hrough an
anthill. Deeply pierced, Karna felt great pain and became perfectly
helpless. Indeed, Karna began to tremble in that battle like a hill
during an earthquake. Then with three other shafts of great sharpness,
the mighty son of Arjuna, excited with rage, slew those three warriors,
viz., Sushena, Drighalochana, and Kundavedhin. Meanwhile, Karna
(recovering from the shock) pierced Abhimanyu with five and twenty
shafts. And Aswatthaman struck him with twenty, and Kritavarman with
seven. Covered all over with arrows, that son of Sakra's son, filled with
rage, careered over the field. And he was regarded by all the troops as
Yama's self armed with the noose. He then scattered over Salya, who
happened to be near him thick showers of arrows. That mighty-armed
warrior then uttered loud shouts, frightening thy troops therewith.
Meanwhile, Salya, pierced by Abhimanyu accomplished in weapons, with
straight shafts penetrating into his very vitals, sat down on the terrace
of his car and fainted away. Beholding Salya thus pierced by the
celebrated son of Subhadra, all the troops fled away in the very sight of
Bharadwaja's son. Seeing that mighty-armed warrior, viz., Salya, thus
covered with shafts of golden wings, thy army fled away like a herd of
deer attacked by a lion. And Abhimanyu glorified by the Pitris, the gods,
and Charanas, and Siddhas, as also by diverse classes of creatures on the
earth, with praises about (his heroism and skill in) battle, looked
resplendent like a sacrificial fire fed with clarified butter.'"

SECTION XXXVI

"Dhritarashtra said, 'While Arjuna's son was thus grinding, by means of
his straight arrows, our foremost bowmen, what warriors of my army
endeavoured to check him?'

"Sanjaya said, 'Hear, O king, of the splendid prowess in battle of
youthful Abhimanyu while engaged in breaking the car-ranks (of the
Kauravas), protected by the son of Bharadwaja himself.'

"'Beholding the ruler of the Madras disabled in battle by Subhadra's son
with his shafts, the younger brother of Salya, filled with wrath,
advanced against Abhimanyu, scattering his shafts. Arjuna's son however,
endued with great lightness of hand, cut off his antagonist's head and
charioteer, his triple bamboo-pole, his bed (on the car), his car-wheels,
his yoke, and shafts and quiver, and car-bottom, by means of his arrows,
as also his banner and every other implements of battle with which his
car was equipped. So quick were his mo