g from his
hand. Beholding Karna in that plight, the vast Dhartarashtra host uttered
cries of "Oh" and "Alas," and the faces of all the combatants became
colourless. Beholding the prowess of their king, on the other hand, O
monarch, amongst the Pandavas, leonine roars and shouts and confused
cries of joy arose. The son of Radha, however, of cruel prowess,
recovering his senses soon enough, set his heart on the destruction of
Yudhishthira. Drawing his formidable bow called Vijaya that was decked
with gold, the Suta's son of immeasurable soul began to resist the son of
Pandu with his sharp shafts. With a couple of razor-headed arrows he slew
in that encounter Candradeva and Dandadhara, the two Pancala princes,
that protected the two car wheels of the high-souled Yudhishthira. Each
of those heroes, standing by the side of Yudhishthira's car, looked
resplendent like the constellation Punarvasu by the side of the moon.
Yudhishthira, however, once more pierced Karna with thirty arrows. And he
struck Sushena and Satyasena, each with three arrows. And he pierced
every one of the protectors of Karna with three straight arrows. The son
of Adhiratha then, laughing and shaking his bow inflicted a cutting wound
on the king's body with a broad-headed arrow, and again pierced him with
sixty arrows and then uttered a loud shout. Then many foremost heroes
amongst the Pandavas, desirous of rescuing the king, rushed in wrath
towards Karna and began to grind him with their arrows. Satyaki and
Chekitana and Yuyutsu and Shikhandi and the sons of Draupadi and the
Prabhadrakas, and the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) and Bhimasena and
Shishupala and the Karushas, Matsyas, the Suras, the Kaikayas, the Kasis
and the Kosalas, all these brave heroes, endued with great activity,
assailed Vasusena. The Pancala prince Janamejaya then pierced Karna with
many arrows. The Pandava heroes, armed with diverse kinds of arrows and
diverse weapons and accompanied by cars and elephants and steeds, rushing
towards Karna, encompassed him on all sides, from desire of slaying him.
Thus assailed on all sides by the foremost of Pandava warriors, Karna
invoked into existence the brahmastra and filled all the points of the
compass with arrows. The heroic Karna then, like unto a blazing fire
having shafts for its scorching flame, careered in battle, burning that
forest of Pandavas troops. The high-souled Karna, that great bowman,
aiming some mighty weapons, and laughing the