sate with wrath. He is ready to engage in battle with the Destroyer
armed with uplifted mace. This desire, however, hath been cherished
through all my days, viz., that either I shall slay Arjuna or Arjuna will
slay me. That desire of mine may be fulfilled today in consequence of my
encounter with Bhima. If I slay Bhima or make him carless, Partha may
come against me. That will be well for me. Settle that without delay
which thou thinkest to be suitable to the hour." Hearing these words of
Radha's son of immeasurable energy Shalya replied, saying, "O thou of
mighty arms, proceed against Bhimasena of great might. Having checked
Bhimasena, thou mayst then obtain Phalguna. That which is thy purpose,
that desire which for many long years thou hast cherished in thy heart,
will be accomplished, O Karna. I tell the truth." Thus addressed, Karna
once more said unto Shalya, "Either I shall slay Arjuna in battle, or he
will slay me. Setting thy heart on battle proceed to the spot where
Vrikodara is."'"

"Sanjaya continued, 'Then, O king, Shalya speedily proceeded on that car
to the spot where that great bowman, viz., Bhima, was engaged in routing
thy army. There rose then the blare of trumpets and the peal of drums, O
monarch, when Bhima and Karna met. The mighty Bhimasena, filled with
rage, began to scatter thy troops difficult of defeat, with his sharp and
polished shafts, to all sides. That collision in battle, O monarch,
between Karna and the son of Pandu became, O king, fierce and awful, and
the noise that arose was tremendous. Beholding Bhima coming towards him,
Karna, otherwise called Vaikartana or Vrisha, filled with rage, struck
him with shafts in the centre of the chest. And once more, Karna of
immeasurable soul, covered him with a shower of arrows. Thus pierced by
the Suta's son, Bhima covered the former with winged arrows. And he once
more pierced Karna with nine straight and keen shafts. Then Karna, with a
number of arrows, cut in twain Bhima's bow at the handle. And after
cutting off his bow, he pierced him once again in the centre of the chest
with a shaft of great keenness and capable of penetrating every kind of
armour. Then Vrikodara, taking up another bow, O king, and knowing full
well what the vital parts of the body are, pierced the Suta's son with
many keen arrows. Then Karna pierced him with five and twenty arrows,
like a hunter striking a proud and infuriate elephant in the forest with
a number of blazing br