nce more, piercing him in his
vitals with five keen arrows, Bhima, O sire, cut off with a broad-headed
arrow the bow of the Suta's son. The cheerless Karna then, O Bharata,
taking up another bow shrouded Bhimasena on all sides with his arrows.
Then Bhima, slaying Karna's steeds and charioteer, laughed a laugh,
having thus counteracted Karna's feats. Then that bull amongst men, viz.,
Bhima, cut off with his arrows the bow of Karna. That bow, O king, of
loud twang, and the back of whose staff was decked with gold, fell down
(from his hand). Then the mighty car-warrior Karna alighted from his car
and taking up a mace in that battle wrathfully hurled it at Bhima.
Beholding that mace, O king, impetuously coursing towards him, Vrikodara
resisted it with his arrows in the sight of all thy troops. Then the son
of Pandu, gifted with great prowess and exerting himself with great
activity, shot a thousand arrows at the Suta's son, desirous of taking
the latter's life. Karna, however, in the dreadful battle, resisting all
those shafts with his own, cut off Bhima's armour also with his arrows.
And then he pierced Bhima with five and twenty small shafts in the sight
of all the troops. All this seemed exceedingly wonderful. Then, O
monarch, Bhima, excited with rage, sped nine straight shafts at the
Suta's son. Those keen shafts, piercing through Karna's coat of mail and
right arm, entered the earth like snakes into an ant-hill. Shrouded with
showers of shafts shot from Bhimasena's bow, Karna once more turned his
back upon Bhimasena. Beholding the Suta's son turn back and flying away
on foot, covered all over with the arrows of Kunti's son, Duryodhana
said, "Go ye quickly from all sides towards the car of Radha's son."
Then, O king, thy sons, hearing these words of their brother that were
to them a surprise, rushed towards the son of Pandu for battle, shooting
showers of shafts. They were Chitra, and Upachitra, and Charuchitra, and
Sarasan, and Chitrayudha, and Chitravarman. All of them were well-versed
in every mode of warfare. The mighty car-warrior, Bhimasena, however,
felled each of those sons of thine thus rushing against him, with a
single arrow. Deprived of life, they fell down on the earth like trees
uprooted by a tempest. Beholding those sons of thine, all mighty
car-warriors, O king, thus slain, Karna, with tearful face, recollected
the word of Vidura. Mounting upon another car that was duly equipped,
Karna, endued with great p