Karna Parva — The victory gained by Arjuna

Sanjaya said O great king, Arjuna, riding upon a white horse, slaughtered the force of your side, even as the wind, coming before a heap of cotton, disperses it away.

The Trigartas, the Shibis along with the Kaurava force, the Shalyas, the army of the Samsaptakas and the force called the Narayana, all proceeded against him (Arjuna).

Then Satyasena, Chandradeva, Mitradeva, Shrutanjaya, Sausruti, Chitrasena and Mitravarman, descendant of the Bharata race.

And the prince of the Trigatas, who was attended on all sides in the battle by his brothers and sons, that were all very powerful bowmen and that were acquainted with the management of various kinds of weapons.

All these scattered and shot innumerable arrows at Arjuna in the battle, even as the masses of clouds suddenly pour forth showers of rain, that approach towards the vast ocean.

Those hundreds of thousands of warriors all met with destruction at their approaching towards Arjuna, even as the snakes are all destroyed by Garuda.

Then, O mighty monarch, those warriors, who were being thus slaughtered in the battle, did not abandon the son of Pandu, even as the insects, being burnt by the blazing fire, do not leave it.

In the battle, Satyasena penetrated the son of Pandu with three arrows; and Mitradeva pierced him with sixty-three; while indeed, Chandradeva pierced him with seven arrows.

Again, Mitravarman (pierced) him (Arjuna) with seventy-three shafts; Sausruti with seven; and Satrunjaya, with twenty; and Shusharma, with nine arrows.

He (Arjuna) been thus penetrated, in the battle by numerous heroes, pierced in return those kings-piercing Susruti with seven arrows and Satyasena, with three.

And Satrunjaya, with twenty arrows and also Chandradeva, with eight and Mitradeva, with one hundred and Srutasena, with three. And again, pierced Mitravarman with nine and also Susharman with eight.

Then having slaughtered king Satrunjaya there (in the battle) with arrows, that were sharpened on stone, he (Arjuna) severed the head of Sushruti, that was ornamented with head-gear, from his body. He then with great activity sent Chandradeva to the abode of Death by shooting innumerable arrows at him.

So also, O mighty monarch, he restrained cvery one of the other car-warriors, who were engaged in the contest, by means of five arrows shot at each.

Then Satyasena, indeed, being greatly enraged, directed his large lance, aiming at Krishna, in the battle; and sent fort a loud roar like that of a lion.

Then that lance, that was made of iron, with a golden rod, after having penetrated through the left arm of that lofty-minded Madhava, went into the earth.

O lord of earth, the whip and reins of Madhava, who was pierced with lance in that dreadful battle, dropped down from his hands.

Seeing Vasudeva thus pierced, Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, collected all his fierce wrath;

“O mighty armed lord, drive the steeds towards Satyasena that I may send this one to the abode of Death by means of sharp arrows.

Then that highly famous one (Krishna) immediately taken up the whip as well as the reins, led those steeds (i.e. the car) towards the car of Satyasena.

Beholding the lord of the universe thus pierced, that powerful car-warrior Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, restrained the course of Satyasena by means of keen shafts. Thereupon, he (Dhananjaya) severed the huge head, that ornamented with ear-rings, of that monarch, who stood at the head of the army, from his body by means of whetted broadheaded arrows.

O sire, having thus severed his (Satyasena's) head, he then hurled down (slain) Chitravarman with numerous keen arrows, as well as his charioteer with a calf-toothed sharp shafts. was on

Thereupon that powerful one, being filled with wrath, again caused the destruction of hundreds and thousands of the force of the Samsaptakas by means of hundreds of arrows.

Then, again, O monarch, that powerful carwarrior severed the head of the high-souled Mitrasena with a razor-headed arrow, that was furnished with the wings of silver.

Afterwards he, being greatly enraged, struck Susharman his shoulder-joint. Thereupon the entire army of the Samsaptakas, that became very wrathful, having surrounded Dhananjaya on all sides, crushed him with a shower of weapons and thereby caused the ten points of the horizon echo with their roars.

Having been thus oppressed by those weapons, that mighty car-warrior, Jishnu, who was possessed of prowess equal to that of Sakra (Indra) himself and who also had a soul immeasurable, took up his weapon, called Aindra.

Thereupon, O ruler of earth, thousands of arrows continuously issued forth therefore. O sire, of broken standards and bows, of cars along with their banners, of quivers and yokes. Also of axles and wheels, of traces along with the chords, of bottoms of cars, of wooden fences about the cars and innumerable shafts in the field of battle. And of falling horses and of spears along with the swords, of maces and spiked clubs, of Sakti-arrows, lances and axes. And of Shataghnis furnished with wheels, as well as of the arms along with the thighs, of wreaths and Angadas, of Keyuras and of garlands and cuirasses, of of armours, of umbrellas and fans, of heads adorned with coronets, of these a tremendous roar, O ruler of carth, was heard in all the directions of the field of battle.

Upon the field of battle, the heads (of severed warriors), that were ornamented with ear-rings and furnished with the eyes as resplendent as the full moon, were seen, even as the net-work of stars is seen in the firmament.

The bodies of the slaughtered warriors, that were furnished with the most handsome floral wreaths and covered with the excellent garments and also that were pointed with the soft sandal, lay resplendent upon the ground.

Then the dreadful field of battle resembled the clouded firmament filled with various vapoury forins and the earth being scattered over with the slaughtered princes and the Kshatriyas, possessed of great strength, as well as with the fallen elephants and horses, became as impassable in the battle as the ground strewn over with numerous hills.

There was no way in the field of battle, that car-wheels of that high-souled son of Pandu could proceed, whilst he was slaughtering his antagonists and greatly smiting the elephants and horses by means of his broad-headed arrows.

O sire, the car-wheels of that one, who was carcering in the battle, stopped, as if with terror, while they were moving in that bloody mire.

His horses, however, that were possessed of the speed of either the mind of or the wind, had with great labour drawn these wheels, that were lagging behind.

O descendant of the Bharata race, that army, which was thus slain by the son of Pandu, that great bowman, almost wholly ran away (from the field of battle); and in fact, none remained (to fight with the foe).

Then Jishnu, the son of Pritha, having defeated that immense force of Samsaptakas in the field of battle, blazed forth like the burning fire without any smoke. the