taking
up in that battle a tougher bow, filled the welkin on every side of
Nakula with his arrows. The mighty car-warrior, Nakula, however, thus
suddenly shrouded with the arrows shot from Karna's bow quickly cut off
all those shafts with shafts of his own. Then was seen overspread in the
welkin a vast number of arrows like to the spectacle presented by the sky
when it is filled with myriads of roving fireflies. Indeed, the sky
shrouded with those hundreds of arrows shot (by both the warriors)
looked, O monarch, as if it was covered with flights of locusts. Those
arrows, decked with gold, issuing repeatedly in continuous lines, looked
beautiful like rows of cranes while flying through the welkin. When the
sky was thus covered with showers of arrows and the sun himself hid from
the view, no creature ranging the air could descend on the Earth. When
all sides were thus covered with showers of arrows, those two high-souled
warriors looked resplendent like two Suns risen at the end of the Yuga.
Slaughtered with the shafts issuing from Karna's bow the Somakas, O
monarch, greatly afflicted and feeling much pain, began to breathe their
last. Similarly, thy warriors, struck with the shafts of Nakula,
dispersed on all sides, O king, like clouds tossed by the wind. The two
armies thus slaughtered by those two warriors with their mighty celestial
shafts, retreated from the range of those arrows and stood as spectators
of the encounter. When both the armies were driven off by means of the
shafts of Karna and Nakula, those two high-souled warriors began to
pierce each other with showers of shafts. Displaying their celestial
weapons on the field of battle, they quickly shrouded each other, each
desirous of compassing the destruction of the other. The shafts shot by
Nakula, dressed with Kanka and peacock feathers, shrouding the Suta's
son, seemed to stay in the welkin. Similarly, the shafts sped by the
Suta's son in that dreadful battle, shrouding the son of Pandu, seemed to
stay in the welkin. Shrouded within arrowy chambers, both the warriors
became invisible, like the Sun and the Moon, O king, hidden by the
clouds. Then Karna, filled with rage and assuming a terrible aspect in
the battle, covered the son of Pandu with showers of arrows from every
side. Completely covered, O monarch, by the Suta's son, the son of Pandu
felt no pain like the Maker of day when covered by the clouds. The son of
Adhiratha then, smiling the while, sped arr