Karna Parva — The combat fight

Sanjaya said Riving through that army Karna encountered the pious king surrounded by thousands of cars, elephants, horses and footsoldiers.

Sundering with hundreds of dreadful shafts the thousands of arms discharged at him by his enemies Karna fearlessly went through the army.

The charioteer's son sundered the heads, the arms and the things of his enemies who, deprived of life, fell down on earth. Others, finding their division dispersed, took to their heels.

The Dravida, the Andhaka and the Nishada infantry, excited by Satyaki once more rushed upon Karna with a view to kill him in that battle.

Shorn of their arms and head-dresses and killed by Karna with his arrows they fell down all at once on earth like a forest of Sala trees cut down.

Deprived of life and filling the heaven and earth with their fame, hundreds, thousands and ten thousands of warriors fell down with their bodies on earth.

The Pandus and Panchalas obstructed Karna, the son of Vikartana who proceeded in anger to battle like the destroyer himself even as people seek to obstruct a disease with incantations and drugs.

Grinding all those combatants Karna once more rushed upon Yudhishthira like irresistible disease unchecked by incantations, drugs and rites.

Then obstructed by Pandus, Panchalas and Kekayas who were all desirous of rescuing the king he could not overcome them as Death cannot those conversant with Brahman.

Thereupon beholding Karna, the slayer of hostile heroes, obstructed at a distance, an Yudhishthira, with eyes reddened with anger, said-

O Karna, O son of a charioteer, O you of vain seeing, hear my words, You always challenge in fight Phalguna of quick speed. Abiding by the counsel of the son of Dhritarashtra you always obstruct us.

You bring all your strength, energy and hatred to bear upon the Pandus. Do you display today all your great manliness. I will today give battle and destroy your desire for fight.

Having said this to Karna, the monarch, the son of Pandu, pierced him with ten arrows, made of iron and furnished with golden wings.

Then that Suta's son, the subduer of foes and a great bowman, pierced him in return as if smiling, O Bharata, with ten arrows furnished with heads like the calf's tooth.

Thus placed by Suta's son in contempt the mighty-armed heroes was worked up with anger like fire with oblation.

The body of Yudhishthira surrounded by the flames of anger looked as if it was second Samvartaka fire intended to burn the whole universe, in course of the great devastation (Pralaya).

Then stretching his huge bow made of gold he set sharp arrows capable of breaking down the mountains.

With a view to kill the Suta's son he drew his bow to its fullest stretch and discharged that fatal shaft as the rod of the destroyer himself.

Discharged with great velocity and making a sound like that of a thunder bolt the arrow suddenly pierced the great car-warrior Karna on his left side.

Greatly assailed by the violence of that spike the powerful Karna, with weaked limbs, swooned away on his car his bow dropping from his hand.

He fell down unconscious in front of Shalya as if he was dead. King Yudhishthira did not attack again on Karna by keeping in mind the interest of Arjuna.

Seeing Karna in that state the huge army of Dhritarashtra's son exclaimed Oh! and alas! and the faces of all the warriors became pale.

O monarch, witnessing the power of their king the Pandava army sent up leonine roars and cries of joy.

Regaining his sense in no time the dreadful son of Radha made up his mind to kill Yudhishthira.

Drawing his dreadful bow made of gold, Vijaya, the valiant son of Suta, began to resist Pandu's son with his sharp arrows.

Then with two razor he killed in that battle Chandradeva and Dandadhara, the two Panchalas princes who guarded the wheels of the high-souled (Pandu king).

Each of those heroes stood by Yudhishthira shining like the constellation Punarvasu by the side of the moon.

Yudhishthira again struck Karna with thirty arrows. He pierced Sushena and Satyasena each with three arrows.

He pierced Shalya with ninty and struk Karna with seventy-three arrows. He also struck every one of Karna's body guards with three straight arrows.

Then laughing and shaking his bow the son of Adhiratha wounded the king's body with a Bhalla, then pierce him with sixty arrows and then sent up a loud war-cry.

Then to rescue the king many leading Pandava warriors fell upon Karna in great anger and began to assail him with their arrows.

Satyaki, Chekitana, Yuyutshu, Shikhandin, the sons of Draupadi, the Prabhadrakas, the twins, Bhimasena, Shishupala, the Karushas, the Matsys, the Kaikeyas the Kashis and the Kosalas, all those valiant and highly active warriors assailed Vasushena.

The Panchala prince Janamejaya then struck Karna with many arrows. Encircling Karna with a view to kill him they all rushed upon him with various arrows, such as boareared, Narachas, Nalika, Nishat, calf-toothed, Vipatha, razor shaped, with diverse other weapons chariots horses, elephants.

Thus assailed on all sides by the leading Pandava warriors Karna invoked the assistance of the Brahma weapon and filled all the quarters with his arrows.

Like burning fire having arrows for its scorching flame Karna fought on consuming that forest of Pandava troops.

Aiming some powerful weapons and laughing the noble Karna, the great bowman, sundered the bow of that best of men, Yudhishthira.

Thereupon aiming ninety straight arrows within the twinkling of an eye Karna cut-off, with those sharp arrows, the armour of his antagonist.

Made of gold and set with jewels that armour looked beautiful as if it fell down like the cloud driven by the wind and smitten by the rays of the sun.

The armour, adorned with jewels fallen off the body of that foremost of men, appeared like the sky in the night bespangled with stars. Having his armour sundered with those arrows the son of Pritha covered with blood.

He hurled in anger at the son of Adhiratha a dart made of iron. He too cut of that (dart) shining in the sky with seven arrows; sundered with shafts by that great bowman it reached the earth.

Then striking Karna with four lances on his two arms, forehead and chest Yudhishthira again and again sent up loud shouts.

Then blood gushed out from Karna wounds. Then filled with anger breathing like a snake he cut-off his enemy's standard and struck Pandava with three Bhallas. He also cutoff his two quivers and car into pieces.

Riding on the car drawn by horses white as teeth and having black hairs which used to bear Partha the king fled away from the battle-field.

Unable to stand before Karna, thus did the son of Pritha, with his charioteer Parshin slain, cheerlessly fly away.

It seemed at the time when Karna, the son of Radha was chasing Yudhishthira as if he is intended to catch him forcibly so as to touch him on should with his fair colour hand having lucky marks as thunderbolt, umbrella, goad, fish, flag, tortoise and lotus etc. in order to attain purity. In the meantime, a memory of commitment he had made once before Kunti, chained his racing feet.

King Shalya in the meantime made Karna alert by saying-"O Karna! Don't' touch king Yudhishthira at all nonetheless you should burn in the fire erupted due to anger within him. You touch may cause of death for you.

O king, said, smiling and censuring the son of Pandu-"In what family are you born? You are to observe the duties of a Kshatriya. Why do you leave the battle-field in haste, to save your life? Methinks, you do not know the duties of a Kshatriya.

O son of Kunti, Endued with Brahma force, you are better fitted for the study of the Vedas and sacrificial rites.

Do not, O son of Kunti, fight again. Do not approach heroes and use harsh words towards them and do not go to great battles.”

This and another pains you would have to bear for inflicting harsh words upon the people like me. Hence, O son of Kunti, either go back to your home or march only in company of Sri Krishna and Arjuna. "O king! Karna will not slaughter you in battle-field."

Having said this and left off the son of Pritha the highly powerful Karna began to slay Pandava like the holder of thunder-bolt, the army of Asuras.

Then the king Yudhishthira, O king, took to his heels quickly in great shame. Seeing the king take to his heels, the Chedis, the Pandavas, the Panchalas and the powerful carwarrior Satyaki, the heroic sons of Draupadi and the twin sons of Madri followed him of eternal glory.

Thereupon beholding the retreat of the army of Yudhishthira the heroes pursued them in great delight.

Then there arose the leonine shout of the sons of Dhritarashtra accompanied by the sound of bugles, conch, mridangas and the twang of bows.

O king, his horses become tired so getting upon quickly the car of Srutakirti, Yudhishthira began to witness the prowess of Karna.

Then beholding his own army slain the pious king Yudhishthira said to his own warriors-"Kill them; why do you sit idle?"

Thereupon obtaining the command of the king all the mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas headed by Bhimasena rushed upon your sons.

O Bharata, then there arose a great tumult of the warriors, chariots, elephants, horses, infantry and weapons.

“Rise, strike, face the foe" uttering those words the warriors killed one another in that great battle.

On account of the showers of arrows discharged by them a shadow as that of clouds seemed to spread over the field abounding in the best of men killing those weaker then they.

Deprived of their standards, flags, umbrellas, horses, drivers, weapons, armas and other limbs, the kings, weakened, fell down on earth.

Resembling mountain summits, the best of elephants with their drivers slain, fell down like mountains clapped by thunderbolt.

With their armours and other equipments torn and shattered thousands of horses and warriors fell down.

There fell in battle thousands of foot soldiers with their limbs wounded by weapons and deprived by hostile combatants of their elephants, horses and cars.

The earth was covered all over with heads of heroes, dreadful in battle, with expansive coppery eyes and with faces resembling the lotus or the moon. People heard on the earth as well as in the sky noise proceeding, from the singing and music of the band of Apsaras going in celestial cars.

Having placed on their cars thousands of heroes slain in battle the Apsara went on.

Beholding that wonderful spectacle the heroes, desirous of attaining to heaven, quickly and delightedly killed one another.

In that battle the car-warriors fought wondrously with car-warriors, the infantry with infantry, the elephants with elephants and horses with horses.

When the battle, destructive of elephants, horses and men, thus raged on the field was enshrouded with dust raised by the troops; the enemies then killed enemies and friends killed friends.

Then there took place a skirmish destructive of life and sins-the warriors dragging one another by their locks, biting one another with their teeth, tearing one another with their nails and striking one another with their clenched fists and fighting with one another with bare arms.

As that battle, destructive of elephants, horses and men, raged on fiercely a river of blood flew from the bodies of men, horses and elephants. That stream carried away many bodies of men, horses and elephants that fell there.

In that huge army abounding in men, horses and elephants, the river, formed by the blood of men, horses and elephants, became miry with flesh and that highly terrible river, striking terror into the timid, carried away the bodies of men, horses and elephants.

Some, desirous of victory, crossed it. Some plunged into its depths and some rose above its surface.

Their limbs, weapons and robes became all besmeared with blood. O foremost of Bharatas, some bathed in it, some drank its liquid.

We saw the cars, horses, men, elephants, armours, ornaments, robes, coats of mail, earth, sky and heaven and all directions were all seen dyed in red colour.

With the smell, the touch, the taste, the exceedingly redness of the blood and its gushing sound almost of the warriors became very cheerless.

The Pandava heroes headed by Bhimasena and Satyaki again attacked fiercely on Kaurava's army already destroyed in its considerable fraction.

Beholding the irrepressible force of their attack, the army of your sons, O king, turned their back.

With armours and coats of mail, displaced, weapons and bows loosened from their hands, your army, abounding in cars, horses, elephants and men, fled away in all directions, being agitated by the enemy as a herd of elephants in the forest is afflicted by lions.