ima took up were
similarly cut off. Indeed, O king, thy son, proud of his prowess and
desirous of victory, cut off Bhima's bow as soon as the latter took up
one. Seeing his bows repeatedly cut off, Bhima then hurled, in that
battle, a dart made wholly of iron and hard as the thunder. That dart
blazing as a flame of fire, resembled the sister of Death. The Kuru king,
however, in the very sight of all the warriors and before the eyes of
Bhima himself, cut in three fragments that dart, which coursed towards
him through the welkin with the splendour of fire and dividing it, as it
were by a straight line such as is visible on the head of a woman parting
her tresses. Then Bhima, O king, whirling his heavy and blazing mace,
hurled it with great force at the car of Duryodhana. That heavy mace
speedily crushed the steeds, the driver, and the car also, of thy son in
that encounter. Thy son, then, O monarch, afraid of Bhima and shrinking
within the narrowest compass, ascended another car, viz., that of the
illustrious Nandaka. Then Bhima, regarding Suyodhana to have been slain
amid the darkness of that night, uttered a loud leonine roar challenging
the Kauravas. Thy warriors regarded the king to be slain. All of them
uttered loud cries of Oh and Alas. Hearing the wails of the affrighted
warriors and the roars of the high souled Bhima, O king, king
Yudhishthira also regarded Suyodhana to have been slain. And the eldest
son of Pandu, thereupon, rushed quickly to the spot where Vrikodara, the
son of Pritha, was. And the Panchalas, the Srinjayas, the Matsyas, the
Kaikeyas, and the Chedis, speedily advanced, with all their might against
Drona from desire of slaying him. There also occurred a dreadful battle
between Drona and the enemy. And the combatants of both sides were
enveloped in thick gloom and struck and slew one another'."

SECTION CLXVI

"Sanjaya said, 'Karna, the son of Vikartana,[222] O king, resisted the
mighty car-warrior Sahadeva in that battle, who advanced from desire of
getting at Drona. Piercing the son of Radha with nine shafts, Sahadeva
once more pierced that warrior with nine straight arrows. Karna then
pierced Sahadeva in return with a hundred straight shafts, and displaying
great lightness in hand, cut off the latter's stringed bow. Then the
valiant son of Madri, taking up another bow, pierced Karna with twenty
arrows. This feat of his seemed exceedingly wonderful. Then Karna,
slaying Sahadeva's steeds with