SECTION 49
"Sanjaya said, 'Piercing through the Pandava host, Karna, surrounded by
thousands of cars and elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers, rushed
towards king Yudhishthira the just. Cutting off with hundreds of fierce
shafts the thousands of weapons sped at him by his foes, Vrisha
fearlessly pierced through that host. Indeed, the Suta's son cut off the
heads, the arms and the thighs of his enemies, who, deprived of life,
fell down on the Earth. Others, finding their divisions broken, fled
away. The Dravida, the Andhaka, and the Nishada foot-soldiers, urged on
by Satyaki, once more rushed towards Karna in that battle, from desire of
slaying him. Deprived of arms and head-gears, and slain by Karna with his
shafts, they fell down simultaneously on the Earth, like a forest of Sala
tree cut down (with the axe). Thus hundreds, thousands and ten thousands
of combatants, deprived of life and filling the whole welkin with their
fame, fell down with their bodies on the Earth. The Pandus and the
Pancalas obstructed Karna, otherwise called Vaikartana, who careered
wrathfully in battle like the Destroyer himself, even as people seek to
obstruct a disease with incantations and drugs. Crushing all those
assailants Karna once more rushed towards Yudhishthira, like an
irresistible disease unchecked by incantations and drugs and
(propitiatory) rites. At last checked by the Pandus, the Pancalas, and
the Kekayas, all of whom were desirous of rescuing the king, Karna could
not succeed in passing them over, like Death that is unable to vanquish
persons conversant with Brahma. Then Yudhishthira, with eyes red in
wrath, addressed Karna, that slayer of hostile heroes, who was held in
check at a little distance from him, and said these words "O Karna, O
Karna, O you of vain sight, O son of a Suta, listen to my words. Thou
always challengest the active Phalguna in battle. Obedient to the
counsels of Dhritarashtra's son, you always seekest to oppose us.
Mustering your great prowess, show you today all your might, all thy
energy, and all the hatred you bearest towards the sons of Pandu. Today
in dreadful encounter, I will purge you of your desire for battle."
Having said these words, the son of Pandu, O king, pierced Karna with ten
shafts made entirely of iron and equipped with wings of gold. That
chastiser of foes, and great bowman, viz., the Suta's son, O Bharata,
pierced Yudhishthira, with the greatest care, in return, with ten arrows
equipped with heads like the calf's tooth. Thus pierced by the Suta's son
in contempt, O sire, the mighty-armed Yudhishthira, blazed up with wrath
like a fire upon receiving butter. Bending his formidable bow decked with
gold, the son of Pandu placed on his bow-string a whetted arrow capable
of piercing the very hills. Drawing the bow to its fullest stretch, the
king quickly sped that arrow, fatal as the rod of the Destroyer, from
desire of slaying the Suta's son. Sped by the king endued with great
might, that arrow whose whizz resembled the noise of the thunder,
suddenly pierced Karna, that mighty car-warrior, on his left side. Deeply
afflicted by the violence of that stroke, the mighty-armed Karna with
weakened limbs, fell into a swoon on his car, his bow dropping from his
hand. Beholding Karna in that plight, the vast Dhartarashtra host uttered
cries of "Oh" and "Alas," and the faces of all the combatants became
colourless. Beholding the prowess of their king, on the other hand, O
monarch, amongst the Pandavas, leonine roars and shouts and confused
cries of joy arose. The son of Radha, however, of cruel prowess,
recovering his senses soon enough, set his heart on the destruction of
Yudhishthira. Drawing his formidable bow called Vijaya that was decked
with gold, the Suta's son of immeasurable soul began to resist the son of
Pandu with his sharp shafts. With a couple of razor-headed arrows he slew
in that encounter Candradeva and Dandadhara, the two Pancala princes,
that protected the two car wheels of the high-souled Yudhishthira. Each
of those heroes, standing by the side of Yudhishthira's car, looked
resplendent like the constellation Punarvasu by the side of the moon.
Yudhishthira, however, once more pierced Karna with thirty arrows. And he
struck Sushena and Satyasena, each with three arrows. And he pierced
everyone of the protectors of Karna with three straight arrows. The son
of Adhiratha then, laughing and shaking his bow inflicted a cutting wound
on the king's body with a broad-headed arrow, and again pierced him with
sixty arrows and then uttered a loud shout. Then many foremost heroes
amongst the Pandavas, desirous of rescuing the king, rushed in wrath
towards Karna and began to grind him with their arrows. Satyaki and
Chekitana and Yuyutsu and Shikhandi and the sons of Draupadi and the
Prabhadrakas, and the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) and Bhimasena and
Shishupala and the Karushas, Matsyas, the Suras, the Kaikayas, the Kasis
and the Kosalas, all these brave heroes, endued with great activity,
assailed Vasusena. The Pancala prince Janamejaya then pierced Karna with
many arrows. The Pandava heroes, armed with diverse kinds of arrows and
diverse weapons and accompanied by cars and elephants and steeds, rushing
towards Karna, encompassed him on all sides, from desire of slaying him.
Thus assailed on all sides by the foremost of Pandava warriors, Karna
invoked into existence the brahmastra and filled all the points of the
compass with arrows. The heroic Karna then, like unto a blazing fire
having shafts for its scorching flame, careered in battle, burning that
forest of Pandavas troops. The high-souled Karna, that great bowman,
aiming some mighty weapons, and laughing the while, cut off the bow of
that foremost of men, Yudhishthira. Then aiming ninety straight arrows
within the twinkling of an eye, Karna cut off, with those sharp shafts,
the armour of his antagonist. That armour, decked with gold and set with
gems, looked beautiful, as it fell down, like a wind-tossed cloud
penetrated by the rays of the Sun. Indeed, that armour, adorned with
costly brilliants, fallen off from the body of that foremost of men,
looked beautiful like the firmament in the night, bespangled with stars.
His armour cut off with those arrows, the son of Pritha, covered with
blood, wrathfully hurled at the son of Adhiratha a dart made wholly of
iron. Karna, however, cut (into pieces) that blazing dart, as it coursed
through the welkin, with seven shafts. That dart, thus cut off with those
shafts of great bowman, fell down on the Earth. Then Yudhishthira,
striking Karna with four lances in his two arms and forehead and chest,
repeatedly uttered loud shouts. Thereupon blood spouted forth from the
wounds of Karna, and the latter, filled with rage and breathing like a
snake, cut off his antagonist's standard and pierced the Pandava himself
with three broad-headed arrows. And he also cut off the couple of quivers
(that his foe had) and the car (he rode) into minute fragments. Thereupon
the king, riding on another car unto which were yoked those steeds, white
as ivory and having black hair on their tails, that used to bear him (to
battle), turned his face and began to fly. Thus did Yudhishthira began to
retreat. His Parshni driver had been slain. He became exceedingly
cheerless and unable to stay before Karna. The son of Radha then,
pursuing Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, cleansed himself by touching him
in the shoulder with his own fair hand (the palm of which was) graced
with the auspicious signs of the thunderbolt, the umbrella, the hook, the
fish, the tortoise, and the conchshell, and desired to seize him by
force. He then remembered the words of Kunti. Then Shalya addressed him,
and said, "Do not, O Karna, seize this best of kings. As soon as thou
seizest him, he will reduce both you and me to ashes." Then Karna, O
king, laughing in mockery, addressed the son of Pandu and thus spoke unto
him disparagingly. "How, indeed, born though you are in a noble race,
and observant though you are of Kshatriya duties, wouldst you leave the
battle in fear, desiring to save your life? I think that you are not
well-acquainted with the duties of Kshatriyas. Endued with Brahma-force,
thou are indeed devoted to the study of the Vedas and the performance of
sacrificial rites. Do not, O son of Kunti, fight again, and do not again
approach brave warriors. Do not use harsh language towards heroes and do
not come to great battles. Thou mayst use such words, O sire, towards
others, but you shouldst never address persons like us in that way. By
using such words towards persons like us, you wouldst in battle meet
with this and other kinds of behaviour. Go back to your quarters, O son of
Kunti, or thither where those two, viz., Keshava and Arjuna, are. Indeed,
O king, Karna will never slay one like thee." Having said these words
unto the son of Pritha, the mighty Karna, setting Yudhishthira free,
began to slaughter the Pandava host like the wielder of the thunderbolt
slaughtering the Asura host. That ruler of men, (viz., Yudhishthira,)
then, O king, quickly fled away. Beholding the king flying away, the
Cedis, the Pandavas, the Pancalas, and the mighty car-warrior Satyaki,
all followed that monarch of unfading glory. And the sons of Draupadi,
and the Suras, and the twin sons of Madri by Pandu, also followed the
king. Beholding the division of Yudhishthira retreating, the heroic Karna
became highly glad with all the Kurus and began to pursue the retreating
force. The din of battle-drums and conchs and cymbals and bows, and
leonine shouts, arose from among the Dhartarashtra troops. Meanwhile
Yudhishthira, O you of Kuru's race, quickly riding on the car of
Srutakirti, began to behold the prowess of Karna. Then king Yudhishthira,
the just, seeing his troops fast slaughtered, became filled with rage,
and addressing his warriors, commanded them, saying, "Slay these enemies.
Why are the inactive?" Then the mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas,
headed by Bhimasena, thus commanded by the king, all rushed against thy
sons. The shouts then, O Bharata, of the warriors (of both hosts), and
the noise made by cars and elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers, and
the clash of weapons, became tremendous. "Exert," "Strike," "Face the
foe," were the words that the combatants addressed to one another as they
began to slay one another in that dreadful battle. And in consequence of
the showers of shafts shot by them a shadow as that of the clouds seemed
to spread over the field. And in consequence of those rulers of men,
covered with arrows, striking one another, they became divested of
banners and standards and umbrellas and steeds and drivers and weapons in
that battle. Indeed, those lords of Earth, deprived of life and limbs,
fell down on the Earth. Looking like the mountain-summits in consequence
of their uneven backs, huge elephants with their riders, deprived of
life, fell down like mountains riven by thunder. Thousands of steeds,
with their armour, equipments, and adornments all torn and broken and
displaced, fell down, along with their heroic riders, deprived of life.
Car-warriors with weapons loosened from their grasp, and deprived by
(hostile) car-warriors of cars and life, and large bands of
foot-soldiers, slain by hostile heroes in that dreadful clash, fell down
in thousands. The Earth became covered with the heads of heroic
combatants intoxicated with battle, heads that were adorned with large
and expansive eyes of coppery hue and faces as beautiful as the lotus or
the moon. And people heard noises as loud in the sky as on the surface of
the Earth, in consequence of the sound of music and song proceeding from
large bands of Apsaras on their celestial cars, with which those bands of
heavenly choristers continually greeted the newly-arrived heroes slain in
hundreds and thousands by brave enemies on Earth, and with which, placing
them on celestial cars, they repaired on those vehicles (towards the
region of Indra). Witnessing with their own eyes those wonderful sights,
and actuated by the desire of going to heaven, heroes with cheerful
hearts speedily slew one another. Car-warriors fought beautifully with
car-warriors in that battle, and foot-soldiers with foot-soldiers, and
elephants with elephants, and steeds with steeds. Indeed, when that
battle, destructive of elephants and steeds and men, raged in this way,
the field became covered with the dust raised by the troops. Then enemies
slew enemies and friends slew friends. The combatants dragged one another
by their locks, bit one another with their teeth, tore one another with
their nails, and struck one another with clenched fists, and fought one
another with bare arms in that fierce battle destructive of both life and
sins. Indeed, as that battle, fraught with carnage of elephants and
steeds and men, raged on so fiercely, a river of blood ran from the
bodies of (slain) human beings and steeds and elephants. And that current
carried away a large number of dead bodies of elephants and steeds and
men. Indeed, in that vast host teeming with men, steeds, and elephants,
that river formed by the blood of men and steeds and elephants and
horsemen and elephant-men, became miry with flesh and exceedingly
terrible. And on that current, inspiring the timid with terror, floated
the bodies of men and steeds and elephants. Impelled by the desire of
victory, some combatants forded it and some remained on the other side.
And some plunged into its depths, and some sank in it and some rose above
its surface as they swam through it. Smeared all over with blood, their
armour and weapons and robes--all became bloody. Some bathed in it and
some drank the liquid and some became strengthless, O bull of Bharata's
race. Cars and steeds, and men and elephants and weapons and ornaments,
and robes and armour, and combatants that were slain or about to be
slain, and the Earth, the welkin, the firmament, and all the points of
the compass, became red. With the odour, the touch, the taste, and the
exceedingly red sight of that blood and its rushing sound, almost all the
combatants, O Bharata, became very cheerless. The Pandava heroes then,
headed by Bhimasena and Satyaki, once more rushed impetuously against
that army already beaten. Beholding the impetuosity of that rush of the
Pandava heroes to be irresistible, the vast force of your sons, O king,
turned its back on the field. Indeed, that host of thine, teeming with
cars and steeds and elephants and men no longer in compact array, with
armour and coats of mail displaced and weapons and bows loosened from
their grasp, fled away in all directions, while being agitated by the
enemy, even like a herd of elephants in the forest afflicted by lions.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 49 ---------------------
