tana, in the battle, began to strike his foes with
lances endued with the force of thunder, and with whetted shafts,
equipped with beautiful wings of gold. Soon the standards of some were
broken and cut down by Karna, and the bodies of others pierced and
mangled by him with keen arrows; and soon some were deprived of drivers,
and some of their steeds. Exceedingly afflicted by the Suta's son in that
battle, many of them entered the force of Yudhishthira. Beholding them
broken and compelled to retreat, Ghatotkacha became mad with rage.
Mounted on that excellent car of his that was decked with gold and
jewels, he uttered a leonine roar and approaching Vikartana's son, Karna,
pierced him with shafts endued with the force of thunder. Both of them
began to cover the welkin with barbed arrows, and cloth-yard shafts, and
frog-faced arrows, and Nalikas and Dandas and Asanis and arrows bearing
heads like the calf's tooth or the boar's ear, and broad-headed shafts,
and shafts pointed like horns, and others bearing heads like razors. The
welkin, covered with that arrowy shower, looked, in consequence of those
gold-winged shafts of blazing splendour coursing horizontally through it,
as if hung with garland of beautiful flowers. Each endued with prowess
equal to that of the other, they struck each other equally with powerful
weapons. None could, in that battle, find any mark of superiority in
either of those excellent heroes. Indeed, that battle between the son of
Surya and Bhima's son, characterised by a thick and heavy shower of
weapons, looked exceedingly beautiful and presented almost an unrivalled
sight like the fierce encounter between Rahu and Surya in the welkin.'

"Sanjaya continued, 'When Ghatotkacha, O king, that foremost of all
persons conversant with weapons, found that he could not prevail over
Karna, he invoked into existence a fierce and mighty weapon. With that
weapon, the Rakshasa first slew the steeds of Karna and then the latter's
driver. Having achieved that feat, Hidimva's son quickly made himself
invisible.'

"Dhritarashtra said, 'When the Rakshasa fighting by deceitful means thus
disappeared, tell me, O Sanjaya, what the warriors of my army thought.'

"Sanjaya said, 'Seeing the Rakshasa disappear, all the Kauravas loudly
said, "Appearing next, the Rakshasa, fighting deceitfully, will certainly
slay Karna." Then Karna, endued with wonderful lightness in the use of
weapons, covered all sides with showers of sha