadyumna) could not make out what should he do, encompassed as he was by great insensibility.

Thereupon his charioteer uttered these words to him-'O son of Prishata, it is well with you, perhaps. Such a great calamity was never witnessed by me in the battle, overtaking you?

Those shafts, that were capable of piercing through the very vital part and that were shot by the foremost of the twice-born persons, aiming at all the vital parts, had not struck you through the favour of the celestials.

I will have the car immediately turned back like the current of a river from the great ocean. I consider that the twice-born person is incapable of being slain, by whom you prowess was done away with.

Thereupon, O monarch, Dhristadyumna slowly said these words-'O sire, my mind is being stupefied; and there is perspiration in my limbs. I feel a sensation of trembling in my body; and also the hairs and standing erect upon it.

After abandoning the twice-born person in the battle, possessed slowly where Arjuna stays. After having come to the presence of either Arjuna or Bhima in the field, O charioteer, I will surely attain prosperity today. This is my certain belief.

Thereupon, O powerful king, the charioteer, after having driven the horses, advanced to the place, where that powerful bowman, Bhimasena, was battling with your soldiers.

O sire, Gautama, after witnessing that the car of Dhrishtadyumna was with-drawing from the field, then followed it, shooting hundreds of arrows at it.

That chastiser of foes blew his conch over and over again, and then he routed the son of Prishata, even as Indra routed Namuchi (a Danava, in the battle of old).

The son of Hridika, smiling over and over again, resisted Shikhandin, who was the cause of death of Bhishma and most invincible in the field of battle.

Shikhandin, however, coming against the mightiest car-warrior of the Hridika race struck him with five sharp and broad-headed arrows at the shoulder-joint.

O king, the mighty car-warrior, Kritavarman, indeed, being highly enraged, penetrated through his antagonist with sixty winged arrows and then, smiling for a time, severed his bow with one individual shaft.

Taking up another bow, the most powerful son of Drupada, being greatly enraged, replied to the son of Hridika saying, Wait, Wait.

O lord of kings, then he (Shikhandin) shot at his antagonist ninety arrows, that were furnished with the wings of gold and possessed of great force. But these arrows were shot back from his (Kritavarman's) armour.

Beholding those arrows thus sent back and scattered over the ground, he (Shikhandin) severed his dreadful bow with a sharp, razorhanded shaft.

Then having been filled with rage, he struck this one (the son of Hridika), who, with his severed bow, resembled a bull with his broken horns, with eighty different arrows both in the chest and arms.

Kritavarman, too, who became very angry and who also was greatly wounded by those arrows, vomited blood from his various limbs, as a water-vessel sends forth water through its mouth.

even O king, Kritavarman, being thus smeared with blood, blazed forth like a red-chalk mountain streaked (by the streams of liquefied red-chalk) by a shower.

Then the lord (Kritavarman), taking up another bow that was furnished with its string and an arrow, afflicted Shikhandin with the foremost of shafts in the shoulder.

Shikhandin, indeed, shone most brightly with these shafts, sticking on his shoulders; even as a large tree looks very pretty with its numerous branches and twigs.

Both the warriors, who were smeared with blood, after having penetrated each other deeply, looked like two bulls, that wounded each other with their horns.

Those two most powerful car-warriors, who made efforts in slaying each other, whirled round upon their cars, thereby creating thousands of circle, there (in the battle).

O great king, Kritavarman pierced the son of Prishata in the battle with seventy sharp arrows, that were furnished with golden wings and also that were whetted on atone.

Thereupon the prince of the Bhojas, that foremost of chastisers of foes, shot with great activity at his antagonist a dreadful arrow, that was capable of bringing about the destruction of life, in the field of battle.

O monarch, he, being thus wounded by that arrow, fall into the condition of insensibility; and he, being so choked with stupefaction, suddenly supported himself by holding his flag-staff.

Thus his charioteer immediately carried away from the field of battle that foremost of car-warriors, who was highly afflicted by the arrows of the son of Hridika and was sighing repeatedly.

Thereupon, O lord, when the war-like son of Drupada was defeated, the whole army of the Pandavas, being slain on all sides, retreated from the field of battle.