t bow within the twinkling of an eye, once
more covered Phalguna with clouds of shafts, displaying great lightness
of hand. Dhananjaya then, O Bharata, smiling the while, baffled with his
own shafts, that arrowy shower shot by the Suta's son. Approaching each
other, those two great bowmen, desirous of counteracting each other's
feats, continued to cover each other with showers of shafts. The battle
that took place between them, viz., Karna and the son of Pandu, became
exceedingly wonderful, like that between the two wild elephants for the
sake of a she-elephant in her season. Then the mighty bowman Partha,
beholding Karna's prowess, quickly cut off the latter's bow at the handle.
And he also despatched the four steeds of the Suta's son to Yama's abode
with a number of broad-headed shafts. And that scorcher of foes also cut
off from the trunk the head of Karna's driver. Then, the son of Pandu and
Pritha pierced the bowless, the steedless, and the driverless Karna with
four shafts. Then that bull among men Karna, afflicted with those shafts,
specially jumping down from that steedless car, mounted upon that of
Kripa. Beholding the son of Radha vanquished, thy warriors, O bull of
Bharata's race, fled away in all directions. Seeing them fly away, king
Duryodhana himself checked them and said these words, "Ye heroes, do not
fly away. Ye bulls among Kshatriyas, stay in battle. I myself will now
advance for slaying Partha in battle. I myself will slay Partha with the
assembled Panchalas. While I shall fight with the wielder of Gandiva
today, Partha will behold my prowess to resemble that of the Destroyer
himself at the end of the Yuga. Today the Parthas shall behold my shafts
shot in thousands to resemble flights of locusts. The combatants shall
behold me today shooting, bow in hand, dense showers of shafts, like
torrents of rain poured by the clouds at the end of the summer season. I
shall today vanquish Partha with my straight shafts. Stay, ye heroes, in
battle, and remove your fear of Phalguna. Encountering my prowess,
Phalguna shall never be able to bear it, like the ocean, the abode of
makaras, unable to overcome the continents." Thus saying, the king
proceeded in rage, his eyes red in wrath, surrounded by a large host,
towards Phalguna. Beholding the mighty-armed Duryodhana thus proceeding,
Saradwat's son, approaching Aswatthaman, said these words, "Yonder, the
mighty-armed Duryodhana, deprived of his senses by wrath, desire