h rage, and
taking up all kinds of weapons, proceeded, making death itself their
goal, towards Karna, from desire of slaughtering him. Meanwhile, Karna's
driver had yoked other steeds unto his master's car, that were white as
conchs, endued with great speed, of the Sindhu breed, and well-broken.
Then Karna of sure aim, contending with vigour, afflicted those mighty
car-warriors among the Panchalas with his shafts like a cloud pouring
torrents of rain upon a mountain. The Panchala host, thus afflicted by
Karna, fled away in fear, like a doe frightened by a lion. Horsemen were
seen falling from their horses, and elephant-riders from their elephants,
O monarch, and car-warriors from cars, all around. In that dreadful
battle, Karna cut off with razor-faced arrows the arms of flying
combatants and heads decked with car-rings. And he cut off, O king, the
thighs of others that were on elephants or on the back of steeds, or on
the earth, O sire! Many mighty car-warriors, as they fled away, felt not
their loss of limbs or the injury in their animals, in that battle.
Slaughtered by terrible shafts, the Panchalas and the Srinjayas took the
motion of even a straw for Karna (so great was their fright). Deprived of
their senses, the warriors took their flying friends for Karna and fled
away from these in fear. Karna pursued the broken and retreating host, O
Bharata, shooting his shafts on all sides. Indeed, in that battle, the
retreating warriors, deprived of their senses, were slaughtered with
mighty weapons by that illustrious hero, Karna. Others, only looked at by
Drona, fled away on all sides. Then king Yudhishthira, beholding his army
flying away, and regarding retreat to be advisable, addressed Phalguna
and said, "Behold that mighty bowman, Karna stationed there like Rudra
himself armed with his bow. Behold him scorching everything around like
the blazing sun himself, at this fierce hour, this dead of night. These
wails are being incessantly heard, O Partha, of thy helpless friends who
are uttering them, mangled by the shafts of Karna. The manner in which
Karna is aiming and letting off his shafts is such that no interval can
be noticed between the two acts. He will, O Partha, annihilate all our
friends. Do that now, Dhananjaya, about the slaughter of Karna, which,
according to thy judgment, should next be done and the time for which may
have come." Thus addressed (by Yudhishthira), Partha said unto Krishna,
"The royal son of Dha