on, had been thrown down (from his car),
that grinder of foes, that foremost of all wielders of bows, viz., Karna,
soon came (to the field of battle). When the best of car-warriors, viz.,
Bhishma, was slain by the foe, Karna speedily came there, desirous of
rescuing the Kuru host which resembled a boat sunk in the ocean, like a
sire desirous of rescuing his children.'

"'And Karna (addressing the soldiers) said, "That Bhishma who possessed
firmness, intelligence, prowess, vigour, truth, self-restraint, and all
the virtues of a hero, as also celestial weapons, and humility, and
modesty, agreeable speech, and freedom from malice, that ever-grateful
Bhishma, that slayer of the foes of Brahmanas, in whom were these
attributes as permanently as Lakshmi in the moon, alas, when that
Bhishma, that slayer of hostile heroes, hath received his quietus, I
regard all other heroes as already slain. In consequence of the eternal
connection (of all things) with work, nothing exists in this world that
is imperishable. When Bhishma of high vows hath been slain, who is there
that would take upon himself to say with certitude that tomorrow's sun
will rise? When he that was endued with prowess equal to that of the
Vasus, he that was born of the energy of the Vasus, when he, that ruler
of the earth, hath once more been united with the Vasus, grieve ye,
therefore, for your possessions and children for this earth and the
Kurus, and this host."'[4]

"Sanjaya continued, 'Upon the fall of that boon-giving hero of great
might, that lord of the world, viz., Santanu's son of great energy, and
upon the (consequent) defeat of the Bharatas, Karna, with cheerless heart
and eyes filled with tears, began to console (the Dhartarashtras).
Hearing these words of Radha's son, thy sons, O monarch, and thy troops,
began to wail aloud and shed copious tears of grief corresponding with
the loudness of those wails.[5] When, however, the dreadful battle once
more took place and the Kaurava divisions, urged on by the Kings, once
more set up loud shouts, that bull among mighty car-warriors, viz.,
Karna, then addressed the great car-warriors (of the Kaurava army) and
said words which caused them great delight: "In this transient world
everything is continually flitting (towards the jaws of Death). Thinking
of this, I regard everything as ephemeral. When, however, all of you were
here, how could Bhishma, that bull among the Kurus, immovable as a hill,
be thrown down f