Karna Parva — Dreadful battle

Dhritarashtra said O Sanjaya, what did Duryodhana and Subala's son say on finding our troops shattered in battle by Bhimasena?

Or, what did that mighty conqueror-Karna, or Kripa, or Kritavarman, or Drona's son or Dushasana, or the other leaders of my army, say in that battle?

The powers of Pandu's son seem to me to be most extraordinary that he could fight single-handed against all the warriors of my army.

O Sanjaya, did the son of Radha, that scorcher of foes, keep his vow and did he discharge himself accordingly towards the (hostile) troops? (In fact), he was the bestower of prosperity, the saviour, the refuge and the hopes of the Kurus.

How did Karna, the son of Adhiratha and Radha, behave in that battle, on finding our troops worsted and beaten by Kunti's son of illimitable prowess? And also what did my unconquerable sons and the other kings and mighty charioteers of our army do? Tell me of all these, O Sanjaya, because you are a skilled narrator.

Sanjaya said O king, the valiant son of Suta began to strike down the Somaka troops, in that afternoon, even on very face of Bhimasena.

The mighty Bhima also began to smite down the Dhritarasthra troops. Upon this Karna ordered (his driver) Shalya to make straight way for the Panchalas.

Karna, on observing that his army was being routed by the highly intelligent Bhimasena, asked his driver once more to drive on direct to the Panchalas.

On being thus spoken to, Shalya, the avenger of enemies and the king of Madras, urged those white horses, that could run fast like thought, in the direction of the Chedis, the Panchalas and the Karushas.

On penetrating into that vast array, Shalya, the avenger of foes, took Karna to the very spot that foremost of warriors wished to be in.

O lord of the universe, the very sight of that chariot, dismal like the cloud and enveloped in tiger-skins, struck terror into the hearts of the Pandavas and the Panchalas.

Then the clatter of that chariot became audible in that fierce battle like the crash of a thunder or like the sound of a mountain splitting into pieces.

Then Karna, drawing the bow-strings close to his ears, shot numberless sharp shafts, which destroyed the Pandava forces by hundreds and thousands.

While the invincible Karna was performing these heroic feats numbers of valiant archers and mighty charioteer of the Pandavas came forth and surrounded him on all sides.

In sooth, Shikhandin, Bhima, Dhristadyumna, Nakula and Sahadeva, as also the (five) sons of Draupadi pressed hard upon the son of Radha and began to shower down their weapons upon him, all kindled with the desire of hastening his departure to the other world.

In that battle that foremost of men, the valiant Satyaki struck Karna with a score of sharp arrows hitting him on the shoulder-joint.

In that engagement Shikhandin afflicted him with twenty-five arrows, as did also Dhristadyumna with seven, the sons of Draupadi with sixty-four, Sahadeva with seven and Nakula with a hundred.

The redoubtable Bhimasena, boiling with rage, assailed the son of Radha, in that battle, with ninty straight shafts and hit him (also) in the shoulder-joint.

Then the son of Adhirath, endued with great strength, with an indignant smile, stretched out his superb bow and began to pour down heavy showers of keen edged arrows to the discomfiture of his enemies.

And the son of Radha assailed them in return, each with five arrows and rending in twain, O best of the line of Bharata, the bow and standard of Satyaki, sped nine arrows against him, hitting him in the centre of his chest.

And then, with great violence, struck Bhimasena with thirty shafts. That scorcher of foes, O sire, next struck off Sahadeva's standard with a flat-faced arrow and then pierced his charioteer with three others. He, O foremost of the Bharata race, almost in no time, deprived the (five) sons of Draupadi of their chariots and it seemed truly wonderful.

In fact, the straight dead shots of the mighty Karna, made those brave warriors retreat from the field; and he caused a havoc amongst the Panchalas and the powerful car-warriors of the Chedis.

The Chedis and Matsyas, O ruler of the universe, being thus worsted in that encounter, all pressed forward and made a supreme effort to fell down Karna and poured down a heavy shower of arrows upon him.

In that battle, the mighty son of Suta, alone and unaided, fought single-handed with his own prowess and kept all the great Pandava archers at bay, despite their utmost endeavour.

O descendant of king Bharata, I am an eyewitness of this extraordinary and wonderful feat and the gods themselves, the Siddhas and Charans were all highly pleased to see the lightness of the hands of the noble Karna.

And O lordly being, all the great warriors of the Dhritarasthra force paid him their homage and worshipped him as the best of all bowmen.

And then, O monarch, as in summer the blazing conflagration burns heaps of hay into ashes, so did Karna consume his enemies' forces, as it were, with the fire of his weapons.

Thus beaten by that foremost of carwarriors, Karna, the Pandava troops began to flee in all directions-afraid to face him in battle.

Afflicted with the sharp shots coming out of Karna's bow in that battle the Panchalas sent forth bitter cries of woe.

Bewildered at that tumultuous uproar, the vast army, comprising the Pandava force and belonging to the hostile party, regarded him as the hero of the field in that great battle.

The son of Radha, that scorcher of his enemies, displayed once again such wonderful prowess that the Pandavas, all combined, dared not even to look at him.

And like a stream dividing itself when checked by a mountain, so did the Pandava forces break themselves opposed by Karna.

In that battle, the mighty and strong-armed Karna, O king, burning the vast army of the Panchalas, stood out in relief like a blazing fire without smoke.

That strong-armed man with great lightness of hands, O monarch, began to strike off with his shafts, the arms and heads, as also the ears adorned with rings of many of his sturdy enemy.

He went on, O king, cutting off horses, elephants, shafts, swords with hilts of ivory, fans and cars and wheels, axles and yokes, as also many other things in a mess, like a hero.

Heaps of carcasses of elephants and horses, slain by Karna, O Bharata, were lying on the sides and the earth became slippery with their blood, while their dead bodies blocked the way and made it impassable.

The earth became so covered over with dead bodies of horses, foot soldiers, elephants and with broken cars that it became impossible to distinguish the even land from the uneven.

The (atmosphere) became dark as pitch with the shower of arrows shot by Karna and nobody could know each other, or foes from friends.

O monarch, the great car-warriors of the Pandavas, were covered with the gold-decked darts coming out of Karna's bow.

O king, the son of Radha repeatedly broke the ranks of the powerful car-warriors of the Pandavas, though they tried their utmost to worst him in that fight.

As in a wild the herds of deer are scared away before an angry lion or other animals seeing an wolf, so, in that battle, the foremost car-warriors of the Panchalas and other great car-warriors of the Pandavas were driven before Karna.

As the Pandava troops turned their backs in battle the powerful Dhartarashtras followed them uttering loud shouts.

O king of kinds, Duryodhana being very glad ordered in great glee his war bands to discourse music throughout the whole range of his army.

The great Panchala warriors, the best of men, all determined to die in that battle, returned bravely to the field.

O king, those brave warriors were repeatedly broken down in that light by the son of Radha, the smiter of his enemies and powerful like a bull.

O Bharata, twenty Panchala car-warriors and more than a hundred of the Chedis were sent to the other world by Karna's arrows.

O descendant of Bharata, he (Karna) pulled down men from their seats in the cars' and from the backs of horses and elephants' and also scared away the infantry.

That brave warrior, the son of Suta, the siniter of his foes, like Pluto at the time of destruction looked brilliant as the sun in the meridian and nobody could set his eyes upon him.

O great monarch, after destroying hosts of elephants, horses, infantry and car-warriors, that powerful archer, the destroyer of his enemies, stood upon his chariot. The great carwarrior Karna after killing the Somakas stood like the mighty Pluto after destroying the elephants.

The Panchalas also showed very great courage, for they never left the head of the battle-field, even when thus distressed by Karna.

And the king (Duryodhana), killed the Pandava forces by hundreds and thousands as did also Dushasana, Kripa, the son of Sharadvata, Ashvatthama, Kritavarman and Shakuni of great strength.

The two sons of Karna too, aye those two brothers of unconquerable strength, O king of kings, boiling with rage, waged a ruthless slaughter among the Pandava hosts in many different places.

And the battle (that ensued then) was deadly in the extreme and the slaughter (which followed) was really very great. Then the Pandava warriors Dhristadyumna and Shikhandin, the five sons of Draupadi, fretting and foaming with rage, caused a terrible havoc among your troops.

And thus the losses which attended the Pandava forces in their several divisions, were equal to those of your own, when the allpowerful Bhima joined them (the Pandavas) in the field.