SECTION 96
"Sanjaya said, 'After Karna had thus been slain and the Kaurava troops
had fled away, he of Dasharha's race, embracing Partha from joy, said
unto him these words: "Vritra was slain by thee. Men will talk (in the
same breath) of the slaughter of Vritra and Karna in awful battle. Vritra
was slain in battle by the deity of great energy with his thunder. Karna
hath been slain by you with bow and sharp arrows. Go, O son of Kunti,
and represent, O Bharata, unto king Yudhishthira the just, this prowess
of yours that is capable of procuring you great fame and that hath
become well-known in the world. Having represented unto king Yudhishthira
the just, this slaughter of Karna in battle for compassing which thou
hadst been endeavouring for a long course of years, you wilt be freed
from the debt you owest to the king. During the progress of the battle
between thyself and Karna, the son of Dharma once came for beholding the
field. Having, however, been deeply and exceedingly pierced (with
arrows), he could not stay in battle. The king, that bull among men, then
went back to his tent." Partha answered Keshava, that bull of Yadu's
race, saying, "So be it!' The latter then cheerfully caused the car of
that foremost of car-warriors to turn back. Having said these words unto
Arjuna, Krishna addressed the soldiers, saying, "Blessed be ye, stand all
of you carefully, facing the foe!" Unto Dhrishtadyumna and Yudhamanyu and
the twin sons of Madri and Vrikodara and Yuyudhana, Govinda said, "Ye
kings, until we come back having informed the king of Karna's slaughter
by Arjuna, stand the here with care." Having received the permission of
these heroes, he then set out for the quarters of the king. With Partha
in his company, Govinda beheld Yudhishthira, that tiger among kings,
lying on an excellent bed of gold. Both of them then, with great joy,
touched the feet of the king. Beholding their joy and the extraordinary
wounds on their bodies, Yudhishthira regarded the son of Radha to be dead
and rose quickly from his bed. That chastiser of foes, the mighty-armed
monarch, having risen from his bed, repeatedly embraced Vasudeva and
Arjuna with affection. That descendant of Kuru's race then asked Vasudeva
(the particulars of Karna's death). Then the sweet-speeched Vasudeva that
descendant of the Yadu race, spoke to him of Karna's death exactly as it
had happened. Smiling then, Krishna, otherwise called Acyuta, joined his
palms and addressed king Yudhishthira whose foes had been killed saying,
"By good luck, the wielder of Gandiva, and Vrikodara, the son of Pandu,
and thyself, and the two sons of Madri, are all safe, having been freed
from this battle that has been so destructive of heroes and that made the
very hair of the body to stand on end. Do you those acts, O son of
Pandu, which should next be done. The Suta's son Karna, possessed of
great might and otherwise called Vaikartana, hath been slain. By good
luck, victory hath become thine, O king of kings. By good luck, thou
growest, O son of Pandu! The Earth drinketh today the blood of that
Suta's son, that wretch among men, who had laughed at the dice-won
Krishna. That foe of thine, O bull of Kuru's race, lieth today on the
bare ground, pierced all over with arrows. Behold that tiger among men,
pierced and mangled with shafts. O you of mighty arms, rule now, with
care, this earth that is divested of all your foes, and enjoy with us, all
kinds of enjoyable articles!'"
"Sanjaya continued, 'Having heard these words of the high-souled Keshava,
Yudhishthira, with great joy, worshipped in return that hero of
Dasharha's race. "Good luck, Good luck!" were the words, O monarch, that
he said. And he added, "It is not wonderful, O mighty-armed one, in thee,
O son of Devaki, that Partha, having obtained you for his charioteer,
should achieve feats that are even super-human." Then that chief of
Kuru's race, that righteous son of Pritha, taking hold of Keshava's right
arm adorned with Angadas, and addressing both Keshava and Arjuna, said,
"Narada told me that the two are the gods Nara and Narayana, those ancient
and best of Rishis, that are ever employed in the preservation of
righteousness. Gifted with great intelligence, the master Krishna
Dvaipayana, the highly blessed Vyasa, also hath repeatedly told me this
celestial history. Through your influence, O Krishna, this Dhananjaya the
son of Pandu, facing his foes, hath vanquished them, without ever turning
back from any of them. Victory, and not defeat, we are certain to have,
since you hast accepted the drivership of Partha in battle." Having said
these words, king Yudhishthira the just, that tiger among men, mounting
his car, adorned with gold and having steeds of ivory white and black
tails and fleet as thought harnessed unto it, and surrounded by many
Pandava troops, set out, conversing pleasantly with Krishna and Arjuna
along the way, for beholding the field of battle on which thousands of
incidents had taken place. Conversing with those two heroes, viz.,
Madhava and Phalguna, the king beheld Karna, that bull among men, lying
on the field of battle. Indeed, king Yudhishthira beheld Karna pierced
all over with arrows like a Kadamva flower with straight filaments all
around its body. Yudhishthira beheld Karna illuminated by thousands of
golden lamps filled with perfumed oil. Having beheld Karna with his son
slain and mangled with shafts sped from Gandiva, king Yudhishthira
repeatedly looked at him before he could believe his eyes. He then
applauded those tigers among men, Madhava and Phalguna, saying, "O
Govinda, today I have become king of the earth, with my brothers, in
consequence of thyself of great wisdom having become my protector and
lord. Hearing of the slaughter of that tiger among men, the proud son of
Radha, the wicked-souled son of Dhritarashtra will be filled with
despair, as regards both life and kingdom. Through your grace, O bull
among men, we have acquired our objects. By good luck, victory hath been
thine, O Govinda! By good luck, the enemy hath been slain. By good luck,
the wielder of Gandiva, the son of Pandu, hath been crowned with victory.
Thirteen years we have passed in wakefulness and great sorrow. O you of
mighty arms, through your grace, we will sleep happily this night." In
this way, O ruler of men, king Yudhishthira the just, praised Janardana
greatly as also Arjuna, O monarch!'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Beholding Karna with his son slain with Partha's
shafts, that perpetuator of Kuru's race, Yudhishthira, regarded himself
as reborn. The kings (in the Pandava army), great car-warriors--all
filled with joy, approached Kunti's son Yudhishthira and gladdened him
greatly. Nakula, and Sahadeva, and Vrikodara the son of Pandu, and
Satyaki, O king, that foremost of car-warriors among the Vrishnis, and
Dhrishtadyumna, and Shikhandi, and others among the Pandus, the Pancalas,
and the Srinjayas, worshipped the son of Kunti at the slaughter of the
Suta's son. Extolling king Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, those
delighters in battle, those effectual smiters, those heroes possessed of
sureness of aim and longing for victory, also praised those scorchers of
foes, viz., the two Krishnas, with speeches fraught with panegyrics. Then
those great car-warriors, filled with delight, proceeded towards their
own camp. Thus occurred that great carnage, making the hair stand on end,
in consequence, O king, of your evil policy! Why dost you grieve for it
now?'"
Vaishampayana continued, "Hearing those evil tidings, the Kuru king
Dhritarashtra suddenly fell down on the ground from his excellent seat.
Similarly, the royal lady Gandhari of great foresight fell down. She
indulged in diverse lamentations, for the slaughter of Karna in battle.
Then Vidura and Sanjaya both raised the fallen monarch and began to
console him. Similarly the Kuru ladies raised Gandhari. Thinking destiny
and necessity to be all powerful, that royal ascetic, under that great
grief, seemed to lose his senses. His heart filled with anxiety and
sorrow, the king, however, did not again swoon away. Comforted by them,
he remained silent, indulging in melancholy musing. He that reads of this
great battle, which is like unto a sacrifice, between the high-souled
Dhananjaya and Adhiratha's son, so also he that hears the account of this
battle read, both obtain, O Bharata, the fruit of a great sacrifice duly
performed. The learned say that the holy and the eternal Vishnu is
Sacrifice, and each of those other gods, viz., Agni, Wind, Soma, and
Surya, is so. Therefore, he that will, without malice, hear or recite
this Parvan, will be happy and capable of attaining to every region of
bliss. Filled with devotion, men always read this sacred and first of
Samhitas. They that do, rejoice, obtaining wealth, and grain, and fame. A
man must, therefore, ever hear it without malice. He that does so will
obtain all kinds of happiness. With that foremost of persons, Vishnu, and
the illustrious Self-born, and Bhava also, become pleased. A Brahmana, by
reading it, would obtain the fruit of having studied the Vedas; a
Kshatriya obtains strength and victory in battle; Vaishyas would obtain
immense wealth, and Shudras would obtain health and freedom from disease.
Then again the illustrious Vishnu is eternal. And since it is that god
who hath been glorified in this Parvan, it is for this that the man
reading or hearing it becometh happy and acquireth all the objects of his
heart. These words of the great Rishi (Vyasa) can never the untrue! The
merit that may be attained by listening to the recitation of the Karna
Parvan is equal to his who giveth away unceasingly for a whole year good
cows with calves."
The end of Karna Parv
