Karna Parva — Dreadful battle

Sanjaya said As the great ape-bannered Arjuna was advancing with swift horses, he was attacked by ninety brave car-warriors of the Kauravas.

Taking sacred oaths those mighty warriors surrounded that foremost of men Arjuna.

But those swift horses of Arjuna decked with gold and strings of pearls were directed by Krishna towards Karna's car.

As the destroyer of his enemies, Dhananjaya was advancing towards Karna's car, he was followed by the ninety Samsaptaka car warriors who werc pouring down arrows him.

Then Arjuna, with sharp arrows, cut-off their bows, banners and sent them all with their drivers to the other world.

As Siddhas (pure souls) are obliged to have a fall from heaven with their cars, when their virtues wear off, so those warriors were all knocked down by Kiriti's various weapons.

Then many Kauravas with their horses, elephants and cars boldly faced that foremnost man of Kuru and Bharata races viz. Phalguni.

Then many spirited men of your sons' great army with numbers of horses and mighty and select elephants in front obstructed Dhananjaya's further progress.

Then that descendant of the line of Kuru race was surrounded by many great archers of the Kaurava army who were throwing lances, swords, cutlasses, darts and maces and other weapons upon him and covered him.

The son of Pandu with his own weapons baffled those hosts of arrows which covered the skies even as the sun shines out in its own splendour dispelling the darkness by the power of the rays.

Then the son of Pandu was attacked on the side by thirteen hundred Mlecha troops on furious and unruly elephants.

Partha on his chariot was distressed, by Nalikas, lances, darts spears, Kampanas, barbed arrows and other sorts throwing at him by them.

Phalguni cut-off with his broad-edged and crescent-shaped sharp arrows all those hosts of excellent weapons, although some of them were thrown by elephants with their tusks.

As the mountain is broken to pieces by thunder, so those elephants, with their riders and their standards were knocked down by various choice shafts (from Arjuna).

Those mighty elephants adorned with golden necklaces, being distressed by goldwinged arrows, fell down dead.

The twang of the Gandiva was prominent amid the loud shouts and distressful noises of hosts of men, elephants and horses.

O king, elephants and rider-less horses being hurt began to fly hither and thither and numberless cars without horses and riders could be seen there changing their forms like smoke when rising into the sky resembling the city of Gandharvas.

O monarch, many of your cavalry when flying on all directions were struck down lifeless by Partha's arrows.

At that time Arjuna displayed the marvellous strength of his arms by destroying in battle, alone and unaided, car-warriors horsemen and elephants.

O foremost of the Bharata race, Bhimasena, seeing the Kiritin was thus surrounded by the three different kinds of troops, O king, left the few remnant of your car warriors and quickly came up to Arjuna's car.

Seeing Bhimasena advance towards his brother those distressed men that were left unslain took to their heels.

Bhima of inexhaustible prowess, with mace in his hand, slaughtered in that great battle the remnant of the mighty Kaurava cavalry that were left after the havoc made by Arjuna.

O sire, Bhima by his fearful mace "which was deadly as the black night of death, which was capable of pulling down walls, gates of cities and horses and whose food was, men, elephants and horses, slaughtered innumerable riders and horses.

The son of Pandu knocked down horses and men with black armour on, by his mace; they all came crumbling down with great noise.

Covered with blood, with heads, bones and legs broken, they biting the earth i.e. (eating dust) became food for animals gf prey.

That mace, appeared with drinking blood, also eating flesh, bones and marrow and became terrible to look at like the black night of death.

Bhima slaughtered ten thousand horse and numberless infantry and was running to and fro in wrath, with mace in hand; and your troops, O Bharata, seeing him thought that the Pluto himself has come among them, armed with his death-dealing wand.

The wrathful son of Pandu, who looked like an unruly elephant, himself forced his way with the elephant division (of his enemies) as a Makara takes him sweeping dive in the sea.

Thus entering the army Bhima by the help of his mighty mace sent them all to the region of Pluto in no time.

We could see the furious elephants cased in mail, with riders and banners, tumbling down on all sides like so many winged mountains and the powerful Bhimasena thus exterminating the elephant division went back to his car and joined Arjuna's rear.

O king, your very army, about to fly, being thus slain and surrounded on all sides, with weapons, lost all energy and being greatly confounded, was at their wit's end as to what to do.

Arjuna, seeing that host in that humble plight and so confounded, began to shower death-dealing shafts upon them.

Elephants, horses, cars and men being thus covered by arrows shot by the holder of Gandiva they looked like the handsome Kadamva flower with the filaments of it.

O monarch, thus hurt by Arjuna's arrows which were putting on end to elephants, carwarriors and horses, the Kaurava troops gave vent to loud lamentations.

Your troops, panic-stricken, kept close to each other and were turning round from this side to that side like a wheel on fire.

The great fighting still went on between the Kurus and (Arjuna) and all the elephants, horses, cavalry and car-warriors were wounded i.e. (no body came out scatheless).

Resembling a forest of blooming Asoka the troops, streaming with blood, with their armours broken, looked red as if they were ablaze with fire.

Seeing Savyasachin (Arjuna) display so much prowess, all the Kauravas despaired of Karna's life.

The Kauravas, beaten by Partha, the wielder of the Gandiva, not being able to bear the brunt of the battle, gave up fighting.

Distressed to death by (Arjuna's) shafts they all, leaving Karna, began to disperse themselves on all directions abusing the son of Suta all the time.

The Pandava warriors, with Bhimasena at their head, were all very happy to see Partha follow the flying columns shooting inany hundreds of arrows.

As persons, drowning in the deep sea, find shelter in an island, so your sons, O king, went towards Karna's car for their safety.

O monarch, the Kauravas, all afraid of the holder of the Gandiva, like snakes whose stock of venom has exhausted, looked up to Karna for their safety.

O great king, your sons, being afraid of the noble son of Pandu, sought protection of the great warrior Karna, like the creature of the earth, responsible for their actions, take shelter of virtue from fear of death.

Karna who was not at all afraid, seeing them all bleeding and distressed by shafts (of Arjuna) re-assured them and said, “Do not fear, come to me."

And Karna, beholding that all the troops have been broken by the prowess of Partha, stretched out his bow for the purposed of killing his enemy.

Having seen that the Kauravas have all fled from the battle-field, Karna the best of warriors, drew a deep sigh and thinking a while determined to slay Partha,

Then Vrisha-the son of Adirath, drawing his great bow, again rushed towards the Panchalas before the very face of Savyasachin.

As the clouds pour down heavy showers upon a mountain, SO Karna was almost immediately met by hosts of arrows from many rulers of the earth whose eyes were blood-red with wrath.

Oye of noble mind and best of living beings, when Karna-the son of Suta and protector of his friends, thus desirous to serve his friends, sent thousands of shafts which killed many of the Panchalas, cries, loud from woe, rose among them.