s, in the space that intervened
between Karna and the son of Prishata. Not a single combatant of either
the Pandavas nor ourselves turned his face from the battle. Then Karna
proceeded against the Pancalas with great speed. At that hour when the
Sun had ascended the meridian, great slaughter, O best of men, of
elephants and steeds and men, took place on both sides. The Pancalas, O
king, inspired with the desire of victory, all rushed with speed against
Karna like birds towards a tree. The son of Adhiratha, of great energy,
filled with rage, began from their front to strike those Pancalas, with
the keen points of his shafts, singling out their leaders, viz.,
Vyaghraketu and Susharma and Citra and Ugrayudha and Jaya and Sukla and
Rochamana and the invincible Singhasena. Those heroes, speedily advancing
with their cars, encompassed that foremost of men, and poured their
shafts upon that angry warrior, viz., Karna, that ornament of battle.
That foremost of men endued with great valour, viz., the son of Radha,
afflicted those eight heroes engaged in battle with eight keen shafts.
The Suta's son possessed of great prowess, O king, then slew many
thousands of other warriors skilled in fight. Filled with rage, the son
of Radha then slew Jishnu, and Jishnukarman, and Devapi, O king, in that
battle, and Citra, and Citrayudha, and Hari, and Singhaketu and Rochamana
and the great car-warrior Salabha, and many car-warriors among the Cedis
bathed the form of Adhiratha's son in blood, while he himself was engaged
in taking the lives of those heroes. There, O Bharata, elephants,
assailed with arrows by Karna, fled away on all sides in fear and caused
a great agitation on the field of battle. Others assailed with the shafts
of Karna, uttered diverse cries, and fell down like mountains riven with
thunder. With the fallen bodies of elephants and steeds and men and with
fallen cars, the Earth became strewn along the track of Karna's car.
Indeed, neither Bhishma, nor Drona, nor any other warrior of thy army had
ever achieved such feats as were then achieved by Karna in that battle.
Amongst elephants, amongst steeds, amongst cars and amongst men, the
Suta's son caused a very great carnage, O tiger among men. As a lion is
seen to career fearlessly among a herd of deer, even so Karna careered
fearlessly among the Pancalas. As a lion routeth a herd of terrified deer
to all points of the compass, even so Karna routed those throngs of
Pancala cars