SECTION 74
"Sanjaya said, 'Hearing these words of Keshava, O Bharata, Vibhatsu soon
cast off his anxiety and became cheerful. Rubbing then the string of
gandiva and stretching it, he held his bow for the destruction of Karna,
and addressed Keshava, saying, 'With you for my protector, O Govinda,
and when you that are acquainted with the past and the future art
gratified with me today, victory is sure to be mine. Aided by thee, O
Krishna, I can, in great battle, destroy the three worlds assembled
together, what need be said of Karna then? I see the Pancala host is
flying away, O Janardana. I see also Karna careering fearlessly in
battle. I see too the bhargava weapon careering in all directions, having
been invoked by Karna, O you of Vrishni's race, like the puissant
thunder invoked by Shakra. This is that battle in which Karna will be
slain by me and of which all creatures will speak as long as the earth
will last. Today, O Krishna, unbarbed arrows, impelled by my arms and
sped from the gandiva, mangling Karna, will take him to Yama. Today king
Dhritarashtra will curse that intelligence of his in consequence of which
he had installed Duryodhana, who was undeserving of sovereignty, on the
throne. Today, O mighty-armed one, Dhritarashtra will be divested of
sovereignty, happiness, prosperity, kingdom, city, and sons. I tell thee
truly, O Krishna, that today, Karna being slain, Duryodhana will become
hopeless of both life and kingdom. Today, beholding Karna cut in pieces
by me with my arrows, like Vritra in days of yore by Indra in the battle
between the gods and the asuras, let king Duryodhana call to mind the
words you hast spoken for bringing about peace. Today let the son of
Subala, O Krishna, know that my shafts are dice, my gandiva the box for
throwing them, and my car, the chequered cloth. O Govinda, slaying Karna
with keen shafts I will dispel the long sleeplessness of Kunti's son.
Today the royal son of Kunti, upon the slaughter of the Suta's son by me,
shall be gratified and be of cheerful heart and obtain happiness for
ever. Today, O Keshava, I will shoot an irresistible and unrivalled arrow
that will deprive Karna of life. Even this, O Krishna, was the vow of
that wicked-souled one about my slaughter, viz., 'I will not wash my feet
till I slay Phalguna.' Falsifying this vow of that wretch, O slayer of
Madhu, I will, with straight shafts, throw down his body today from his
car. Today the earth will drink the blood of that Suta's son who in
battle condemns all other men on earth! With Dhritarashtra's approbation,
the Suta's son Karna, boasting of his own merits, had said, 'Thou hast no
husband now, O Krishna!' My keen shafts will falsify that speech of his.
Like angry snakes of virulent poison, they will drink his life-blood.
Cloth-yard shafts, of the effulgence of the lightning, shot by myself
possessed of mighty arms, sped from Gandiva, will send Karna on his last
journey. Today the son of Radha will repent for those cruel words that he
said unto the princess of Pancala in the midst of the assembly, in
disparagement of the Pandavas! They that were on that occasion sesame
seeds without kernel, will today become seeds with kernel after the fall
of the Suta's son Karna of wicked soul, otherwise called Vaikartana! 'I
will save the from the sons of Pandu!'--even these were the words that
Karna, bragging of his own merits, said unto the sons of Dhritarashtra!
My keen shafts will falsify that speech of his! Today, in the very sight
of all the bowmen, I will slay that Karna who said, 'I will slay all the
Pancalas with their sons.' Today, O slayer of Madhu, I will slay that
Karna, that son of Radha, relying on whose prowess the proud son of
Dhritarashtra, of wicked understanding, always disregarded us. Today, O
Krishna, after Karna's fall, the Dhartarashtras with their king, struck
with panic, will fly away in all directions, like deer afraid of the
lion. Today let king Duryodhana repent upon the slaughter of Karna, with
his sons and relatives, by me in battle. Today, beholding Karna slain,
let the wrathful son of Dhritarashtra, O Krishna, know me to be the
foremost of all bowmen in battle. Today, I will make king Dhritarashtra,
with his sons and grandsons and counsellors and servants, shelterless.
Today, cranes and other carnivorous birds will, O Keshava, sport over the
limbs of Karna cut off into pieces with my shafts. Today, O slayer of
Madhu, I will cut off in battle the head of Radha's son Karna, in the
very sight of all the bowmen. Today, O slayer of Madhu, I will cut off in
battle the limbs of Radha's son of wicked soul with keen vipathas and
razor-faced arrows. Today, the heroic king Yudhishthira will cast off a
great pain and a great sorrow cherished long in his heart. Today, O
Keshava, slaying the son of Radha, with all his kinsmen, I will gladden
king Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma. Today, I will slay the cheerless
followers of Karna in battle, with shafts resembling the blazing fire or
the poison of the snake. Today, with my straight shafts equipped with
vulturine feathers, I will, O Govinda, cause the earth to be strewn with
(the bodies of) kings cased in golden armour. Today, O slayer of Madhu, I
will, with keen shafts, crush the bodies and cut off the heads of all the
foes of Abhimanyu. Today, I will bestow the earth, divested of
Dhartarashtras on my brother, or, perhaps, thou, O Keshava, wilt walk
over the earth divested of Arjuna! Today, O Krishna, I will free myself
from the debt I owe to all bowmen, to my own wrath, to the Kurus, to my
shafts, and to gandiva. Today, I will be freed from the grief that I have
cherished for thirteen years, O Krishna, by slaying Karna in battle like
Maghavat slaying Samvara. Today, after I have slain Karna in battle, let
the mighty car-warriors of the Somakas, who are desirous of accomplishing
the task of their allies, regard their task as accomplished. I do not
know what will be the measure, O Madhava, of the joy of Sini's grandson
today after I shall have slain Karna and won the victory. Today, I will
slay Karna in battle as also his son, that mighty car-warrior, and give
joy to Bhima and the twins and Satyaki. Today, slaying Karna in dreadful
battle, I will pay off my debt, O Madhava, to the Pancalas with
Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandi! Today let all behold the wrathful
Dhananjaya fight with the Kauravas in battle and slay the Suta's son.
Once more there is none equal to me in the world. In prowess also, who is
there that resembles me? What other man is there that is equal to me in
forgiveness? In wrath also, there is no one that is equal to me. Armed
with the bow and aided by the prowess of my arms, I can vanquish the
Asuras and the gods and all creatures united together. Know that my
prowess is higher than the highest. Alone assailing all the Kurus and the
Bahlikas with the fire of my shafts issuing from Gandiva, I will, putting
forth my might, burn them with their followers like a fire in the midst
of a heap of dry grass at the close of winter. My palms bear these marks
of arrows and this excellent and outstretched bow with arrow fixed on the
string. On each of the soles of my feet occur the mark of a car and a
standard. When a person like me goeth forth to battle, he cannot be
vanquished by any one." Having said these words unto Acyuta, that
foremost of all heroes, that slayer of foes, with blood red eyes,
proceeded quickly to battle, for rescuing Bhima and cutting off the head
from Karna's trunk.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 74 ---------------------
