SECTION CLVI
"Sanjaya said, 'Seeding his uncle thus addressed in harsh and insulting
words by the Suta's son, Aswatthaman, uplifting his scimitar, furiously
rushed towards the latter. Filled with fury, Drona's son rushed towards
Karna, in the very sight of the Kuru king, like a lion at an infuriated
elephant.
"And Aswatthaman said, 'O lowest of men, Kripa was speaking of the
virtues truly possessed by Arjuna. Of wicked understanding as you art,
thou rebukest, however, my brave uncle from malice. Possessed with pride
and insolence, you braggest today of your prowess, not regarding any of
the world's bowmen in battle![209] Where was your prowess and where were
thy weapons when vanquishing you in battle the wielder of Gandiva slew
Jayadratha in your very sight? Vainly, O wretch of a Suta, dost thou
indulge in your mind the hope of vanquishing him who formerly contended in
battle with Mahadeva himself. The very gods with the Asuras united
together and with Indra at their head had failed to vanquish Arjuna, that
foremost of all wielders of weapons, having Krishna only for his ally.
How then, O Suta, hopest thou, aided by these kings, to vanquish that
foremost of heroes in the world, viz., the unvanquished Arjuna, in
battle? Behold, O Karna of wicked soul, (what I do to thee) today! O
lowest of men, O you of wretched understanding, I shall presently sever
thy head from your trunk.'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Thus saying, Aswatthaman made a furious rush at
Karna. The king himself, of great energy, and Kripa, that foremost of
men, held him fast. Then Karna said, 'Of wicked understanding, this
wretch of a Brahmana thinks himself brave and boasts of his prowess in
battle. Set him at liberty, O chief of the Kurus. Let him come in contact
with my might.'
"Aswatthaman said, 'O son of a Suta, O you of wicked understanding, this
(thy fault) is pardoned by us. Phalguna, however, will quell this risen
pride of thine.'
"Duryodhana said, 'O Aswatthaman, quell your wrath. It behoveth thee, O
giver of honours, to forgive. Thou shouldst not, O sinless one, be angry
with the Suta's son. Upon you and Karna and Kripa and Drona and the
ruler of the Madras and Suvala's son resteth a great burthen. Drive away
thy wrath, O best of Brahmanas! Yonder, all the Pandava troops are
approaching from desire of fight with Radha's son. Indeed, O Brahmana,
yonder they come, challenging us all.'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Thus pacified by the king, the high-souled son of
Drona, O monarch, whose ire had been excited, suppressed his wrath and
forgave (Karna). Then the preceptor Kripa, of noble heart, who is of a
quite disposition, O monarch, and mild temper, therefore, returned soon
unto him, said these words.'
"Kripa, said, 'O Suta's son of wicked heart, this (thy fault) is pardoned
by us. Phalguna, however, will quell this your risen pride.'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Then the Pandavas, O king, and the Panchalas,
celebrated for their prowess, uniting together approached in thousands,
uttering loud shouts; Karna also, that foremost of car-warriors, endued
with great energy, surrounded by many foremost ones among the Kuru
warriors and resembling Sakra in the midst of the celestials, waited,
drawing his bow and relying on the might of his own arms. Then commenced
a battle between Karna and the Pandavas. O king, that was exceedingly
dreadful and characterised by loud leonine roars. Then Pandavas, O
monarch, and the Panchalas, celebrated for their prowess, beholding the
mighty-armed Karna, loudly shouted, saying, 'There is Karna,' 'Where is
Karna in this fierce battle.'--'O you of wicked understanding, O lowest
of men, fight with us!'--Others, beholding the son of Radha said, with
eyes expanded In wrath, 'Let this arrogant wretch of little
understanding, this son of a Suta, be slain by the allied kings. He hath
no need to live. This sinful man is always very hostile to the Parthas.
Obedient to the counsels of Duryodhana, this one is the root of these
evils. Slay him.' Uttering such words, great Kshatriya car-warriors,
urged by Pandu's son, rushed towards him, covering him with a dense
shower of arrows, for slaying him. Beholding all those mighty Pandavas
thus (advancing), the Suta's son, trembled not, nor experienced any fear.
Indeed, seeing that wonderful sea of troops, resembling Death himself,
that benefactor of your sons, viz., the mighty and fight-handed Karna,
never vanquished in battle, O bull of Bharata's race, began, with clouds
of shafts, to resist that force on all sides. The Pandavas also fought
with the foe, shooting showers of shafts. Shaking their hundreds and
thousands of bows they fought with Radha's son, like the Daityas of old
fighting with Sakra. The mighty Karna, however, with a dense arrowy
shower of his own dispelled that downpour of arrows caused by those lords
of earth on all sides. The battle that took place between them, and in
which each party counteracted the feats of the other,' resembled the
encounter between Sakra and the Danavas in the great battle fought of
yore between the gods and the Asuras. The lightness of arm that we then
behold of the Suta's son was wonderful in the extreme, inasmuch as, all
his foes, fighting resolutely, could not strike him in that battle.
Checking the clouds of arrows shot by the (hostile) king, that mighty
car-warrior, viz., Radha's son, sped terrible arrows marked with his own
name at the yokes, the shafts, the umbrellas, the cars, and the steeds
(of his foes). Then those kings, afflicted by Karna and losing their
coolness, began to wander on the field like a herd of kine afflicted with
cold. Struck by Karna, large numbers of steeds and elephants and
car-warriors were seen there to drop down deprived of life. The whole
field, O king, became strewn with the fallen heads and arms of
unreturning heroes. With the dead, the dying, and the wailing warriors,
the field of battle, O monarch, assumed the aspect of Yama's domain. Then
Duryodhana, O king, witnessing the prowess of Karna, repaired to
Aswatthaman and addressing him, said, 'Behold, Karna, clad in mail, is
engaged with all the (hostile) kings. Behold, the hostile army, afflicted
with the arrows of Karna, is being routed like the Asura army overwhelmed
with the energy of Kartikeya. Seeing his army vanquished in battle by
that intelligent Karna, yonder cometh Vibhatsu from desire of slaying the
Suta's son. Let such steps, therefore, be taken as may prevent the son of
Pandu from slaying that mighty car-warrior viz., Suta's son, in the very
sight of us all.' (Thus addressed), Drona's son, and Kripa, and Salya,
and that great car-warrior, viz., the son of Hridika, beholding the son
of Kunti coming (towards them) like Sakra himself towards the Daitya
host, all advanced against Partha for rescuing the Suta's son. Meanwhile,
Vibhatsu, O monarch, surrounded by the Panchala I advanced against Karna,
like Purandara proceeding against the Asura Vritra.'[210]
"Dhritarashtra said, 'Beholding Phalguna excited with fury and looking
like the Destroyer himself, as he appears at the end of the Yuga what, O
Suta, did Vikartana's son Karna do next? Indeed, the mighty car-warrior
Karna, the son of Vikartana, had always challenged Partha. Indeed, he had
always said that he was competent to vanquish the terrible Vibhatsu. What
then, O Suta, did that warrior do when he thus suddenly met his ever
deadly foe?'[211]
"Sanjaya continued, 'Beholding the son of Pandu rushing towards him like
an elephant towards a rival elephant, Karna fearlessly proceeded against
Dhananjaya. Partha, however, soon covered Karna who was thus advancing
with great impetuosity, with showers of straight shafts, equipped with
wings of gold. Karna also covered Vijaya with his shafts. The son of
Pandu then once more shrouded Karna with clouds of arrows. Then Karna,
filled with rage, pierced Arjuna with three shafts. The mighty
car-warrior, Arjuna, beholding Karna's lightness of hand, could not brook
it. That scorcher of foes shot at the Suta's son thirty straight shafts,
whetted on stone and equipped with blazing points. Endued with great
might and energy, he also pierced him, in rage, with another long arrow
on the wrist of his left arm, smiling the while. Karna's bow then dropped
from that arm of his, which had thus been pierced with great force. Then
the mighty Karna, taking up that bow within the twinkling of an eye, once
more covered Phalguna with clouds of shafts, displaying great lightness
of hard. Dhananjaya then, O Bharata, smiling the while, baffled with his
own shafts, that arrowy shower shot by the Suta's son. Approaching each
other, those two great bowmen, desirous of counteracting each other's
feats, continued to cover each other with showers of shafts. The battle
that took place between them, viz., Karna and the son of Pandu, became
exceedingly wonderful, like that between the two wild elephants for the
sake of a she-elephant in her season. Then the mighty bowman Partha,
beholding Karna's prowess, quickly cut of the latter's bow at the handle.
And he also despatched the four steeds of the Suta's son to Yama's abode
with a number of broad-headed shafts. And that scorcher of foes also cut
off from the trunk the head of Karna's driver. Then, the son of Pandu and
Pritha pierced the bowless, the steedless, and the driverless Karna with
four shafts. Then that bull among men Karna, afflicted with those shafts,
specially jumping down from that steedless car, mounted upon that of
Kripa. Beholding the son of Radha vanquished, thy, warriors, O bull of
Bharata's race, fled away in all directions. Seeing them fly away, king
Duryodhana himself checked them and said these words, 'Ye heroes, do not
fly away. Ye bulls among Kshatriyas, stay in battle. I myself will now
advance for slaying Partha in battle. I myself will slay Partha with the
assembled Panchalas. While I shall fight with the wielder of Gandiva
today, Partha will behold my prowess to resemble that of the Destroyer
himself at the end of the Yuga. Today the Parthas shall behold my shafts
shot in thousands to resemble flights of locusts. The combatants shall
behold me today shooting, bow in hand, dense showers of shafts, like
torrents of rain poured by the clouds at the end of the summer season. I
shall today vanquish Partha with my straight shafts. Stay, the heroes, in
battle, and remove your fear or Phalguna. Encountering my prowess,
Phalguna shall never be able to bear it, like the ocean, the abode of
makaras, unable to overcome the continents.' Thus saying, the king
proceeded in rage, his eyes red in wrath, surrounded by a large host,
towards Phalguna. Beholding the mighty-armed Duryodhana thus proceeding,
Saradwat's son, approaching Aswatthaman, said these words, 'Yonder, the
mighty-armed Duryodhana, deprived of his senses by wrath, desireth to
fight with Phalguna, like an insect desiring to rush into a blazing fire.
Before this foremost of kings layeth down his life, in our very sight, in
this battle with Partha, prevent him (from rushing into the encounter).
The brave Kuru king can remain alive in battle as long only as he doth
not place himself within the range of Partha's shafts. Let the king be
stopped before he is consumed into ashes by the terrible shafts of
Partha, that resemble snakes just freed from their sloughs. When we are
here, O giver of honours, it seems to be highly improper that the king
should himself go to battle to fight, as if he had none to fight for him.
The life of this descendant of Kuru will be in great danger if he engages
in battle with the diademdecked (Arjuna), like that of an elephant
contending with a tiger.' Thus addressed by his maternal uncle, Drona's
son, that foremost of all wielders of weapons, quickly repaired unto
Duryodhana and addressing him, said these words, 'When I am alive, O son
of Gandhari, it behoveth you not to engage thyself in battle,
disregarding me, O descendant of Kuru, that am ever desirous of your good.
Thou needst not be at all anxious about vanquishing Partha. I will check
Partha! Stand here, O Suyodhana.'
"Duryodhana said, 'The preceptor (Drona) always protecteth the sons of
Pandu, as if they are his own sons. Thou also always never interferest
with those my foes. Or, it may be due to my misfortune, that your prowess
never becometh fierce in battle. This may be due also to your affection
for Yudhishthira or Draupadi. I myself am ignorant of the true reason.
Fie on my covetous self, for whose sake all friends, desirous of making
me happy, are themselves vanquished and plunged into grief. Except thee,
O son of Gotama's daughter, what foremost of all wielders of weapons of
there, what warrior, indeed, equal to Mahadeva himself in battle, that
would not, though competent, destroy the foe? O Aswatthaman; be pleased
with me and destroy my enemies. Neither the gods nor the Danavas are
capable of staying within the range of your weapons, O son of Drona, slay
the Panchalas and the Somakas with all their followers. As regards the
rest, we will slay them, Protected by thee. Yonder, O Brahmana, the
Somakas and the Panchalas, possessed of great fame, are careering amid my
troops like a forest-conflagration. O mighty-armed one, check them as
also the Kailkeyas, O best of men, else, protected by the diadem-decked
(Arjuna), they will annihilate us all. O Aswatthaman, O chastiser of
foes, go thither with speed. Whether you accomplishest it now or
afterwards, that feat, O sire, should be accomplished by thee. Thou hast
been born, O mighty-armed one, for the destruction of the Panchalas.
Putting forth your prowess, you shalt make the world destitute of
Panchalas. Even thus the reverend ones crowned with (ascetic) success,
have said. It will be as they have said. Therefore, O tiger among men,
slay the Panchalas with all their followers. The very gods with Vasava at
their head are incapable of staying within the range of your weapons, what
need be said then of the Parthas and the Panchalas? These words of mine
are true. I tell you truly, O hero, that the Pandavas united with the
Somakas are no match for you in battle! Go, O mighty-armed one! Let
there be no delay. Behold, our army, afflicted with Partha's shafts, is
breaking and flying away. Thou are competent, O mighty-armed one, aided
by your own celestial energy, to afflict, O giver of honours, the Pandavas
and the Panchalas.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 156 ---------------------
